Zoeva Rose Golden Luxury Set Vol. 2

 

As February marches on, Christmas seems far behind us, but can you believe I've only just started using the beautiful makeup brushes I was lucky enough to find under the tree? The reason for the delay is mostly the blog - I wanted to photograph them before they got all covered with makeup, and I've only just got around to finding the time. Also, these are without question the prettiest brushes  I've ever owned, and I must admit that part of me couldn't bear to start using them.

You'll be happy to know I've got over that now.

Zoeva makeup brushes have been really popular for a while, and I'm sure lots of you know much more about them than I do. However, for those that don't, I thought I would offer my opinion on this particular set, which is the Rose Golden (what else?!) Luxury Set Vol. 2. I'm definitely no expert when it comes to makeup and particularly brushes, so I hope this will be helpful for others whose skills, like mine, fall in to the more basic category!

The set consists of 8 brushes and a beautiful makeup bag, which is a great size for travelling. I'd already unwrapped mine before taking photographs, but each brush is presented in protective wrapping and the whole set housed within an attractive box with rose gold lettering. All rather luxurious. It retails for £65, which isn't cheap, but considering the selection of brushes you get, as well as the quality, I think it's a good price.

On the back of the box (and on the website), there is a guide to the recommended use for each brush. Of course you don't have to follow this to the letter, but it's a handy nudge in the right direction if you're a bit clueless like me! All the brushes are either made with synthetic hair or a mixture of natural and synthetic - in which case, it will say "luxe" on the handle. The softer, fluffier brushes are the natural blend ones while those with denser, more tightly packed bristles are purely synthetic.

I've had time to experiment with all of them now, so here are my opinions.

104 Buffer - I've been using this to apply my foundation. It took me a little while to get used to, as I nearly always apply foundation with my fingers, but I love the flawless finish this gives and don't think I'll go back to my old ways now! It's a round brush, with bristles which are very densely packed but soft against the skin. I also have a Real Techniques buffing brush, but find this one easier to use as it's a little bit firmer.

109 Luxe Face Paint - A narrow brush for applying and blending bronzer. I think this would be a fantastic brush for anyone who enjoys contouring. It's a perfect shape for the area beneath the cheekbones and I think it would work like a dream with cream bronzers. Wasted on me, unfortunately, as I don't contour (#skullhead).

126 Luxe Cheek Finish - This is a soft, tapered, multi-purpose brush. According to Zoeva, you can use it to apply and blend bronzer, blusher and highlight. Personally, I prefer a larger brush for bronzer (I like an all over glow) and a smaller one for highlight, but this is really lovely to apply blusher with.

From left - Luxe Crease, Smoky Shader, Smudger

226 Smudger - Cute name for a makeup brush, don't you think?! And I have to say, I absolutely love my little Smudger! I didn't have anything similar in my collection, and this is an absolute dream for smoking out shadow under the eyes and along the lash line. Probably my favourite brush from the set.

228 Luxe Crease - I'm also very fond of this one. I have other crease brushes, including the Real Techniques Bold Metals one, but this has quickly become my new favourite for applying shadows in the crease. You can also blend out with this, but for that I still prefer my ancient Shu Uemura blending brush. I've had it years and I'm not sure I'll ever find anything to compare.

234 Luxe Smoky Shader - A flat eye shadow brush. I much prefer a fluffy brush to apply shadow to the lid - the Real Techniques one is brilliant - but this is great for outer corner work.

317 Wing Liner - Chances are that I won't use this brush often. I rarely wear liner, and when I do it's usually in the form of a felt tip liner (the Kat Von D Tattoo one is my current favourite). However, in the interests of research, I have tried this out with some black eye shadow and it worked beautifully. Considering that I have little experience lining my eyes this way and have an eye shape that makes it super difficult, I would say that this is a sign of an excellent brush.

322 Brow Line -  Another hit, great for using with gel type brow products. I used it with my trusty Benefit Brow Zings and it applied really well.

So there you have it! The set by no means provides every brush you'll ever need, but it's certainly a great selection and I'm really impressed with the quality. And of course, the fact that they're so beautifully Instagrammable doesn't hurt either!

Do you have any Zoeva brushes? What's your favourite makeup brush brand?

Kate x