First off, I have not been asked by the company to review their products nor endorse them in any way. I just love these brushes so much that I WANT to share them with the world!
I was blessed enough to win a giveaway hosted by Mikasa and @kimjluv on Instagram of their Beauty Classic Essential Kit, which came with 10 brushes and a very nice container to hold and organize the brushes.
I love when brush sets come in containers — they’re more useful than brush bags and can help keep brushes free of dust and bacteria. It also makes transportation a breeze, and you don’t have to worry about getting makeup fallout on your other beauty products or (eek) your clothes when packing them. Their case is black, snaps shut, and has their name printed in silver on the lid, and it’s very elegant (you know, for a brush container).
The ten brushes included in the set are as follows (all images and descriptions from the Mikasa Beauty website):
This brush is really fluffy and soft. I don’t wear a lot of powder on my face — I like a dewier finish usually, and I don’t think I need it except on my nose, but I really like this brush a LOT.
This is the best blush brush I’ve ever owned. No, seriously, I am in actual love with it. (Just fyi, I have several blush brushes from Shany Cosmetics, Royal & Langnickel, Crown Brush, Morphe Brushes, and Charlotte Ronson, so my opinion is founded on a lot of testing.) At first glance, it seems like it might be too big and distribute too much blush, but that is not the case at all. It is extremely soft and fluffy, and I get the perfect dusting of blush on my cheek every time.
Holy soft finishing brush. Seriously, I think this is the SOFTEST brush I’ve ever owned. So far I’ve only used it with finishing powder, but I’m very interested in trying it with liquid foundation to see how it performs.
I really love my Rimmel Stay Matte foundation, but I’ve found that, when applied with my RC Cosmetics Kabuki Foundation brush, it can still be a little cakey. [Just as an aside, I otherwise love that brush — it leaves a flawless finish with all my other foundations, and I use it very regularly.] I applied it using this foundation brush the other day, and I had the MOST flawless finish I’ve had with any other foundation brush. The only downside for me is that the ends of the bristles are pretty spiky and therefore are kind of uncomfortable, but I figured out a way to combat that, which is to use larger, broader strokes rather than short, quick ones.
This brush is a little less firm than advertised — it actually has pretty soft bristles (they don’t spread by any means, and they deliver a very precise line, but they’re softer than many angled brushes I’ve owned in the past). I typically use another detail angled liner for my brows, but when I want a more natural brow, I definitely opt for this brush. It distributes product evenly and doesn’t leave it packed on or clumpy.
This eyeliner brush is perfect. I usually use liquid liner or the Eyeko Skinny Mini liner pen, so I don’t use brushes in creme products too often, but when I do, this brush actually delivers a very fine, detailed line. It’s the worst when you have an eyeliner brush that leaves you with a big, fatty winged line a la Amy Winehouse amiright. I wish all eyeliner brushes were as precise as this one!
I use this brush every day to apply a wash of neutral color across my lid for good blending and transition. It’s the perfect size — not so large that you feel like you’re covering part of your forehead as well, but not so small that you have to keep applying shadow everywhere to get full coverage. The tapered end makes for great blending in the crease as well.
This little brush is kind of a fatty kid, and I love that. A lot of small shadow brushes that are perfect for smoking out the lower lashline are really thin and consequently require a lot more work. This brush distributes product evenly and blends super well.
Since I don’t really wear concealer ever (and when I do, I either use my NYX concealer brush because of its size or my fingers), I’ve actually been using this as an eye brush. Remember all the struggles I had with the ColourPop Super Shock pressed pigment? Those troubles are no more! I get this baby damp and get the most flawless, smooth application possible. If you love ColourPop pigments, this brush is a MUST-HAVE. Seriously. It’s also extremely soft, like the other brushes in the set!
If someone told me I could only keep one brush from this entire kit, I’d hold onto this one. This is the best blending brush I’ve ever used (and, again, I’ve got a lot to compare it to — RC Cosmetics, Tiffany Leigh Cosmetics, Mirabella Beauty, Charlotte Ronson, Crown Brush, and Royal & Langnickel to name a few). I don’t know what it is that makes it so amazing — it’s a little shorter than other blending brushes I own and the bristles seem to be packed a little more densely — but my eyeshadow has gone to the next level while using it. I’ve had several pictures on Instagram hit the 100+ likes mark, and I swear it’s because of this brush. I really can’t say enough good things about it!
*****
As of now, you can only purchase this full set on their website, but they have assured me they will be launching more products soon! However, I REALLY think this is a must-have kit for everyone — not just makeup artists. There aren’t a bunch of weird brushes you’ll never use in personal use, and it’s reasonably priced ($89.95 right now on their website, which puts each brush at about $9 apiece, and that’s what you would be paying at Ulta for lower quality brushes). The handles are ergonomic and comfortable, and they wash really, really well (I use my RC Cosmetics brush cleaning glove to clean all my brushes). I am extremely excited to see this company grow and launch more products, and I will definitely be a regular customer of theirs!!!
My Trip Down the Beauty Aisle 