Ecotools 5-Piece Mineral Brush Set

They say expensive brushes are some of the best investments you can make if you're serious about getting your makeup right. That may be true five years ago, when only high-end brands would make brushes fit for the high strandards of makeup enthusiasts and professionals alike. But it's different today. It's easy to find good brushes without going over a thousand, maybe even 800 bucks a piece.

You can go even lower, if you like! Take for example this Ecotools 5-Piece Mineral Brush Set (P549 at Kalm Cosmetics). This travel-sized brush collection is a great buy for beginners and those who like to apply their makeup on the go! It's specifically created for loose mineral makeup but it can definitely be used with traditional pressed makeup as well.

The set contains a Mineral Powder Brush, Concealer Brush, Eye Shading Brush, and Mini Kabuki Brush. They're mainly for applying powder base makeup. The synthetic bristles are super soft and dense where it counts, thus turning your makeup into a smooth, even layer all over your face.

The brushes are small and very light which makes them ideal for traveling or applying cosmetics out of the house. They even come in a handy pouch! Here's the set compared to a full-sized brush:

The handles are juuuust long and chunky enough so that they don't feel awkward as you maneuver them

I love that the hair didn't bleed or shed when I washed them; they also don't have that weird chemical smell typical of new and cheap brushes. The handles are made of bamboo and feel sturdy even though they're super light. In other words - quality appears to be pretty good, considering the price!

Mini Kabuki Brush

The Mini Kabuki is great for buffing in your powder foundation (mineral or otherwise) while the Mineral Powder Brush can be used for applying blush, contour, and finishing powder.

Mineral Powder Brush

Eye Shader Brush (left) and Concealer Brush (right)

I find the Eye Shader Brush to be quite large compared to the typical eyeshadow brush. It can be used to apply basic eyeshadows on the crease and lid but I wouldn't use it for any kind of detail work. This particular brush is best used as a blending brush; not for application per se! It's also great for nose contouring.

The Concealer Brush is well, your typical flat concealer brush. It's thick and dense which should give you maximum coverage from your concealer.

Overall, I highly recommend the Ecotools 5-Piece Mineral Brush Set if you're looking for your first set of base makeup application tools. They're also great as a travel set! These four brushes can apply a full face of makeup: powder foundation, blush, contour, finishing powder, concealer, and basic eyeshadows would go on pretty well due to the soft and densely-packed synthetic bristles.

Would I use these myself? Hmmm. I already have a lot of great brushes that I chose mainly for their precise application. This Ecotools product feels more like a starter set to me! I like them well enough to bring them along when I'm traveling, but they won't be my first choices when I'm applying my makeup at home. I'd rather use a full-sized brush from my fave brands like Charm, Real Techniques, and Suesh.

I know you'll ask how this Ecotools Mineral Set compared to the Charm Pocket Brush Set. The Charm set is really best for retouching makeup, but not for applying full base makeup. You can if you want to but Ecotools would do a better job. However, if you need a set for refreshing your makeup in the middle of the day, you should get the Charm Pocket set. It really depends on you!

What do you think? Pleaaaase tell me you already have a good set of brushes for applying your base makeup!