Charm Double Duty Makeup Brush Set
Between the two of us, I prefer using individual brushes versus committing to one whole brush set. What I do is take out a brush (or two) from the sets I have and then stock the rest in their pretty kits, waiting for the day when I need all of them together! That usually happens when I travel. It's just more convenient to bring one coordinated, compact set instead of piecing together which full-sized brushes to pack.
I also like bringing brush sets when I do makeup on other people, or do demos in events. It's neater to look at and again, doesn't take up a lot of space in transit. ^_^ But that's me. I like compartmentalizing my makeup life! If you're starting from zero, I still would recommend that you get a brush set. It should have most of the things you need, plus it'll give you enough time to think about which individual brushes to invest in.
Charm has always been a solid source of awesome brushes, and recently it came out with the Double Duty Makeup Brush Set (P1,599). This features four dual-ended brushes, one lip brush, and a hot pink roll-up case. The brushes aren't anything you haven't seen yet from Charm - remember the Charm Essentials Pretty in Pink Vegan Makeup Brush Set? - but I find the case and the double-endedness to be unique propositions from the brand.
These brushes are good together, but you can pair them up as you need them. The case itself has these velcro closures that allow you to quickly take out any brush you might need for the day - and put them back, when you're done! You can even remove all the brushes and just install your favorite ones when you travel.
The carrying case rolls up nicely due to the fabric flaps strategically placed on the sides. You can actually add more than five brushes if you feel like it.
Now on to the actual brushes included in the set. You'd get the following duos: Powder Brush and Andgled Blush/Contour Brush, Liquid Foundation Brush and Concealer Brush, Blending Brush and Eyeshadow Brush, a Crease/Detail Brush and Eyebrow Brush, and finally a Lip Brush that has a long cap.
The brush hair is soft and densely-packed. I find the face brushes excellent when it comes to application! My favorite is the Liquid Foundation/ Concealer Brush and the Powder/Blush Brush duos since they pretty much sum up my face base routine.
The eye brushes are not as impressive, however, mostly because I prefer to use animal hair brushes when I apply eye makeup. They're fluffier/somewhat coarser compared to synthetics. I get better color pay-off and blending with animal hair.
For synthetic brushes, however, they perform well enough. I still got the eyeshadow look I wanted even though I found the Eyeshadow Brush and Detail/Crease Brush a bit stiff and dense. The latter two characteristics are great for applying wet eye makeup but not for powdered ones. Otherwise, I have no complaints about the rest of the brushes.
Overall, I would still recommend the Charm Double Duty Makeup Brush Set if you love having useful brushes when you travel or apply makeup out of the house. It's a really convenient set as you can pack what you need without having to bring too many tools in one go! The advantage of synthetic hair is that it's super easy to wash/wipe compared to animal hair, so that's one thing to consider.
If you prefer animal hair though, this might not be what you're looking for. I'd be interested to see Charm come out with an animal hair version even though it's faux.
How about you - does this set look interesting? Are you due for a new brush set?
You can order this set at http://beautyandminerals.com, or visit Charm counters inside the following locations: Retail Therapy, Archaeology, Powerplant Mall, The Ramp Glorietta, and Pure Beauty, Serendra.
