RIOT: A new local brush brand that's pocket-friendly and practical
I am always hungry for news about young women entrepreneurs. It takes some balls to start your own business and a type of masochistic fortitude to deal with keeping it alive everyday. (I have a lot of #hugot, I can't help it!) Anyway, a few months ago, Rya Petines decided she's had enough of overpriced makeup brush sets. She knows that quality is important but she couldn't afford the best so she had it made herself!
That's how Riot was born. The brand aims to cater to practical girls who want good products without the crazy price tag. Its first product is the Riot Girl Complete Set (P2,500), which features 15 brushes to help you create any look with precision. It comes in a chic zippered clutch too! If you don't need the full set, you can get the Essential Face Set (P1,450) and the Deluxe Eye Set (P1,250) separately. Currently this is only available for sale over at Riot's Instagram and Facebook accounts.
Okay, so let's get to the nitty gritty. This set immediately made me think of Zoeva's Luxe Complete Brush Set which is like P7,000 for 16 pieces now. The first impression mainly stemmed from the fact that the brushes came in clutch that looks like Zoeva's, and it has maybe five similar brushes (standard inclusions), but the comparison pretty much ends there. Riot has quite a few brushes I don't have and didn't think I needed before - unless I got to try them!
But let's discuss the quality first. The synthetic brushes are quite soft and did not bleed nor shed after the first wash. No smell too. I'd say these kinds of brushes are the easiest to get right; good synthetic hairs are cheap to make, easy to use, and are quite resilient. The white animal (goat?) hair brushes though are not quite as good. They're soft enough, and I particularly love the Angled Brush for its perfect shape and stiffness, but the eye brushes can get poke-y if you know what I mean.
The white-haired brushes shed out a few bristles after vigorous washing but was fairly intact after the rinse. Expect the brushes to get frizzy - I would recommend you use a brush guard to keep them in their proper shape while they dry! I'd say it's non-negotiable or you would be unhappy with the dried form of the animal hair brushes. I wish Riot would consider selling brush guards in the future because not everybody would have it.
The Essential Face Set has the following brushes:
Powder Brush - For buffing your foundation in and applying loose powder. Could also be used for blushing and contouring.
Paddle Foundation Brush - Unlike most paddle brushes, this is wider and comes to a rounded pointy end. I love this! It's great for buffing smaller areas, especially under the eyes and around the nose.
Angled Flat Top Kabuki - This is pretty standard. It can be used to apply and buff powder or liquid products and can be used for any area of the face.
Just to give you an idea on the size!
Concealer Buffer - Dense, with a fat rounded end, this brush can blend concealer or other cream products (say nose contour) effortlessly.
Angled Brush - I like how long, stiff, and medium-sized this is. It's great for both powder blush and contour!
Flat Contour - I've never had a brush like this! I guess the closest one in my collection is the NARS Ita brush but that's much wider and less dense. This one is a good size for applying and blending contour, especially on the jaw line.
Fan Brush - This is just ok. It's thin and doesn't do much.
Here's what's included in the other half, the Deluxe Eye Set:
Blending Brush - This is another MAC 217-ish brush. It does the job of blending out eyeshadow edges, but I would want it to be denser.
Crease Brush -I like the shape, it's the right size for my big crease area! It deposits the makeup evenly, which is typically a problem for brushes of this type. Either it's too dense or too fluffy; Riot's is just in the goldilocks zone.
Pencil Brush - Can't have too much of this! This short pointy brush deposit concentrated amounts of shadow on the outer v as well as on the lower lid. Really useful to get pro level precision. Just beware as this can feel a bit poke-y. I expect the poke-y bristles to soften or simply shed over time.
Shader Brush - (not in photo, I think I was mistakenly given two Smudge Brushes) Based on the pictures, this is for depositing eyeshadow on the lid.
Smudge Brush - My current fave eyeshadow brush! I use it to pat on a pigmented layer of eye makeup, as well as smudge up my liner. It's stubby, stiff, and has a fine tapered edge which allows me to manipulate both powder and cream with a lot of precision. I actually don't mind that I accidentally got two of these! I'll use one maybe just for eyeliner/cream shadow and the other for powder eyeshadow only.
Angled Brow - This makes for a quick way to do eyebrows! It's a bit thicker and wider than average, but it paints on powder and cream brow products evenly.
Definer - This is my other fave eye brush in the set; I don't have anything like it. It's tiny and stiff. It's supposed to be for gel eyeliner (it's great for tightlining in particular) but I LOVE it for my brows. It's the perfect brush for fixing up edges and stamping on hair. I also love it for applying shimmer around the tear ducts.
Angled Liner - Another one for gel liner! I find this easier to use for getting cat eyes.
Overall, I would recommend Riot brushes to anybody who's looking for a good, fairly unique brush set for a reasomable price. The brushes apply makeup impressively well, but just be careful about washing them and always use a brush guard for each of the white-haired tools! They are good for the price but don't expect Zoeva or Sigma quality at least for the natural bristle brushes.
I hope you enjoy your set as much as I do! I'd love to know what you think. I'll post a video of me using some of these for a Korean #FOTD over the weekend. ;)
