This is a common question: "I'm new to makeup, what are the basic brushes I need to buy?" I always recommend just three brushes - a powder, kabuki-type brush that can double as a brush brush, an angled brow brush, and a mid-sized fluffy eyeshadow brush. You can use your fingers for liquid and cream makeup. These three brushes, IMHO, are indispensable. 

When you start to feel the need for more precision, that's when you should start purchasing individual brushes or brush sets - not before! Some girls would flat out get a set and then later on think that they got a crappy deal. Thing is, they should have considered first if the brushes in the set are something they would need in their routine. When buying brushes, think of your normal makeup routine first - what kind of makeup do you prefer to wear? What kind of look and products do you want to incorporate in the near future? Then, buy brushes accordingly.

Anyhoo! Today I have here the Charm Travel PRO Sonia Makeup Brush Set (P2,750). This is a special edition set from Charm to celebrate their fifth (going on sixth) anniversary! The case is extra pretty and the matte gold ferrule whispers "luxe".

The brushes inside are the same ones as the current, slightly cheaper iteration of the Charm Travel Pro. I have already reviewed that one with tips on how to use it so I won't go into detail on Sonia. Just enjoy the pictures! ;)

You can use good quality brushes for half a decade or more if you take care of them well. They should even be able to withstand a level of abuse, because that's why you're paying so much for them to begin with! But no matter how expensive or cheap your brushes are, you'll notice that some of them will start to have fly-away bristles after frequent cleaning. How do you prevent this?

Simple! Just use a brush guard. :) It's basically a fine plastic net that you place on top of your brushes while you're drying them. It keeps all the bristles in good shape while still allowing them to dry properly. I'm sure you've heard of this before, but you probably think it's something you can live without. Well, yeah you can, but your brushes need one!

The one I have is called the Charm Makeup Brush Guard (P250). It contains twelve pieces of brush guards - in different sizes but any size can fit even the biggest face brush. You can even cut them up to use with your smaller eye brushes. 

Perhaps the best thing about Charm is that Sophie is always working on improving her brushes. She's super OC about making them better than the last batch, which means that you can really see the improvement whenever she comes out with something new! For instance, the Retractable Powder and Blush Brushes are considerably softer than her original synthetic collection; the bristles are somehow thinner and finer.

These new brushes are super dense but still pliable enough not to eat all of the makeup you would rather have on your face. I also like the case mechanism - the retracting cover ensures that the bristles won't get mangled whenever you open or close the cap. It closes tightly so you don't have to worry about it floating in your bag and leaving the precious brush head unprotected. ;) Overall, these brushes have really good case to go with the quality of the bristles.

So wait, how do these brushes work to begin with? Here's a quick guide!

Last night I held a blogger event for Zen Zest. After weeks of planning, everything finally came in place! I'm so happy about the turn out and it does look like everyone had a nice time. Whew. I was so worried and nervous the day before so I am super relieved that everything went well. I'll blog about it once I have photos, as usual. For now I have a blurry Twitpic from my Blackberry. 

Sorry about that. Anyway, before I rush off to my meetings for the day, I want to talk about the new love of my makeup life: the Charm Travel Pointed Foundation Brush (P399). I'm absolutely infatuated with it because it works much like fingers would when it comes to applying makeup. If like me you love using your fingers for applying face makeup but hate how the stuff sticks to your digits (and everything else you touch) then this is for you!

This brush is dense enough to blend foundation and concealer seamlessly. It's also just the right size for tighter areas like under the eyes and around the nose.

I'm a huge fan of Sophie's brushes. Not because we're friends, but because I know that her product is something she thought long and hard about, painstakingly honed to near perfection. She's a little bit OC and a workaholic, which is what makes her a successful businesswoman AND the ideal person you want working on your brushes.

Thus, I'm very happy to present her new tools: the Charm Vegan Brushes. She has been developing this for a year! She explained that the synthetic vegan hairs are a challenge to get as stiff or as soft as you need them to be. If you've tried synthetic brushes before, you'll notice that they're harder to control than animal hair brushes especially if you attempt to use them with powder makeup.

That's not the case with these vegan brushes - at least, from what I've tested so far.

I'm sure that you've already seen the blogger raves for the Charm Travel Pro brush set. All I can add to the conversation is that yes, this is a great set that you really won't regret buying. It's expensive at P2,200 for the whole set, but then again it's an investment that you'll probably use until you're sick of it. ;)

What I like most about this set, aside from the portability, is how useful ALL the brushes are. Some brands throw in brushes just to pad the set and make you pay more for them, but in the end you just use five out of say, ten brushes. That's a waste of money. But this Charm set has a well thought out selection with no repetitive or ineffective brushes in it. 

Now, like the Version 2 set, this set is not exactly for makeup beginners since the brushes are designed for precision application. But I hope that with this post, you'll learn how to maximize this set whether you're a beginner or an advanced makeup enthusiast!

Face brushes

Eye brushes

The Concealer Brush (top) is perfect for hiding spots, eye bags, and uneven discolorations in your skin. It's best used with cream or liquid concealer.

I'm sure you've seen this kind of brush before - a brush with two ends, a flat, angled one, and one with a spoolie. I never appreciated them because they didn't do much for my eyebrows. Sure the spoolie end is good for blending, but the angled end doesn't pick up enough brow powder nor apply it evenly because the brush is made of synthetic hair (which is best for cream/liquid makeup).

I like this dense eyebrow brush from Nichido for applying eyebrow color but I find it too stiff and hard to wield properly. The tiny brush that comes with the In2It Waterproof Eyebrow Color works well except that it's too small to be comfortable. Yes, I'm Liz McWhiny! I don't know of any brand that makes the perfect eyebrow brush for me!

That is, until Charm made THIS.

Why is this different from brushes you can find in the mall? The thing that sets the Charm Double-Ended Eyebrow Brush apart from all the other brushes is its thick, natural hair that is the right density and stiffness for applying eyebrow powder.

The 12-piece Charm Travel Pro Brush Set was designed by Sophie to be compact, lightweight, and to accomplish simple looks to more complex ones. It's got all you need for a full face of makeup and includes well thought of and well-shaped tools for efficient application. I'd say that this brush set is for an advanced makeup user who needs a smaller brush kit to take outside.

Dark pink faux croc skin case - too luxe!

Charm logo printed on wooden handles

Let's do a quick rundown on the pros and cons of this brush set and then I'll give a short explanation of what each brush is for.

What I love about this

• Soft animal and synthetic hair was used
• Each brush has the right amount of density, firmness, and fluffiness, depending on the purpose
• Doesn't eat the powder/ liquid/ cream makeup
• Applies makeup evenly and precisely. I love the bent eyeliner brush, concealer brush, and angled eyeshadow brush most of all!
• Aced the packaging and appearance category! I love pink and black together, is it obvious?
• It's P1,800 a pop. That may sound a lot, but really the price is very nice for the quality and functionality you get. These will last for more than a couple of years.

This, my friends, is perhaps the cutest thing that you'll see today.

The Charm Luxe Baby Buki brush is a small kabuki made of super soft synthetic hair. You might be wondering, what am I going to use a tiny kabuki brush for? Won't that take me extra time and work to cover my face? Well that's the thing. Baby bukis are not meant to use for full-face makeup. It's for hard to reach areas by your bulky normal-sized kabuki brush like the sides of the nose and under the eyes.