Haul/Review: Artist Studio Makeup Brushes

Hey guys! I'm pretty sure some of my Filipina readers out there have heard about what I'm going to be talking about in this post since it's been receiving a lot of raves for quite some time now - Artist Studio Makeup Brushes.

I've actually owned three of their brushes before this haul, but never really thought to do a post on them. But now after having returned with six more to add to my collection, it's probably a good idea to see why these brushes are getting so much blogger press.

Artist Studio accessories and brushes can be found at Landmark (I got mine from Landmark Trinoma) at prices ranging from 39.75 php (the cheapest I saw) to a little less than 200 php (The most expensive I saw). A blogger pointed out that silver-ferrule brushes seem to cost more than bronze-ferrule ones, but I don't exactly know how much they differ in quality in relation to price.

Another source cites the same powder brush that I got to be 149.00+ php when I only got mine for 139.75php. Either the prices differ in Landmark Makati from those in Landmark Trinoma or I got a completely different brush.

But just to give you an idea of average pricing, all six of these babies cost me less than 400 pesos (less than 10 dollars!). And not to mention the quality of the brushes is rather exceptional for their price.

The brushes that I purchased this time around were a large fluffy brush for light powder/blush application. Two eyeshadow brushes (the larger one can double as a concealer brush), an angled brush, perfect for brows and liner, small dense brush for lining and a thin pen brush which can be used both for liner and lip.

As you can tell by my lengthy description, one of my qualms about this purchase is that the brushes don't exactly come with defined purposes, so you're actually free to do with them what you so will :P That or I have just made it plain to the world that I know nothing about makeup brushes hahaha.

Where appearance is concerned, the brush handles themselves have a matte finish, which I've come to both hate and love. Love because matte has such a professional feel to it, but hate because it's so damn easy to get dirty and to scratch LOL.

The bristles of the powder brush are tightly packed but are a little lacking in density. But they're really of good enough quality considering the price. They're not exactly the best of quality considering how some strands wave up after continued use (see above pic), but they're soft and don't shed from my experience, which is more than I can say for a few other brushes out there *coughE.L.F.cough*. I think I spent a good fifteen minutes just playing with this particular brush's bristles in my fingers before actually putting it to use hahaha.

I think some of the waving can be attributed to the fact that this the brushes are made with synthetic fiber. What's odd is that I only noticed waved at the top parts of my brush. Didn't affect the application much though.

While the last brush was a little lacking in the density department, these next few brushes definitely pack a punch. The two eyeshadow brushes on the left of the above pic actually remind me a lot of the brush that comes along with the NAKED palette. I was supposed to take a pic for comparison, but I'll link the brush instead when I post up my *rather late* review of that palette. I tried using the right most brush for gel liner and it stood its ground quite well in terms of density and precision. All these brushes pack on product quite well because of their density, but are also soft enough that they aren't irritating to the skin.

This one, I think, is by far my favorite brush because it is just so friggin' adorable. I've been using it for lipsticks that have gone all melty on me but for all I know it could be used a liner brush. I have no idea lol. PLEASE EDUCATE ME :P

These brushes are also pretty easy to clean off with brush cleanser and/or shampoo. Some people tend to prefer oil or plain detergent, but I'm just fussy that way, cleaning my brushes with my own shampoo haha. No shedding observable, but they do take longer to dry.

With all that laid down, a quick summary of what I found after using these brushes for all those who don't find my in-between word badgering too endearing:

Pro's:

• Cheap
• Locally available
• Good quality
• Soft, dense (only the smaller brushes are dense) bristles
• Don't Shed
• Wide array of brushes to choose from
• Easy to Clean

Con's

• Matte finish is a bit annoying
• Takes longer to dry
• Tips tend to wave
• Inconsistent pricing (?)
• No exact product number or description

For the record, most of the cons are pertaining to packaging, marketing and distribution as opposed to design and quality, so I don't see how that takes away from how much of a steal this product is.

So what do you guys think? Is it too good to be true? I'll be counting down the days until one of these babies fails me, and when that day comes I'll be sure to let you guys know :P

Ada, signing out.