Review: Zoeva Face Brushes

A long time ago (about 2 months I believe, I got a bunch of brushes from Zoeva and posted a haul (link here). Since then, I've tried out the brushes I got and am now ready to post a few thoughts on them with pictures (hairpin for size). I broke them up into 2 sections and the Eye brush edition will be up later today. 

Before I get into each of the brushes I thought I'd do a quick kind of overview on the handles. The Zoeva brushes have shorter handles than my other brushes and I like that as they are a bit easier to hold when you're trying to get up close and personal with a mirror (as I am drastically short-sighted).

The handles themselves are a dark colour that looks black in the photos, but have a glitter inside... Kind of like there's a glittery centre with a see through layer on top. It's a bit hard to explain, but I really like that as they have more dimension than a standard black brush with silver ferrule and yet look sleek and professional. 

The brush names are engraved on the side with the number as well as Zoeva, and on the other side it has the brand's slogan, Color. Love. Makeup. Which I think is nice (though I spell it colour). I especially like that it's engraved into the handles as the writing on my brushes tends to wear away quite easily and then I have no idea what brush I'm using. Not really a big deal, but it just helps me figure out with brush is normally used for what function, especially when you have a large collection of brushes and you know there is that one particular one that you need to complete a look.

Now that I've waxed lyrical about the brush handles, lets get onto the actual brushes!

First up is the 101 Luxe Face Definer (Goat Bristles). The tagline for this brush on the website is "treat me with satin gloves" and is supposed to be used for powder or contour. I personally use this for powder and I really like the tapered shape. It allows it to powder areas like under my eyes really nicely. The brush is very soft and satiny and washed out white with no shedding, which is a big bonus, but I didn't really use very pigmented products.

Next is the 102 Silk Finish brush (taklon bristles). It is a highly raved about brush and I picked it up to give it a try. My first impression was that this was like the Real Techniques buffing brush (part of the core collection set), but on comparison, the Silk Finish Brush a more rounded and ever so slightly denser. I think this is a cross between the RT buffing brush and the RT expert face brush. The tagline is "a silky hallelujah".  I use this for foundation or blending out concealer on less makeup days. 

This is the 103 Defined Buffer (taklon bristles).The tagline is "Embrace your face". Erm.. ok.. besides the slight physical impossibility for me to hug my face, this brush is unlike any other I own. The angled shape makes it easier to reach places like around my nose and under my eyes more easily than a traditional rounded brush.The brush is silky soft and really gives a flawless finish. Not so much for those who want a skin-like finish, but great if you want a really full on look. 

Now is the 104 Buffer brush (taklon bristles).This is like the bigger, flatter, less dense brother of the 103 Defined Buffer. This brush has the tagline of "everyday gorgeous." and I would say that it is quite a nice brush for everyday. It is quite big, so you can really cover large areas of the face quickly. It's a good everyday brush and I like to use it to buff in foundation after I've dotted it around my face as I feel that's making the best use of the large head (normally I pick some up on the brush and buff it into a specific area instead).

Just a general thing, I used liquid foundation with all these brushes, I don't tend to powder foundations so if that's your thing, I'm sorry I haven't tried it with those.

Moving away from foundation brushes, this is the 105 Luxe Highlight brush (natural-synthetic mix bristles). This is literally a mini version of the Luxe Face Definer and the tagline is "light my fire" (erm.. how about no.) I would say it is a bit less soft and silky than the bigger brush. I've used this brush to tap highlighter on, but also to contour lightly. The shape is really nice and sits under my cheekbones (what little I have of them) nicely. It really reminds me of the Charlotte Tilbury Powder and Sculpt brush which is raved about, but I think it may be less tapered. But the Charlotte Tilbury one is £35 for a single brush, so I don't own it and therefore cannot make a comparison.

This is the 106 Powder brush (taklon). Tagline "velvety finish." I use this for powder (no duh) and I like it. It is big, soft and silky, but I prefer the 101 Luxe Face definer better as it powders my under eyes better. However, that being said, this brush is still really nice and I find myself reaching for it quite a lot as it's taklon bristles are easier to clean than the goat hair. 

This brush is the 109 Luxe Face Paint Brush (natural-synthetic hair mix). This brush basically looks like a paint brush. The squared top, the rectangular shape, it's really really different. The tagline for this is "on the edge" and it is a contour brush meant to be used with powder products. When I first got it, I didn't really want to try it as I thought it would give me stripes. I'm used to rounded brushes that buff in the colour, but this has fast become one of my favourite brushes to contour with. I just very lightly slide it along my cheekbone and it just works. I think the fluffy head buffs in the powder as I'm applying it. I also use the side of the brush to pop highlight onto the tops of my cheek bones so it's a great one for travelling I think. The shape does remind me of the NARS Ita brush, but that's another expensive brush so I don't own it and cannot really compare.

This is the 110 Face Shape brush (taklon bristles). Tagline "Beautification". This brush is like a smaller version of the 102 Silk Finish Brush mentioned earlier and a bigger version of a brush coming up (Concealer Buffer). I use this brush for contour, specifically when I want a more concentrated look or when using cream products (like the Bourjois Bronzing Primer). Having taklon bristles, this brush is easier to clean. Also, the density of the bristles mean more product is being picked up leading to more colour. For very pigmented colours, I take a bit off on the back of my hand before putting it on my face. The shape is good for under my cheekbones, but this brush is also small enough to blend in concealer or in a pinch, blend in foundation, however, I have other brushes that are even more suited to those, and this brush remains as a firm contouring brush.

This is the 122 Petit Stippling Brush (taklon bristles). The tagline is "Smooth Operator". This is essentially a really small Stippling Brush. I use this for cream blush. I've also tried this for under-eye concealer and it's really nice for that, but the preference is still for cream blush. Nothing much to say about this really as I haven't used it all that much.

This one is the "Big Brother" of the Petite Stippling Brush. This is the 125 Stippling Brush (taklon bristles). Tagline "Prepare your canvas, makeup artist". I have tried this for foundation, but personally, I prefer the buffing type brushes. Stippling is not a technique I have mastered yet. That being said, this is a nice brush. The tagline makes it seem like this brush is meant for primer or something like that, but I don't use primer on my skin that often and I tend to use my hands so I may have to try that one day.

I've included a picture comparing the 2 stippling brushes so you can see the difference in size.

This is the 127 Luxe Sheer Cheek (Goat Bristles). The tagline is "cheeks like snow white", which I think is cute. The angled head shape is one of the most popular cheek brush shapes, but to be honest, it isn't one of the ones I use that often. However, this brush is so incredibly soft, using it is like a dream. I love this with blush as it just diffuses colour onto the cheeks in the most natural way. Really nice brush.

Last but not least, the 142 Concealer Buffer Brush (taklon bristles). This has the tagline "get coverage". I swear that since getting this, I have used this almost every time I put on makeup. I love the small size that is great for pinpoint concealer as well as under my eyes. If the Face shape brush was a mini of the Silk Finish Brush, this is the ultra mini for both. I was almost tempted to put this into the eye brush category as it's so small. I've also used this to put on eyeshadow primer, and that was good as well. Basically, this brush is holy grail for me (big claim as I own far too many brushes).


Overall these brushes wash out nice and clean and did not shed. I really like the quality of these, I call these the "grown up Real Techniques" as the quality is similar in that they keep their shape, wash well and work well, but the Zoeva brushes do look a bit more grown up with the professional looking handles. They are also all very very very soft.

I would recommend any of these brushes, but my top picks are the Concealer buffer, Face Shape brush, Luxe Highlight and the Face Paint brush.

Next up will be the Eye Brush edition and that's going to be another long post, so follow my blog to get the latest updates. Links on the right.

Signing off now,
Dusty Foxes