Review: Lash Bar Paddle Foundation Brush

Hello dearies!

Foundation application techniques can be rather confusing at times. So many methods, so many brushes. I was at a point in time when I wanted to graduate from applying foundation with my fingers and to start using a foundation brush for a more flawless finish. So I headed to Lash Bar to check out their brushes. Lash Bar is a store which can be found in Sunway Pyramid, Sungei Wang Plaza and Midvalley Megamall which sells makeup brushes, false eyelashes and makeup palettes. They have quite a wide range of false eyelashes, which I want to try out one day, but at that time, I picked up for myself a foundation brush.

Product: Lash Bar Paddle Foundation Brush (BS7041)

Price: RM33

Made in: Taiwan

Bristles: Synthetic

Packaging: The brush comes with almost next-to-nothing packaging. It is covered with a plastic brush shaper and has a slide on plastic wrapper as the packaging. I guess in a way that's good- no fuss and frills.=) the brush itself has a metal ferrule and a slim black handle. The handle is not too long which makes holding it to apply foundation an easy task and it is small enough to be brought along for travel- convenient!

Application: The brush is easy to hold, so that helps give me more control over my movements and strokes when I apply foundation. The synthetic bristles are great as it does not absorb too much product, so I do not waste product. The brush at its widest part measures a width of 2.2cm (slightly less than an inch) and from the tip of the ferrule to its highest point it measures 2.7cm (approx. 1.1 inches). I find this brush a bit too small for my face and I need to use more strokes to cover my face with foundation- it would have been better if it were slightly wider. The brush is slightly tapered and it does help me reach parts like the sides of my nose, my under-eye area and my upper lip area easily to cover those areas with foundation. The bristles are also stiff, but not that stiff; it's stiff enough to allow me to stroke the foundation across my skin easily and it's not flimsy feeling, yet soft enough to not make me feel like I'm tugging my skin. It is also not scratchy on my skin. The bristles are also quite densely packed together, and do not splay out all over when applying foundation. I've washed the brush a couple of times now and experienced no bleeding, no shedding and no loosening of the ferrule. Drying time is about 4 hours and the brush keeps its shape pretty well, although I do stick it back into the brush shaper just in case.

Front view of the brush

Side view of the brush - it's not too thick and the bristles are tightly packed together

How I use it: I dispense my desired amount of foundation on the back of my hand, then dip the brush lightly in the foundation and using the brush, dot the foundation all over my face. Then, I use light downward strokes from the inner part of my face to the outer part of my face. I used to do upward strokes but I found it to be too streaky for my liking and it emphasised certain dry patches on my cheeks. The downward strokes still does cause streamlines, but it is considerably less compared to the upward strokes. After I'm done with that, I face the tip of the brush upwards, place it flat against my face and use light tapping motions on any parts that are streaky to smooth out the streaky lines. This leaves me with a flawless finish which I am happy with. =)

Price: At RM33.90, I think this brush is reasonably priced because this brush is definitely a quality brush. The bristles are dense and stiff yet not too stiff that it makes application difficult and scratchy on the skin.

Here's a comparison of how the brush looks like next to the elf Studio Powder Brush:-

Would I repurchase?- No, I don't think so. Overall, I think this is a good brush to have and it is of good quality. However, I would like to try different styles of applying foundation, so that means different brushes! =D

Where can I purchase this?- At Lash Bar outlets in Sunway Pyramid (Asian Avenue), Midvalley Megamall and Sungei Wang Plaza.

What kinds of foundation brushes would you recommend? =D

xx Amanda