Edward Bess Luxury Face Brush and Makeup For Ever Kabuki Brush

My oldest and most reliable face brush is dying. I bought it 15 years ago at an upscale makeup studio/school. It was big, fluffy and could be used to apply all kinds of powders and bronzers. I remember the price tag was scary, but as the makeup artist who sold it had promised, with love and proper care it has served me for a very long time. The brand name has long faded from my memory and from the long and graceful handle which now only says "Made In France". The hair is natural and what still remains of it is as soft as ever, but I can no longer ignore the rapid shading that has made my brush much less dense and effective. It's time to find new loves.

The Luxury Face Brush from Edward Bess fits the name. From its sleek black box (that holds the brush Dracula-style) to the weight and the way it fits in my hand. The brush is soft and dense, made from natural bristles. The rounded head picks up the right amount of bronzer (a review of the Edward Bess Bronzer is coming soon) and other color products (Edward might cringe but I've tried it with Smashbox Soft Lights and Laura Geller Balance'N'Bronze with great results. Much better than the brushes produced by both these brands). Powder blushes look more natural when applied with this brush and blending is a breeze.

My other go-to face brush these days is the very hyped Makeup For Ever HD Kabuki Brush. It's definitely worthy of the buzz. This is a synthetic brush, thus less porous and dries more quickly when I wash it. It's great with powders, pressed and loose, mineral products (I actually started testing a few, details soon) and I've used it to give the face a quick flush of color with a bronzer, though you need to be careful not to overdo it.

Both the Edward Bess Luxury Face Brush and Makeup For Ever HD Kabuki Brush might be the best face brushes I've tried.

Bottom line: I no longer mourn the demise of my old brush.

Edward Bess Luxury Face Brush ($56) is available from Bergdorf Goodman and edwardbess.com.
Makeup For Ever HD Kabuki Brush ($39) is a Sephora exclusive and can be found online and in store.

All photos by me.