First Look| Zoeva Complete Luxe Set

When you belong to a makeup community...a promotional discount code spreads faster than syphillis through a Western saloon. 

20% off Zoeva brushes would have covered for shipping...if I bought a lot. I even cajoled my inner stingy woman by making endless permutations with fantasy carts of single brushes in an attempt to get only the brushes I want and keep it under $70. 

I failed, only because I wanted ALL TEH BRUSHES. Which is in fact, a deep deep flaw where even the most intense introspection can't begin to explain. I have a working set of Wayne Goss brushes that are very soft, high quality, and lovely to use. I also have a few sets of Sigma and off-brand brushes that I already tuck away in my drawers. Both were too extreme: the WGs requiring delicate care to wash and the Sigmas not soft enough to be used daily. Zoeva brushes are advertised to be natural hair and synthetic mixed so they can endure more washes and daily abuse without compromising on their ability to deposit and blend color. 

So I caved, badly, and ordered the Zoeva Luxe Complete Set. At $125 after discount and shipping included, it wasn't an easy decision. I had wavered before due to the insane shipping price (from Germany to USA) but decided it's now or never. 

Here's the description of all brushes included and my personal thoughts and observations. This might get technical. All of the brushes arrived within a week, carefully packaged and wrapped, with a faux leather clutch for storage.

For more precise picture to brush analysis, you may want to take a look at the website here. 

Face

101 Luxe Face Definer: Contour and apply powder

I didn't like this as *just* a contour brush, simply because it wasn't precise enough to deposit color. However, it's excellent for bronzers, setting powders, and products that need diffusing. 

102 Silk Finish: Apply foundation evenly

Softer than my Urban Decay Good Karma brush but blends better than my Tarte Airbuki. It's not so dense as to drag across the face and the rounded dome top lets me blend into corners of my nose and even under my eyes. Love. Instant HG.

105 Luxe Highlight: Apply highlighter

I don't enjoy this one as much as my Wayne Goss 02 brush for the undereyes simply because it's not as tapered and soft as I'd like. It does well with cheek highlighters because it's dense enough to pack a punch but not enough to make you look cray.

126 Luxe Cheek Finish: Apply and blend blush, bronzer and highlighter

Sharon Farrell wasn't a fan, but I really enjoy this brush for blush. I think it works better than my WG 13 since it doesn't pick up as much pigment but lays down color with precision, making it perfect for super colorful blushes and amateur application technique (read: me.)

142 Concealer Buffer: Apply and blend concealer

I prefer my Real Techniques brush (y'know, the small purple one intended to be an eyeshadow brush!) for pin point concealer since the hairs are stiffer and shorter. This one tends to flop a bit, but it's actually good for blending out thicker under-eye concealers since it's softer. You'll see this one in the picture below with the eye brushes.

I really love the face brushes in this set, but the 102 and 126 are the stars of the show. 

Eyes

I prefer these immensely to both my Wayne Goss and Sigma brushes. They're soft but not floppy and deposits just the right amount of color. The blending brushes could be more fluffy (hairs more spread and just as fluffy) 

221 Luxe Soft Crease: Blending eyeshadow to perfection

This one is a little more pinched than my Sigma blending brushes, but it's probably due to it being a new brush unmolested by washing. It blends well, but nothing life changing.

224 Luxe Defined Crease: Blend transitions perfectly

This is a unique shape for a blender brush since it flares out and doesn't seem to have much resistance on the eyes. It's good for blending with my hooded lids, I think, since it's not very dense and doesn't lay down much color. 

227 Soft Definer: Softly blend and smooth eyeshadow
This is the dupe of MAC 217 brush. It's infinitely softer but in essence the very same brush. Instant HG. I hold this brush almost sideways to blend in the crease, flat to pack color, and vertically to blend all over. I even tap color on the very tips and deposit into the outer v with this brush. 

228 Crease: Blending and shading eyeshadow in the crease
Another blending brush, reminiscent of Sigma E40 blender, that doesn't disappoint. It's smaller than I prefer, but it gets the job done. 

230 Pencil: Precise shading and smoothing edges
I didn't have much use for Sigma's pencil brush, but this one is so soft and forgiving on the lower lashline. It doesn't tug or pull the delicate skin in that area.

231 Petit Crease: Accentuating and blending in the crease
The infamous Petit Crease...toted as almighty when it comes to hooded and mono lids. I've never been a fan of tapered blending brushes, but this one can create a cut crease, deposit color into a specific and tiny area in the outer v, and blend out the lower lashline like a dream. 

234 Smoky Shader: Shading and blennding with smoky effect

I didn't enjoy this one because the bristles were too short and stiff to work effectively as an all over lid color packer! It was tiny, and I prefer my WG 17 for laying down a wash of color all over the lid in one swipe. 

315 Fine Liner: Create delicate eyeliner strokes

This one is great for gel liner since you can see the direction and thickness of your strokes (lol, insert dirty joke here.) I've been using a stiff liner brush to apply gel, but the lines can often be too thick and doesn't touch the gaps near the lashline. 

317 Wing Liner: Detailed eyeliner strokes and a perfect wing

This is the traditional wing liner brush in most people's arsenal. I really don't reach for these types of brushes often because I prefer a pen style liquid liner, so I may sell this one off. 

322 Brow Line: Eyebrow brush for powder and cream products

This is an interesting brow brush that's just as stiff as the Anastasia Beverly Hills #12 brush I currently own, but a little thicker and of course much wider. It's slightly angled and very handy to have, but I still prefer the included spoolie on Anastasia's version.

If I could do it again and shipping wasn't a problem, I would only get the 227 and 231 if it came to necessity. 

Overall, these brushes are excellent quality regardless or price and availability. I recommend Zoeva brushes for any level of brush lovers: newbies who want a great starter set, people who want individual supplementing brushes, and even brush collectors. Don't be put off by the shipping and try to find a buddy who wants to split the cost with you. They're wildly popular in the beauty world at the moment for a reason. 

They're affordable, quality brushes that don't shed and can be washed as often as you use them. Of course, they're not as soft as Wayne Goss, but in return they pack color well, blend well, and yet feel so luxurious on the face. And yes, they're way better than MAC and Sigma brushes for almost half the price if you buy in a set. 

xo Be