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

Edit| My Brush Collection Part 1: Face Brushes

After discovering the bliss that is natural hair brushes, I purged most of my synthetic brushes (mostly Real Techniques and Sigma) to friends and decided to invest in quality pieces that would last a lifetime. They require less washing but more meticulous care when you do.

The majority of my every day brushes now are cruelty free natural goat or squirrel hair. I mean, if I could capture a squirrel and kill it with my bare hands to make a whole brush set like an artisan boss I would. It's just that the mass production of brushes that's not cruelty free is disgusting to think about. The only synthetic brush I have for the face is the Make Up For Ever 130 Large Powder Brush ($55). 

Part One of my edit will be focuses on face brushes, those used for powder, blush, foundation, and so on. I like Wayne Goss brushes because they are easily accessible on Beautylish.com and doesn't require third party buyers/awkward attempt at reading Japanese/huge orders to fulfill shipping requirements to buy.

From top to bottom: Wayne Goss 02, 13, and 12. MUFE 130. Chikuhodo Z1. 

The MUFE 130 Large Powder Brush ($55) is huge, dense without being stiff, and ultra soft. If you're fervently against using animal hair it's a great idea to invest in their brush line. This one is so soft and well constructed with a great heft thanks to the wooden handle. 

It takes only a night to dry and is very easy to wash. 

I use this one to blend out: 

1. Cake face mistakes due to dim lighting.

2. Shimmery bronzers on the perimeter of the face.

3. Whore blush.

The Chikuhodo Z1 is a very, very, very expensive brush. I told my cousin about the $178 price tag and she balked. "But that's the price of a handbag!"  Mine looks a little wonky on top as I've just washed and dried it.

Well yes, my deluded little mind thought, but I'll be able to pass it down to my grandchildren when they get into makeup. I was also just trigger-happy and got too excited when the brand came to Beautylish.com as it had been a pain to order online before.

However, I would say that this brush is only minimally softer than my Wayne Goss brushes and that the price is unwarranted. It's a splurge/luxury item and not a total must in my book.

It's smaller than a traditional powder brush, but I find that its blue squirrel hair does a great job at depositing powder foundations onto the skin and almost melting them in. You're left with the lightest layer of product but the highest amount of coverage. I also like using it for more precise application and blending of bronzer. 

The handle is surprisingly light. I rather like a heavier handle and weight distributed in the front of the brush but this one feels as light as air.

Next is my favorite for sheer blushes and contours, the Wayne Goss 12 ($53). Its shape will do a lot to explain why this is my favorite to fit right under my cheekbones to contour and bronze. The goat hair is ultra soft (especially compared to my Bobbi Brown powder brush) and blends blushes like a dream. Nothing vulgar here, folks.

Flat and wide enough to deposit blush color.

Yet thin on the sides to fit into the contours of your face...I reach for this one on a daily basis when it comes to applying powder products. 

Finally, my two recent acquisitions: the Wayne Goss 02 ($35) and 13 ($53). Wait a minute, wasn't it just better for me to order the three sets available and save myself a whole lotta money? In my defense, a lot of the brushes are similar and redundant and I only like a sane amount of brushes in my everyday arsenal.

The 02, made from squirrel, is perfect for setting the undereyes with powder or applying an intense contour and heavily pigmented blushes. My 13, made from goat, was just used to apply liquid foundation. It's soft without splaying all over and blends liquids without resistance or streak marks like synthetic brushes can.

You may think that the 13 is a little too small to be used all over the face but its softness actually makes it a dream to use. Liquid foundations look very natural with this brush. Goss advertises it as his "one brush for an entire makeup look" and I could very well agree. I don't like using super small brushes like it to apply powder, but I bet it could be used in a pinch or when I'm travelling. 

By this point Wayne Goss should be personally reaching out to me and letting me shill his products for money, but I digress. These are all very soft, very well made, and very reliable brushes that aren't cheap and don't look it either. It's a step up from synthetic brushes but if you want your brushes to out-live your makeup stash, I would suggest taking a look on the Beautylish website. (Psst, they have a payment plan available and super fast shipping!) 

Watch out for Part 2 of this edit, where I'll go into my favorite and most used eye brushes.

xo Be