On Coastal Scents Brushes

L-R: Italian badger flat top bronzer, Deluxe buffer brush, Chisel fluff/Pointed Crease Duet, Italian badger round crease, Mini-contour

These brushes from Coastal Scents have been the talk of online makeup forums and YouTube videos lately. I got these brushes a couple of weeks ago but it is only now that I've had a chance to write my experience with these brushes. First of all, the obvious appeal of these brushes is that they are dirt-cheap. These are wholesale prices that the company is offering to the public. People now rely on reviews of bloggers/vloggers to find out if these tools are a godsend or just too good to be true. There are a few things we should discuss first before venturing to give a review. First of all, we have to differentiate these brushes from the branded ones like MAC (the regular long-handled, not the SE brushes), Shu Uemura, or Bobbi Brown. The branded brushes are almost guaranteed to be high-quality, top notch tools, mainly because the makeup companies have their names on the line; they charge a lot for these products, so they better deliver. With lower-priced tools, you can either find a treasure - like a brush that works as great or even better than the high-priced brands, OR you can find a dud as well, which is not surprising given the price. The treasures are definitely keepers, though. How often do you find a brush that is so cheap it's almost free, and yet works just as good or even better than its high-priced counterpart? I found this concept to be true with Coastal Scents brushes.



The face brushes, specifically these two flat tops, are made of real animal hair. The Italian badger has a sleek, lacquered wood handle and nickel ferrule. For the price of $11 plus change, it is great buy especially if you are looking for an economical brush. The deluxe buffer brush has the softest hairs, and I love the compact size; it has a shorter handle compared to the Italian badger flat top. My gripe with these two is that they looked great when I received them, but upon washing, the hairs have gotten splayed and they don't look and feel as dense anymore. I don't get the coverage I want with these brushes. I needed to do several applications of mineral foundation to get decent coverage. For this reason, I think these are better in applying finishing powders or to buff and blend mineralized skinfinishes and blushes. That's just too bad because I bought them specifically for applying mineral foundation. If I were to choose between the two, I prefer the Deluxe buffer brush because of the compact size and I feel it applies product better than the Italian badger because it has a denser head. With its more compact head, the Deluxe buffer can probably be used to apply more concentrated mineral foundation, but it is perfect for bronzers and buffing blushes. These are uber-soft brushes though so I believe you will be enjoying these items because they feel wonderful on the skin.


Chisel fluff, Italian badger round crease, Mini-contour


Pointed crease

I am loving the eye shadow brushes from Coastal Scents. The Italian badger round crease brush is absolutely gorgeous, perfectly pointed, has just the perfect density, the handle-length is just right, and it works like a dream in applying color on the crease and blending lid colors. Love, love, love it. I am planning on buying several as these look and apply color beautifully. The lacquered wood handle makes it look so expensive and sophisticated.

I like the Pointed crease part of the duet but not the Chisel fluff. The chisel fluff end is absolutely unbending, and I feel the head has a plastic backbone to it, like plastic covered with hair. I don't know how to describe it but it feels like there is a hard object under the hairs of the brush. That said, I believe I can use it to apply concealer or paint pots, but definitely not eyeshadow; it is just too stiff. The pointed crease part is perfect in applying crease colors and blending out shadows.

The mini contour brush is SO cute but so useful as well. It is a great tool for applying shimmery or light color to the tearducts or inner corners of the eyes to make them look more awake and less tired. I've also used it in applying color to the lower lashline and it works beautifully. I am also planning on getting some more of these for application of different pigments and shadows.

All in all, I like the eye brushes a lot better than the face brushes, but the latter are also great for the price, especially if you are just a novice and would just want to try out inexpensive but decent brushes. I'm sure legions of women are thankful to Coastal Scents for making these brushes so affordable and reachable for students and non-professionals who don't want or need high-end brushes with prohibitive prices.