Some of you might remember that I've been on a quest to find the perfect replacement for an old and beloved Sephora angled contour brush (now discontinued). I used to have two, one has survived but it's far from its glory days, and I'm not talking about the peeling paint on the handle- that's actually an honor badge for a makeup brush.
Generally speaking, I love angled contour brush because of the various ways one can use them. This shape is also great for the larger brushes I use in a windshield wiper motion on the brow bone, such as the one from Sisley or NARS #16- neither one is a true contour brush despite their names, but they're fabulous for larger areas and I've included them in my comparison photos so you get idea of the size. The closest I got to my desired brush until a couple of months ago was Paula Dorf Eye Contour brush. It's a wonderful brush that I use often, but it was never The One, and now I understand why. Paula Dorf's brush is a bit smaller than the Sephora one and not as dense. It's also softer and more precise, but it lacks a little in density, making it a favorite for a quick eye look with a soft-textured eye shadow in a medium to neutral color.
Enter By Terry Eye Sculpting brush (also labeled as Angled #1). This is a medium sized angled contour brush, super soft and very dense. The hair is a little longer than Sephora's, about the same width. It's definitely bigger than Paula's but significantly smaller than the other ones. The handle is sturdy and gives the feel of a serious tool. I especially love the density, the way the hair picks the right amount of color, distributes it evenly and requires fewer brush strokes for the same effect than the Paula Dorf brush.
When I bought my first By Terry brush it was still widely available. Since then it looks like the brushes (or at least some of them) are being phased out. On the bright side, Space NK has them on sale for 50% (now $27.50, an excellent price for such a great and very well-made brush). I'm not sure what's the situation at other By Terry counters (such as Barneys) but I'd suggest you visit or call them. I have a couple other By Terry brushes, but this is by far my favorite.
All photos are mine.
I notice that on the UK SpaceNK site the By Terry brushes have just been added, looks like they have silver handles, so perhaps they are just updating the design? Thanks for the review as thats the one I was interested in :)
ReplyDeleteAs usual I have brush envy. I hadn't come across the By Terry brushes before so of course I had to go and look on the UK SpaceNK website. They do have them (including this one) but the handles are different. They're silver metal and the patterning looks similar to the By Terrybly lipsticks. Not sure whether it will allow you to see this link. I think I prefer the handle on yours. I quite the look of their domed eyebrush too.
ReplyDeleteHa ha! We obviously come as a pair. SpaceNK are probably wondering about the sudden traffic right now. Who's going for it first Replica, you or me?
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Kind Greetings,
ReplyDeleteFound the blog only recently, I've quite enjoyed browsing around the posts while supposed to be working :) So good it makes me feel a little dumb, certainly makes me feel poor, I only dream of being owning all the little pots and tubes of happiness(fleeting yes but great while it last). The perfume collection especially gives me a case of the green eyed monster, I'm obsessed with all things Chypre but have three pesky kids in the house who always need shoes or food or something.
Anyway, I've found that artist's brush seem to be better quality and much more varied in sizes. Prices are much lower as well.
What a timely post! I'm in town and will check it out tomorrow.
ReplyDeleteWhere did u get the Sisley one?
ReplyDeleteKatherine: the Sisley counter at Saks.
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