Friday, June 24, 2011

Smashbox Face & Body Brush #19



Smashbox Face & Body Brush #19 is mostly a bronzer brush, though as the Smashbox people mentioned, it's also good for various finishing powders and their Soft Lights illuminator (why doesn't this product get the love it deserves? It gives a fabulous finish). However,  I keep the  Face & Body Brush #19 in my bronzer drawer and use it for this purpose.



There are two main features that make the Smashbox Face & Body Brush #19 an excellent tool. First the shape with the comfortable longish handle that allows more control than you get from a regular size Kabuki brush. I especially like the handle when using the brush to add color to my neck and upper chest. The second notable thing is softness. While Smashbox  Face & Body #19 is as dense as such a brush should be (=very), it's also wonderfully soft and pleasing to use. My Sephora Professional #44 (from about 6-7 years ago, as you can see it has the older logo) is very rough and scratchy and I can't think of the last time I actually used it on my face. It's exactly half the price of the Smashbox (and a similar NARS brush that I don't own), and worth even less.

Smashbox line is all PETA-approved though not vegan. The natural hair brushes are all made of unharmed animals and promise to be cruelty-free. Thus, the ingredients mentioned for Face & Body Brush #19 are wood handle and "squirrel sub" for the hair. The little research I did shows that this usually means goat. In any case, the brush is beautiful soft.



The comparison shots also have two synthetic Kabuki brushes. One is the popular Makeup For ever HD Kabuki brush, which I have to say is not holding its shape as well as it should, and the other one is the excellent Alison Raffaele Kabuki Powder brush, which I've had for years and still looks and feels like new. These two are not bronzing brushes and I only use them for powder and for blending, so it's more of a size comparison.

Bottom Line: highly recommended.

Smashbox Face & Body Brush #19 ($52) is available from Nordstrom, Sephora, Ulta and smashbox.com.

All photos are mine.

8 comments:

  1. oh, i'm so excited, i ordered this brush in a pink version together with a fusion soft lights in blushing pinks some time ago and it should arrive soon ;)

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  2. I loved my smashbox #19 when I first got it, but have quite forgotten it recently. Thank you for the reminder. I'm a big fan of Softlights too - just got into the habit of using a small kabuki instead. x

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  3. I use Soft Lights, but I have to be careful, because it can be a little too reflective (not glitter particles, but it can give too much shine if I use too much of it).
    The color I have is Shimmer ... I wonder if it's more shimmery than the other shades?

    (I use my Sephora Professional Platinum Bronzer Brush (silver handle), which I think is probably a quite similar brush, with this product. But I tend to use the edges of the brush to apply product to make sure I don't go overboard, and then blend using the whole brush.)

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  4. I received this brush with a Halo purchase. I use it mostly for my neck & decolletage and it's sublime.

    Like many Smashbox products (e.g., Halo, Soft Lights, etc.), their brushes are reasonably priced, unsung gems.

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  5. K., enjoy your new purchase. The brush and cheek color will work beautifully together (and how fun is the pink version!).

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  6. S&S, a small kabuki usually works well with Softlights as long as it's dense and even.

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  7. Proximity, I'm not failiar with the one called Shimmer, but it makes sense that it would have more glow than the other ones.

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  8. DRTVrMoi , Smashbox can be a hit or miss, but when it's a hit the products are wonderful.

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