Friday, March 14, 2008

Review: ULTA Cosmetics and Brushes

ULTA Makeup Brushes
I've become a die-hard fan of ULTA's professional makeup brushes. They're just as good as MAC (and just as soft!) but far cheaper, and although not all the varieties are there, there are good basics.

The brushes I've purchased from the line, and that I've come to use on a daily basis are:

  • highlighter -- duo-tone or skunk brush, excellent for liquid foundation
  • small eye shader -- medium brown, natural bristle for eyeliner smudging or application, as well as detail eyeshadow application. I also use it to set eyeliner by applying shadow on top
  • tapered crease eyeshadow brush -- natural dark brown bristle, excellent for smudging or crease work
  • small eye shadow -- medium brown natural bristle, great for detail eyeshadow or crease, or just for shadow in general
  • Fine-point eyeliner brush -- light brown, natural bristle brush equivalent to matchbox's bent/tilted liner brush, but far cheaper and just as good. It's excellent for bare minerals eyeliner, MAC's fluidline, or just to create the very popular smudged/smokey eyeliner look. I also use it to set eyeliner by applying shadow on top

I am looking forward to using the blush and powder brushes on my next trip, as I've added these brushes to my travel brush roll. I'll continue perusing the brush line for new additions. Definitely a must try for people who don't want to pay MAC's prices.

ULTA Collection (ULTA Branded Cosmetics)
However, when it comes to ULTA branded cosmetics, it's a whole other story because I've found them to be sub-par. I've tried the blush, eyeshadow, liner, and nail polish thus far.

The blush was too powdery or talcum-y for me, the eyeshadow was similarly too talcum-y and created grave irritation on my eye with stinging and day-long sensitivity and watering. The eyeliner caused stinging and itching. The nail polish was watery and did not provide the even coverage I was looking for.

Although this brand does feature beautiful pigmentation and a great variety of colors, I won't be opting for these products again.

1 comment:

Anonymous said...

I was looking for some things for my daughter who wants to be a makeup artist and had an Ulta catalog come to our mailbox. Wondered if it was good stuff. Thanks for this review. It was very helpful.