Review: Models Prefer Starter Face Brush Set + Tutorial

Hello, I'm going to be doing a little review on a brush set which I bought recently from Priceline. The brand is called 'Models Prefer' which is a brand that is only seen in Priceline and is Australian. I've owned a palette from them and I must say, the quality wasn't good. It's worth the money but it really can't be compared to drugstore makeup :/ I noticed that their eyeshadows have low pigmentation and feel quite chalky. Although their palettes are around $5 each, I really don't think I'll be purchasing Models Prefer eye makeup again.

I had a glance at their section in Priceline and I noticed that they now have a range of brush sets. A starter eye and face brush set. The eye brush set consists of about 6 brushes and was on sale for $7.95. It tempted me but I realised that I already had all the eye brushes that this Models Prefer set was offering. Their Starter Face Brush set attracted me though and I purchased it straight away. On sale for $9.95 was a set of 4 face brushes - concealer, foundation, angled blush and powder.

Lovely gold pouch, it looks like a purse. This would be ideal for travelling

- Instructions on the left, perfect for beginners

- Extra protection on the brush heads

- Magnetic button on the inside to close

They look quite professional with the wrapping around the brushes

The angled blush and the powder brushes have brush guards :)

The names on the brushes is really helpful for beginners :)

I am totally sold about the appearance of these brushes. It doesn't seem as though they have been clumsily designed or packaged and for the price, it's pretty good. I know that they may have used cheap plastic but usually one brush of any other brand costs $10+ dollars so having 4 of these for that price isn't bad at all.

My main reason for purchasing this brush set was to find a replacement or an alternative foundation brush for my Ecotools one. I've had the Ecotools one for almost half a year and the quality is wearing off. The brush was really good at the start but now it's no good with applying foundation...

L-R: Ecotools and Models Prefer

My Ecotools brush hairs have gone poofy and fluffy!

So not what it's meant to be like :(

I bent the hairs of both brushes and the Ecotools one stayed in that position :/

It's starting to look more like a blush brush instead of a foundation brush

Currently my Ecotools brush is streaking on me like crazy! It leaves all these lines on my face and it doesn't smooth out my foundation properly. Thank goodness I found a cheaper and possibly long-term replacement foundation brush :) It does the job well

Models Prefer Foundation Brush: 5/5

I really hope that the quality doesn't wear out like my Ecotools, but I won't be surprised if it does. I've only spot-cleaned it (using a moist towel) and I haven't seen any shedding of hair.

I don't normally use concealer but I still wanted to have a concealer brush, just to add to my brush collection. I'm glad that I could find a cheap concealer brush that is quite dense and does the job well. I actually tested this out with a concealer and also with my foundation. Instead of using concealer, I also like to use a bit of foundation with the concealer brush to cover up any blemishes. My foundation has really good coverage and when I don't feel the need to pack on foundation, I can just use a bit of it as concealer!

This is the tallest brush in the set, I don't know why they aren't all the same height...

Models Prefer Concealer Brush: 5/5

The hairs are dense but not too dense to make it hard for concealer to be applied on my face. Again, this has only been spot-cleaned however, there was still no shedding of hair.

Now with the angle blush brush, I can compare its quality with my Sigma angle blush brush which I reviewed here.

Sigma is the white-haired one, Models Prefer is the black-haired one

They both have the brush hair guard to help hold the hairs in place after use and washes.

The Sigma one is tighter, thus better at maintaining the shape of hairs on the brush

The Models Prefer brush is taller

The hairs on both look very similar but they're quite different

I'm not surprised that the Sigma angle blush brush has much softer hairs than the Models Prefer one. We all know that Sigma has high-quality brushes and cannot be defeated by cheaper brushes! The Models Prefer brush hairs aren't too scratchy but aren't too soft either. I think that after a wash or so, the hairs will become rough and will shed.

Models Prefer Angle Blush Brush: 3/5

-1 for hair quality

-1 for shedding

Now finally onto the fourth brush. I can't compare this brush with any other because this is my first powder brush. And what a shame, I don't use powders on my face :| But judging by the hairs, it feels exactly the same as the angle blush brush. I'm also going to give it the same score based on that.

Models Prefer Powder Brush: 3/5

-1 for hair quality

-1 for shedding

The only positive thing that I can say about the angle blush and powder brushes is that they pick up a lot of product on the brush because the hairs aren't that soft. One swipe of blush or powder would be enough and this will help save me from running out of products too soon.

So overall, I have some mixed feelings on this brush set. It's definitely a brush set that is suitable for beginners and also suitable for someone who has an interest in makeup. It could even be good for a gift. The only worthy brushes of use are the foundation and concealer brushes and I'm likely to pass on the angle blush and powder brushes. As a replacement for my foundation brush and for me to just have a concealer brush that I'd be glad to pick up and use, it was worth it. I could have bought a brand new Ecotools foundation brush for the same price as this set but I didn't want to risk going through the same problem again.

I think I'll be sticking to my Sigma angle blush brush and maybe use the Models Prefer one when I've been too lazy to wash the Sigma one x] That probably won't happen but if something goes wrong with my Sigma one, the Models Prefer brush will be the replacement.

Models Prefer Starter Face Brush Set: 8/10

-1 for the hairs of two not-so-good brushes (angle blush and powder)

-1 for the shedding of hair

So that's it for the review! I will now leave you now with a tutorial video of which I used 3 of the 4 brushes. I filmed this last night, hope you like it.

Since these brushes are aimed at beginners, I thought I'd do a little beginners guide to applying makeup and doing REALLY quick smokey eyes with neutral colours such as golds and browns, using my palette and lashes from Daiso. Sorry there's no talking, I do however have a few captions here and there for instructions. Also, it's been sped-up so that it's not so dragged on, and to show you really how quick and easy it is to achieve this look!

I remember Tam requested me to do a tutorial because she wasn't sure how to apply eyeshadow. I was going to do it for my Park Bom Inspired Look but that's a little outdated now haha.

Oh and excuse the crappy, yellow lighting :/ And also how pixelated it is... Windows Movie Maker decreases the quality after I publish the video :(

Tutorial: Neutral Smokey Eyes

Products Used (in order):

Australis Face Primer

Models Prefer Starter Face Brush Set

Revlon ColorStay Velvet Creme Makeup in 020 Natural Tan

Bourjois Healthy Mix Concealer in #53

White Face Sponge

Urban Decay Primer Potion

Daiso Eyeshadow Palette (Shine Colour Eyes)

Australis Mineral Eyeshadow Contouring Brush

Eyeshadow Brush

Sigma Blending E25 Brush

NYX Eye/Brow Pencil in 901 Black

Rimmel Soft Kohl Eye Liner Pencil in 071 Pure White

Face of Australia Liquid Eyeliner in Charcoal

QVS Eyelash Curler

Laneige High Perm Curling Mascara

Daiso Criss-Cross Lashes in #3

Rimmel Lasting Finish Lipstick in Airy Fairy

Pupa Velvety Baked Blush in 04

Face of Australia Kabuki Brush

Please let me know if I should do something like this again or if you have any requests/suggestions :)