Review: Crown Brushes

A little more than one month ago, I bought crown brushes from a shop called Jordane Cosmetics.  Prior to purchasing, I did my research.  I've read all sorts of good and bad stuff about the crown brushes, so I was really eager to try them out and see for myself.  I bought 4 brushes and have been using them since.


The Kabuki brush SS016 (Syntho) cost me $19.12 CAD.  IMO, the price is so-so.  It's not too expensive but it's not cheap either.  I like how the brush is soft, which is expected from a synthetic brush.  I've washed it at least 5 times with a bar of soap and probably 1-2 pieces of hair fell out.  There wasn't a distinct smell when I first bought it.  I use this brush to apply my MAC Mineralize Skinfinish powder and MUFE HD microfinish powder.  It's a great brush to apply both powder as it picks up the product quite well.  It does leave a very nice finish.  Now the one problem I have with it is the size.  I kinda wish I got the flat top kabuki brush.  Compared to the surface area that a flat top kabuki brush covers, this rounded one doesn't cover as much and actually needs a bit more work to buff in the powders on my skin.  Plus, it's a harder to get in areas like the sides of your nose, which the flat top kabuki could probably do better.  I just feel like I could have got the flat top kabuki to work a lot better and efficient, which makes me feel like I should drop by Jordane Cosmetics and get one the next time I'm in the area. 

Product: SS016 (Syntho) Deluxe Ultra Soft Kabuki Brush
Rating: 4 / 5
Pros:
-  Bristles are very soft
-  Buffs powder into the skin quite well
-  Picks up product
-  Few to no hair fall out

Cons:
-  Covers a small surface area
-  Hard to buff certain areas

The Contouring Blush brush C405 (Studio Pro) cost me $8.99 CAD.  I think this brush is affordable and worth it.  It's made of natural hair, and it's soft.  It doesn't feel scratchy on my face.  I did experience some hair fall outs and one or two pieces of hair stick out (but it won't come out).  IMO, I think the size is perfect.  I don't own the MAC angle brush but I have seen it in stores and I think this MAC dupe is smaller.  Compared to my MAC 168sh, the bristles of the MAC dupe is way softer.  The ferrule and handle doesn't feel like they're cheaply made, like it's not falling apart.  When I first bought this, it did have a smell and it still kinda does but not noticeable.  In terms of application, I only use it for blush so far.  I've only used it with my MAC blush and it doesn't pick up a lot of the product.  However, I can use this brush to build up the colour on my cheeks.  As a matter of fact, I've been using the MAC Briar Rose from Venomous Villains collection which is a colour that's vibrant and stands out.  I don't like applying a whole lot of this colour on my cheeks because then I look like a clown.  I just lightly apply some on, which this brush can do really well, as it doesn't pick up that much product.  Then again, I think it's the quality of the MAC blush.  I've tried to swatch it on my finger and not even my finger can pick up the colour that well.

Product: C405 (Studio Pro) Contour Brush
Rating: 5 / 5
Pros:
-  Soft bristles
-  Great size
-  Overall brush is not bad quality, so it's worth it
-  Picks up the right amount of product

Cons:
-  Nothing I can think of

The C213 (Studio) Chisel Mini Smudger Brush cost me $2.39 CAD.  I've used this brush to smudge out my eyeliner and apply eyeshadow close to my upper and lower lashline.  The brush smudges out eyeliner quite well.  It also picks up eyeshadow pretty well.  It's not scratchy so it doesn't irritate my skin.  I haven't experienced a hair fallout from this brush.  I like how small its size is, it makes it easier to work with.  The handle and ferrule are not fragile, so it's pretty sturdy.

Product: C213 (Studio) Chisel Mini Smudger Brush
Rating 5 / 5
Pros:
-  No hair fallout
-  Picks up product
-  Smudges eyeliner, not harsh on the eye 


Cons:
- Nothing I can think of

Finally the last brush I bought was PP27 (Perfectly Pink) Bullet Crease Brush that cost me $2.63 CAD.  It's a great brush for the crease, as it's bristles are cut with a pointy edge.  Unfortunately, this brush was not as soft as the others and there were fallouts.  More fallouts than the other ones.  I believe they are natural bristles.  Again the handle and ferrule are held together pretty sturdy.  It has no problem picking up eyeshadows.  It's a great size brush for the crease, as it's not quite meant for blending out shadows.

Product: PP27 (Perfectly Pink) Bullet Crease Brush
Rating: 4 / 5
Pros:
-  Great size
-  No issue with picking up product

Cons:
-  Not as soft bristles
-  Hair fall outs

Overal review of Crown Brushes

Rating: 4.5 / 5

Pros:

-  Brushes are way more affordable

-  Good quality

-  Very few to no hair fallouts or bristles breaking off

-  Great alternative to MAC brushes

-  Offers a large selection of brushes

Cons:

-  No major cons I can think of

Haul: Crown Brushes

A few days ago, I was looking around online for some dupes of MAC 182, 219 and 168. Then I came upon Crown brushes and found that there's a walk-in and online stop in Toronto that sells Crown brushes. I've never bought brushes online because I feel that it's better if I can touch/feel its quality and test them out before putting my money down for them. I first heard about Crown brushes from people who went to IMATS in Toronto, but since there's a shop in Toronto, I'd rather just shop at the store while I'm in the area. The shop is called Jordan Cosmetics and they seem like a wholesale store that sells a variety of makeup and brushes. They carry makeup of their own brand, Kryolan and some other theatrical makeup. When I opened the door into the store, there was a dog sitting right behind the door and he/she was so cute. I think it was a Shih Tzu but it was so adorable. My friend on the other hand is afraid of dogs, she panics and I could literally hear it in her voice. LOL!!

Anyways, I spoke to the lady there and she was so nice and helpful. I guess she's a makeup artist and teaches makeup. And I guess I could've googled it, but I asked what's the best way to clean synthetic brushes and she told me bar soap works really well - i.e. Dove, Olay, etc.

So for my Toronto or GTA blog readers, if you're looking for affordable alternative brushes, go ahead and check it out. I don't quite recommend buying brushes online. You don't really know what the brushes feels like, and how well they work until you have it in your hands to test out. When I first researched Crown brushes, many people said the Badger lines are pretty good, but I when I got there and felt them, they weren't as soft as people raved it to be. =(

So here's what I got:

Left to right:
C405 (Studio Pro) - $8.99 CAD
PP27 (Perfectly Pink) - $2.63 CAD
C213 (Studio) - $2.39 CAD
SS016 (Syntho) - $19.12 CAD

In terms of price, it's pretty decent. I spent a total of $37.44 CAD, tax included.

I just finished washing them after taking these photos, now waiting for them to dry. After I try these out for a good month or so, I'll do a review on them. But for now, all I can tell you is that these brushes have a slight scent to them - I guess it's because they're new.