Japonesque brushes have recently hit Boots and I was delighted to try out some of the travel range. I have split this post into eye makeup brushes, face makeup brushes and ‘accessory brushes’ for simplicity!
Japonesque has the most divine product catalogue/’lookbok’ I have ever seen and the website is equally as impressive. It has a detailed description and high-res photo of every single brush and tool and it also has dozens of video tutorials. This website is up there with Illamasqua with regards to usefulness and attention to detail! The only downside is that the official website is American (so the prices are in dollars and links are to American stockists) – but you can purchase the brushes you want from Boots. They're currently on a 3 for 2 offer so perfect timing if you need to purchase some new brushes!
The very best
Travel Powder Brush (933) £29.25
The stand out product for me has got to be the Travel Powder Brush (933). I own a very similar brush from Sigma and although equally as soft and a lot cheaper, after using it I am without fail EVERY SINGLE TIME covered in black hairs. I always need a powder brush in my handbag to use for regular blot powder touchups – often at my desk or on-the-go so to have one that is soft, provides great coverage and doesn’t shed is a winner for me. It retails for slightly cheaper than the MAC powder brushes (£32-£37) and is equal to them in quality so I highly recommend it.
And all the rest:
Eyes:
Travel eyeshadow fluff brush (830) £14.75
Travel eye shadow crease brush (832) £12.75
Travel smudger brush (941) £14.75
The three eye shadow brushes provide you with the basic eye makeup brush tools to create almost any eye shadow look you can think of! I remember years ago buying similar brushes from MAC for double the cost! I’m really pleased with the quality of these brushes and the ease of use and would recommend them as a threesome (ooerr) and also individually.
Travel angled eyeliner brush (815) £12.75
I don’t have a wealth of experience with regards to eyeliner brushes - I’m all about the simplicity – plus it’s sods law you lose either the brush or the eyeliner pot -but this seems to be of an average standard. You could probably find a similar brush somewhere cheaper, Maybelline does an eyeliner and brush combo for
Face:
I love the face that this brush is angled as it really allows me to work the product into my entire face including the more difficult to reach areas, such as around my nose, hairline and my inner eyes/under my eyes which I would usually have to use my fingers to ensure the product was fully blended. The bristles are sturdy enough to allow you to really work the product into your face but not so much that it irritates your skin in any way. It provides really flawless, buildable coverage and doesn’t shed.
The actual brush part of this looks almost non-existent however if you do regularly use a brush to fill in your eyebrows you will hugely appreciate this as it allows for incredibly control and precision which is of the utmost importance when attempting a natural eyebrow look. Another winner.
Travel Angled Foundation Brush (914) £19.50
I love the face that this brush is angled as it really allows me to work the product into my entire face including the more difficult to reach areas, such as around my nose, hairline and my inner eyes/under my eyes which I would usually have to use my fingers to ensure the product was fully blended. The bristles are sturdy enough to allow you to really work the product into your face but not so much that it irritates your skin in any way. It provides really flawless, buildable coverage and doesn’t shed.
Travel Concealer Brush (910) £10.50
This brush is small enough to allow you to use in difficult areas such as the inner corners of the eyes. I would say this is probably better for more precise concealing as opposed to covering heavy dark circles as it is quite a small brush – perfect for applying concealer to blemishes and also for applying powder to areas such as under the eyes.
'Tools':
Travel angled brow definer (840) £10.50
Travel brow & lash comb (844) £9.75
The super tight bristles are really fab at taming your eyebrows into shape and the lash comb is, well, just a standard lash comb. Good product but for £9.75 again you could probably find a similar, cheaper product however they do tend to lose their ‘tightness’ as the bristles fan out which means they aren’t effective for as long.
Retractable lip brush $14 (JP0611)
This is a useful little brush but probably not one I would purchase myself purely because I don’t use a lip brush. It costs about £7 (I think! Not available on the Boots UK site) which is great compared to brands like MAC.
Overall I am really impressed with both the quality and price of Japonesque brushes as well as their website. I’m interested to explore the rest of their range as they do an awful lot and also supply professional products.
(*)