November 4, 2010

E.L.F. Mineral Blending Eye Brush Review

I’m always on the look out for great blending brushes. I love my MAC 224 but I cheat from time to time to see what else is out there. In the case of budget beauty, E.L.F. has some surprisingly good offerings in the brush world.

They recently introduced a Mineral Brush Collection that’s 100% Cruelty Free, I picked up the blending brush on a whim when perusing the new Fall Collection.

Check it!


A blending brush made from Taklon, that’s 100% cruelty free.


Nothing good to say here….


You don’t need any education from me on E.L.F. brush prices I’m sure but here’s the deal anyway. Regular brushes are a buck, Studio brushes are $3 bucks, and now the mineral brushes, the worst of the three in my opinion, is $5 bucks. $5 for a makeup brush is a very fair price however at least have the quality to back up your price tag.

This blending brush is a bit too floppy and not dense enough so it blends a bit on the crummy side and makes more of a mess than anything else in the long run. The bristles are cut uneven as well so you have some shorter and some longer which makes for a messy presentation of the brush. Although it runs thin and not bushy, which I do favor, it still comes across as messy due to the uneven bristles plus it sheds a bit as well and isn’t as soft as some of the other E.L.F. Brushes I’ve tried.

  • Anyone who likes a floppy less than dense brush for blending shadow.
  • Anyone seeing cruelty free brushes with a budget price!

  • Anyone who wants a dense, solid brush for blending.
  • Anyone wanting a brush that performs well (this is too floppy to get things right and ends up creating fall out and other woe).


I probably shouldn’t rant too much about $5 brushes considering I’ve been known to dish out near $35 for one but the fact that it’s such a poor quality brush definitely makes me complain a fair bit at having spent money on something that’s sub-par. E.L.F. has definately had its great brush moments, hello Studio Concealer Brush, however this particularly brush was a bust for me.

No likey.

Very disappointed!

About the Muse

Isabella MuseIsabella is just an average everyday geeky girl who doesn’t blend her eyeshadow correctly, wears too much blush, and hopes she never finds her holy grail products because she likes the thrill of the chase so much. Her mission is to bring you super honest reviews on makeup, skincare, fragrance and all things beauty. She’s in no way an expert on the topic and she sure as hell isn’t a super model. But she’s passionate about makeup and is seeking like-minded individuals that like pina coladas, getting caught in the rain, and ones that enjoy spending hundreds of dollars at Sephora without feeling buyer’s remorse. If you’re that person feel free to reach out and leave a comment or follow me on Facebook, Instagram, Twitter, and Bloglovin‘.

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Comments

  • Danielle F.

    I am so glad you reviewed this brush! I am always looking for new brushes that do different things then my current line up and this brush has intrigued me since it first appeared on ELFs website.
    Sad, though that it just didn’t perform. Could have been such a steal!

    • the Muse

      Danielle don’t bother. Try stuff from the Studio Collection, way better.

  • Stephanie

    I’ve heard terrible things about the mineral brushes so far, but I hoped the eye ones would be a bit better! Too bad. I really appreciate your review!

    • the Muse

      my pleasure Stephanie. It’s rubbish imho. I’ve tried a few of the studio brushes and was very pleased. Expected even better from the mineral ones as I assumed at $5 a pop that would be a step up from Studio but more like a step down. Awful!

  • Janice

    That’s annoying that this brush was so crappy. I think Eco-tools is the way to go with high quality budget friendly brushes. I’ve loved everything from Eco-tools, even more than their more expensive counterparts. I actually prefer the synthetic brushes to the ones that use animal fur, because in addition to being cruelty free (yay!) I think they tend to be softer. Just my two cents.

    • the Muse

      janice agreed, eco has some nice brushes. my fav is essence ;-D those are fab ;-D

  • Connie

    Thanks for reviewing this, i was sooo very close in purchasing some mineral brushes since i was picking up some of their mineral blushes and eyeshadows. So glad i didnt get the brushes lol back to my eco-tools and essence of beauty brushes =)

  • Dao

    I wonder why ELF bothered created this brush line at all. They already have the Studio line, which is also synthetic and cruelty free at $3 a pop. I would not buy any of these, though. The Studio brushes work well for me.

  • Ruthless

    At first I thought this said “Blinding Brush” but that’s because I don’t have my glasses on.

    ELF Studio collection makes decent cheap brushes, I’ve tried others from them but they are fairly crappy

  • Andrea

    Uh oh! I bought this brush yesterday at Ross on a whim, before I read this review. I haven’t used it yet, but I guess I can’t complain ..I only paid $2 something for it.

  • LiisK

    I might order the mineral brush set if there’s a 75%sale but otherwise I’ll stick to the cheap Studio set :). Has anyone tried the new Stippler e.l.f. now carries?

    • the Muse

      oh Liis thanks I didn’t see the strippler until you mentioned it ;-D Cheers!

  • Maya

    I’m glad I saw this. Ross, one of my most favorite stores, sometimes carries ELF products and as I was browsing the makeup area the other day, I saw a few of these new mineral brushes. When I first saw them on the site, I had been very excited to try them, but when I saw them at the store, and held each one in my hand, they felt cheaply made and insubstantial. I contemplated buying them for half a minute, but decided I needed to wait until others did. Again, I’m glad I saw this.

  • stealingbeauty

    erm don’t kill me, but I like mine!

    I have the travel sized version of this blending brush, but it’s very dense and has similar bristles that ecotools frequently uses.

    I’m wondering if the full size is just randomly awful, the bristles on mine look shorter… lol & all of these reviews are the exact opposite of the results I get using a couple of the brushes from this line.

  • if0nly

    i actually have the 5 brush set and i use the concealer brush as my all-over and all over as my crease brush and i’ve found that to work fairly well.
    two things i’ve found with it was yea a) what you said about the floppyness (especially with the complexion brush which i end up having to be SUPER careful with when i’m using it) and b) because it’s more for mineral make up but i use it for wet-dry, it picks up a lot… but then doesn’t let go.
    pro: got it at winners for $9 so it’s perfect for university life as a second brush set