Considering today is Valentine's Day, I thought it might be fun to tell you a love story. Once upon a time I was scrolling through my Instagram feed, idly double tapping through the endless parade of pretty pictures when something stopped me in my tracks. Now, I have absolutely no idea how many makeup brushes I own (spoiler, its a lot), or that I've made googley-eyes at over the years, but these...these were different. These brushes were jewel-toned, ombred little pieces of art, and I knew right then and there that I needed to have them in my life. My heart was even happier to find out that they were part of Royal & Langnickel's MODA collection, a super affordable yet quality brush brand that's sold online or in Walmart stores. Not only was this wonderful news for my wallet, but I also knew that the brand would be part of Generation Beauty LA, and would possibly have them for sale. Much to my delight they had a very limited stock at their booth, and this beautifully little set flew home with me that weekend.
Of course, when it comes to love at first sight I've always been a bit of a skeptic. Attraction at first sight, sure. But love is one of those things you have to build over time as you get to know one another. And so there's always a little piece of me when going on a first date that fears I'm going to suffer the fate of getting super hyped over how cute someone is, only to be let down by how boring, arrogant, or generally jerky they turn out to be. No one likes being disappointed, be it be by a potential SO, or their makeup brushes, and I was feeling extra trepidatious as I pulled this set out of the packaging. Would all that hype be for nothing? Or would this be the start of a beautiful relationship?
Before I finish our tale, let me give you a little backstory on our main character. The Royal & Langnickel MODA Prismatic Face Perfecting Kit is collection of four face brushes designed for applying and blending cream and liquid products with ease. They have a unique oval shape that was introduced to the beauty scene by ultra luxury brand Artis, and are designed with super dense yet incredibly soft bristles that spread product evenly with minimal absorption. One Artis brush will set you back somewhere in the neighborhood of $60, while this entire set retails for $24.99. I don't know about you, but $6 a brush is way more accessible to me than $60, not to mention the fact that the Prismatic brushes are so stinkin' pretty. Those beautifully ombred bristles are also made out of a high quality synthetic material, which not only makes them cruelty-free, but also more durable and easier to wash. While the overall shape of these brushes are generally the same, each is sized for a specific job. Let me give you a quick overview of each one.
The 801 brush is the largest of the bunch, designed for all over foundation application. I think this does a decent job of applying foundation quickly with minimal streakiness, although its large size makes it difficult to maneuver around the tight corners of your eyes and nose.
The 802 brush is designed to beautifully blend in bronzer or blush. As you may have seen in the demo video above I think this brush did a solid job at both. Its elongated shape makes it great for contouring your cheekbones to perfection, although you have to be careful about how much product you're picking up if you're using it with a powder. The dense bristles, while soft, will grab a lot of product, so you may want to use a light hand to avoid going overboard. The same issue goes for blush. If you're using a really pigmented product you may want to dab the brush off on the back of your hand before you touch it to your face just to be sure you're avoiding clown cheeks.
Then you have two smaller detail brushes. The 803 brush is an absolute dream when it comes to blending out your undereye concealer. It's also great for blending in powder and cream highlights.
The 804 brush is the only brush in this set that has a slightly different shape. This rounded, detail brush is perfect for blending in spot concealer. I'm also curious to see how it might work for lips or eyes.
Ever since Artis appeared on the scene I've been really curious about how these oval-style brushes actually work. A lot of people rave about them and how magically they apply foundation, but I'm one to make my own opinion of things. Here's where our love story takes a bit of a Reality TV-show style turn. I love filming first impressions tutorials for you guys so you can see my 100% honest initial reaction to a product, and I figured what better moment to capture than my first run through with this set?
As you've probably guessed, these brushes were definitely worthy of a second date. I've used them a few times over now and am really quite happy with the way they apply product. They also have been fairly easy to wash, don't shed, and feel like they're going to hold up really well over time. Even though they can do a lot of jobs well, they haven't gone so far as to make me ignore the rest of my collection. I still need a fluffy brush for setting my face or my under eyes, and generally prefer a traditional brush for use with certain products. But I think if you're someone who has struggled with the application of things like cream blushes and bronzers, you'll really like how easily this style of brush will blend things out. If you want to pick up your own set, you can shop them from Walmart here!
Have you ever tried an oval brush? What was your experience like?
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