Lunasol Cheek Brush S review (blush brush)

Lunasol released a few makeup brushes last year- it doesn't seem to be widely advertised and hardly saw it featured on release. 

However I decided to try the Cheek Brush S (S for short handled I think, there's also a Cheek Brush N,  in long handled version, you can see on very bottom of the page).

I was absolutely thrilled to see the brush in person- it comes in the classic Lunasol metallic brown packaging, so elegant and understated. 

It was sold just shrinkwrapped with a cardboard backing like below. It retails for 4500 Yen which is about 40USD/ AUD equivalent. It is made with a mix of blue squirrel and goat hair.

When the cap is closed, total length is 10cm, (a standard MAC blush brush is about 17cm including tip of bristles). Lunasol Cheek Brush S when twisted up, it is 13cm (you cannot put the cap on the other end to increase the length further). 

The 10cm length when stored is a perfect pocket sized brush that neatly tucks into even small makeup bags.

Once you remove the cap it's a "twist" up mechanism, which is wonderful and convenient as it doesn't accidentally retract easily. 

Bristle seems dark dark brown. 

OH MY GOD it is the most heavenly soft bristled brushes I've ever touched, softer than my Trish Mcevoy, softer than my Bobbi brown blush brown, softer than any of my MAC ones or those Jill Stuart ones that comes with the blushes. Feels so nice on the cheeks and it deposits blush really well (so far using a light colored Japanese blush with this. It can layer brush colors so well).

The finished look is even and subtle glow from within. I can also use this to lightly contour and it is wonderful at blending in those lines. It makes all my other existing blush brushes seem rough and uneven.

Quick comparison with head of MAC 188 stippling brush. Which I consider to be slightly small for a stippling brush when used as a blush brush.  The MAC brush is positioned a bit further in front so seems like it's bigger, but in reality the lunasol's wider by a tiny bit. Widest part of the Lunasol brush is about 2.5cm.

 Here's a list of other Lunasol face brushes- I can't wait to try the powder brush since it's full blue squirrel hair but I'm going to guess the price would be even higher.

The Cheek Brush S (my one) is a blend of gray squirrel and goat hair while the Cheek Brush N is actually full blue squirrel hair.

Would be really interested to trying both. I think the portable version I have is perfect for travelling, and daily use. The blend of goat hair helps to pick up more color as needed.

Overall 5/5, or 6/5 if I could extend my ratings system. I definitely want to invest in the other two Lunasol face brushes, and I do not think the $40 USD price tag is that steep consider a lot of other makeup brands are charging more than that easily.

Bobbi Brown Brush Cleansing Spray review

Those with many makeup brushes might know what a chore it is to try to clean them regularly. Luckily Australia has one of the most dry climates in the world so at least airing makeup brushes dry is not too difficult...

My usual brush cleanser is the MAC brush cleanser. It does the job fairly well so I'm on my 2nd or 3rd bottle already, haven't thought of switching.


Then I saw the new Bobbi Brown brush cleansing spray- which is meant to be used to keep your brushes clean between regular washes. e.g. if you used your blush brush, then decided you wanted to apply another blush color in the next 5minutes- but your brush is dirty, what do you do?

Bobbi Brown brush cleasning spray- simply spray a few spritz on a clean tissue (or kitchen paper towels are better I think...because they have less fluff). Then brush your dirty brush over the paper towel, until no more color comes off.

Here's back of box- it say sit's alcohol-free, spray formula designed to clean brushes instantly between makeup applications. You can use it for both natural and synthetic brushes.

Spray nozzle.

Here goes the test- two brushes- one is Calvin Klein powder brush (limited edition- unavailable now), the other is Sonia Kashuk skunk brush (not fantastic- but they are cheap and works with pigmented blushes,  so I have 2 of them so I don't have to keep cleaning my brushes). You can see they both need some clean- especially the original white tip of the skunk brush needs some clean as it's now stained pink.

Both of these brushes are synethic bristles.

Here's the after- the top tissue is clean, bottom tissue was sprayed with 3 spritz of the Bobbi Brown brush cleansing spray, then I just swiped the dirty brushes over the tissue on the bottom 5 or 6 times each.
Any traces of blush powder or color comes right off.

You can see the color stays on the bottom tissue now (compared to the new tissue on the top).

Here are the brushes after cleaning. Honestly they look as good as if I did a proper wash in water then airdry, with MAC brush cleanser.

 

Probably need to use kitchen paper towel next time, as tissues have some fluff so it's picked up in the picture below on the left brush (not because there's any residue left on the bristles).

But you can see how clean the skunk brush is, the bristle restored to white. They are pretty much instantaneously dry. I still swipe a few more times on a clean tissue just to make sure any remaining cleansing spray is removed, after all the brush comes in direct contact with your skin.

It's 3.38fl oz or 100ml, which must last for ages!

Only issue I might mention is, even though the bottle is not aerosol or pressurized can, I ordered this from overseas and during transit I think there was some minor liquid seeping out (the bottle was in tact and no further spillage experienced). So I'd assume the bottle is not fully air tight so pressure during air transit probably just forced some liquid out.

Overall 5/5.

It does the job, while it shouldn't replace a full brush clean, it's great for inbetween cleans. I can imagine it works wonders for those people who use several eyeshadow brushes from day to day. This would make life very easy!