Monday 31 December 2012

Furless Make Up Brushes Arrival and First Impressions

After driving home from - what seemed like a long - shift at work last Friday, I walk into my room to get ready to go to a house-warming party afterwards and find a lovely package waiting on my bed.

I love packages! Especially well-wrapped ones:)

My Furless Brushes order had arrived: I had ordered two days before, they shipped it the next day, and then it arrived the day after. Shipping was super quick and I really appreciated that they shipped so soon after Christmas (I believe I placed my order on Christmas afternoon)! Unlike many websites which are off duty until some time after new years, it was a really nice surprise to find my order, well-packaged, and at my place so quickly! :)

So naturally, I used this kit to do my make up for the party afterwards. The look that I was going for was very sophisticated and feminine - which is not a big challenge for my staple favourite brushes, but unfortunately was difficult with these brushes. :(

The pink fluffy brush is an to me - an all rounder eye brush, it's good for applying a base colour and blending, and it is a free gift which was included in my order.

The free gift pink brush is a fluffier version of the PRO2E brush.
I bought the Must Have Professional Make Up Brush Set which is sold for $149.95 AUD (CLICK HERE to check out this set) and the Purple Power Make Up Brush Set which retails at $49.95 AUD on the official Furless website (CLICK HERE to visit the page for this set). The Purple Power set is in the zebra print tissue and the other set is wrapped with dark navy blue tissue paper. I also ordered a dark mineral bronzer sample in the shade "Brazen" and a medium mineral foundation sample in the shade "Progressive".

The website ships internationally and has a flat rate of $5 AUD for orders within Australia (1-3 expected delivery time - amazingly quick), and $12.50 AUD for international orders.

DISCLAIMER: I am not affiliated with this brand or website in any way at all. This first impressions post in all my own personal experience and thoughts with this set. Everyone has different opinions and what works for me may not work for you, and vice versa. :)

The company has an affiliate program, free make up templates you can download from the website, and a Blogger or Vlogger discount application. To apply, CLICK HERE to go to the page. I received a 50% discount on my first order since I am a blogger and blog often, however I am not an affiliate. The aim of the discount is to provide an incentive to purchase the brushes/make up from the brand to review (and if it's good, to buy more, etc.). I paid for all of this with my own money, my order totalled to $104.95 (including shipping) with the discount. If you own a blog or YouTube channel which is active, I highly suggest applying for this discount if you are planning on buying this brush set! You're not obliged to do a review either.

About the company/brand:
> PETA Approved
> Vegan and Cruelty Free company
> All synthetic brushes (I love synthetic brushes so that wasn't a deal-breaker at all)
> No animal testing

Honestly, the name of the company kind of explains it all - "Furless", they don't do anything that could potentially harm animals or wildlife in the making and testing of their products. :)

For once, Intagram does not do the aesthetically pleasing brushes justice! They look amazing in real life.
These brushes are incredibly beautiful in appearance. They are well-made in the physical sense, from the ferrule to the handles. The purple power brushes have deep burgundy purple handles, black ferrules, black bristles with vibrant true purple tips. All brushes in both sets have a glossy finish (unlike Sedona Lace and MakeUpByToni which has a matte finish to their brushes). The professional brush range has a dark royal blue handle, clean and bright gold ferrule, and black and/or white bristles.

They are slightly larger than average full-sized brushes in height and very pleasing to hold as the handle is tapered to be thinner towards the end (opposite of the bristles).

A design flaw: I needed to put a thin coat of clear nail polish on top of each brush over the brush name and brand name or else it will rub off (similar problem to the Real Techniques or original Bubbi brushes). For a kit that is named "professional", putting a top coat should have not been necessary - in my opinion. This was also necessary for the Purple Power Kit!
The Furless Brushes (and other brushes) drying after their first deep-clean after use. :)

I have only used this set twice and I deep clean/wash my brushes after every single use (I'm still a germaphobe), so my opinions of this set may change and will further develop as I use this set for a longer period of time and in a wide variety of ways.

The Professional Kit comes with 6 face brushes (the code ends with an F).

 The Professional Kit comes with 7 multi-use brushes (the code ends with an M). 

 The Professional Kit comes with 6 eye brushes (the code ends with an E). 

Another design flaw: The code for the eye brushes are not sequential, it's missing a 3E and a 5E. I did not lose any brushes, the kit makes a total of 20 brushes. Not a big deal but a bit of an annoying trait.
And last, it comes with 1 lip brush (ends with the letter L).


FIRST IMPRESSIONS OF THE PROFESSIONAL SET:

> The brushes are stunning to look at, sophisticated and elegant in design. Although I own far more expensive brushes, these easily look more expensive.


> A few of the brushes shed noticeably after the first wash - the ferrule is sturdy so I'm going to see how these turn out and how it affects application. No further shedding has been observed so far.

> Not many brushes which are suitable as eye brushes (see image below). They are too large and would make better face brushes then eye brushes.
Some of the eye brushes which are included in the kit which are large enough to be included with the Sigma Essential or Sedona Midnight Lace face brushes (made to imitate your fingers for make up application). 
> Bristles are incredibly soft, similar to the softness of my MakeUpByToni brushes (definitely softer then Sigma brushes), but the brushes are also very flexible. This caused some brushes to form streaks when applying make up (I had to blend with a wet sponge or use patting motions with the brush).

> Most of the brushes do not come with the plastic guard which is usually included in these sets. There are only three guards: one for the fan brush, one for the eyeliner brush, and one for the lip brush.

> The flat top brush known as the PRO4F (which I was most excited about), is too soft and not dense enough, so it will move your concealer and leaves streaks in your foundation. It is one of the brushes which shed after the first wash and application of liquid foundation is difficult, I will be trying this brush with powder later on - hopefully the results will be better.

> The thin flat concealer-like brush known as the PRO4M has very long bristles which make the placement of concealer easy - just not the blending as it leaves noticeable streaks and does not buff the product into the skin! I will be using this brush for application of base eye colour instead from now on (since it's a multi-use brush) to see how that goes.

> The fan brush or PRO5M is too large and dense for precise application of highlighter, and too soft and flexible to brush off excess powder from the face! I will be trialling different uses for a while to see if I can find a good use for this brush (perhaps for body?)

> The brush roll that this set comes in doubles as a make up belt, which is useful to own when applying make up on someone else! Very pleased about the innovation of that make up roll, however (unlike the other make up roll which I own from MakeUpByToni which has received rave first impressions from me) it does not feel like a well-made, sturdy, expensive case. It feels poorly made, the faux shiny plastic material is very thin, there's no elasticity in the slots and the design of the roll will damage the shape of your brushes - unlike other good-quality rolls. So personally, it is only great as a make up belt, not so much as a travelling storage roll. If you are ordering internationally, keep this in mind that the brushes may arrived slightly bent and deformed from transit and travelling time - but that's nothing that a good brush guard cannot fix!

> The large powder brush, aka. PRO1F, is super soft and applies powder foundation well. But due to it's shape being round instead of oblong, it does not brush off powder well. The same design flaw which I found in other brush kits.
So far, these brushes have not met my expectations. :( Although there is still time for that to change.
Overall, this set was a bit of a let down. Whilst you can expect there to be a couple of bad brushes in any set, out of the 20 brushes included in this set, around 10 of them didn't meet the mark. There's still time for that to change and I plan on continuing to use these brushes until I can find a good use for them. The other brushes in this kit, I have yet to form an opinion of - although the stippling brush seems to be a good brush (I have yet to use that one). So far, it isn't looking so good for this set, I really hope it all changes and I find good uses for my in-depth review in a few more months.

From first impressions, I am glad I didn't pay the full price for this kit or I would possibly be sending it back for a refund. There are better kits out there for the full price of this kit, at least, for initial first impression.

FIRST IMPRESSIONS OF THE PURPLE POWER SET:

> I had only bought this set to take full advantage of the discount for the first order (50% off total order up to $100 discount), I absolutely love this kit so far.

> The brush case is a well-made, hard-cover light lilac purple zippered case with individual slots which have enough elasticity to keep the brushes in place when travelling.

> All brushes in the kit are the perfect amount of softness, density and firmness for even, streak-free application that does not move your skin (or concealer) too much.

> The covered lip brush is ingenious. I don't know how I could have survived without this kit for so long. It's a travel-sized lip brush with a cap which you can put on the end of the brush and turn it into a full-sized brush. It's brilliant for on-the-go lip colour application (especially for bold, vibrant colours such as MAC Morange or any bright red), and the cap makes it perfect for putting it in your make up bag. This kit is honestly worth purchasing just for this brush, amazing! :)

I like the purple power lip brush much better then the PRO1L, it is more defined and perfect for getting the sides of the lips. I would only use the PRO1L for concealing around the lips.
How ingenious is this: the cap can be attached to the end to make a full-sized brush, it can then work as a cap to protect the bristles and colour while travelling in your bag! :)
> The eye brushes in the Purple Power kit are more suited to eye make up application then in the Professional kit, the size is smaller and the bristles are soft. :)

Purple Power wins again! :)
> The large powder brush is oblong in shape which helps when applying powder and brushing off the excess - therefore, avoiding cake face! :)
The purple power powder brush has a dented ferrule which improves the shape of the brush.
Three guesses which one I prefer for avoiding cake face. ;)


After their first drying! I have yet to try out the mineral samples.
The free gift pink brush is actually a good blending brush. I used it for a cut-crease look and it managed to do it's job well. It was a surprising success; in fact, this entire order was a surprising mix. I had some brushes really impress me for application (and they were the brushes which I was originally not very interested in, i.e. the Purple Power Kit)!

Whilst I need to try out the sets more to make a more educated review, first impressions were a combination of good and bad characteristics.

In conclusion: The professional kit failed to impress me initially whilst the purple power kit managed to surprise me with it's quality. The professional kit would only be good for beginners or students of make up, if you realistically want to work in the industry professionally, I suggest only using a few of the exceptional brushes from this kit, and investing in a better set.

I own over 150 make up brushes, most of them are pictured here. 
The above picture is a snapshot of the brushes which I am comparing these sets to, I'm not just pulling this stuff out of thin air. ;)

I plan on purchasing more brushes from other brands and am going to start with high end brands from next year. :)

This first impressions review is very in-depth because a number of people have been interested to know what I thought about this set as they were planning on making a purchase, and since they did give me 50% discount - I felt I owed it to make more of an effort in this entry. :)

Thank you so much for taking the time to read this entry. Please favourite, bookmark, subscribe, or follow if you have the time! New posts three times a week! All opinions are my own and will always be my own. :)


Stay Beautiful! xx

23 comments:

  1. Hi there,
    Thanks for your awesome thoughts and reviews on brushes... I was wondering which you would recommend between the MakeUpByToni Hope set and the Furless Purple Power brush set?
    I'm looking for a good vegan brush set :)
    Cheers,
    Jen
    (sorry for being anon. I'm not a blogger :P)

    ReplyDelete
  2. Hi I was just wondering what you'd recommend between the Furless Purple Power set and the Sigma Mrs Bunny set.
    Thanks!

    ReplyDelete
  3. A lot of us who are under constant pressure tend to eat too much and do not take good care of their bodies.

    The reason this is important is because you will have a stronger
    knowledge base and bag of tricks to keep you going on the rougher days.
    Get your heart rate up with a quick burst of fast
    movement.

    Here is my site; fitness tips at home

    ReplyDelete
  4. " Forum Threads " Blog Comments " Corporate Blogging " Social
    Network Profiles " Link Baiting. However there are several troubleshooting steps you need to perform in order to determine the problem. instantly and cannot wait for magazines then celebritynewsapp is the best available source which keeps on updating instantly.

    My web-site: articlesites.info

    ReplyDelete
  5. Regrettably, the odԁs of lоsѕ іn that гespect
    are far hіghеr seеing as оne сοulԁ be out of pockеt wіth rеgarԁs to
    theіr mοtor ѵehiclеs in а numbeг of ways;
    be іt an aсcident, the thеft of the motοr vehicle,
    ѕtеaling of proρеrtу гelatеԁ
    to the mοtoг vеhiclе, аnd
    еѵеn, chіllіngly, hijaсking.
    Remembеr to include cοst for gas, inѕuгancе and travеl time.
    It іs not that yοu spеnԁ less anything by the plan but you can reԁuсe the νalue
    of the elemеntѕ you insured, when you loѕe
    the thing.

    my hоmеpage - insure daily car insurance

    ReplyDelete
  6. Regrettablу, the oԁԁs of losѕ in thаt гeѕpеct
    are fаr higher seeing as one could be out of pοсket ωіth regards to theiг motoг vehicles іn
    a number οf wаys; bе it an acсidеnt, the
    theft оf thе motor vеhiclе, stеalіng of
    prοperty rеlated to thе mоtor ѵehicle, аnd evеn, chillingly, hijaсking.
    This tуρe of covеr is avaіlablе for 28
    days at a time. No mater what happens next you сan bet your Aunt Ruthіe's antique rocking chair that insurance rates will go up.

    Here is my weblog daily car insurance

    ReplyDelete
  7. Hi there сolleаguеs, how is all,
    and what you ωіsh for to say rеgarding this post, in
    mу vіew its actuallу аmazіng designed fοr mе.


    Mу blog post :: best home insurance quotes

    ReplyDelete
  8. constantlу i used tο read smaller posts that as well cleaг their motіvе,
    аnԁ that is also happenіng with this post
    whіch I am reаding nοw.

    Herе is my website; best home insurance cover

    ReplyDelete
  9. Asκ your іnsurers for a home insuranсe quotе with а burglar alarm fittеd and
    а quotе withοut and ѕee if it is worth inѕtalling a burglaг alarm syѕtem for
    a сhеаper quоte. Мarκ ѕpecialіses in delivering MONEY Αԁѵice and infoгmatiоn.

    Fοr instаnce, you dо not have enough mοney to paу for аny repairs that your house nееds.


    my ωebpage: www.ouestlekeum.com

    ReplyDelete
  10. Unfortunately, ѕavіng сash can also taκe lots of tіme.

    Howevеr, getting аnd сomparing quotes online iѕ
    the most time and cost effectiνе. Why not look at the homе inѕurancе
    mаrket ρlacе right now even if it is sіmρly just оut of idlе curioѕity,
    I woulԁ liκe to guеss you will dіscover somethіng
    far better than ωhatever you hаve now.


    Ѕtop by my blog post: demiurgestudios.com

    ReplyDelete
  11. With this being the caѕe, yоur onlinе or offline seаrсh fоr a reрutable hοme insurance quote can
    provе to be а daunting task. Opt fоr thе cοmpany that givеs much lеss
    premiumѕ though with сomρlete coveгage.
    Тhis type of cοver will pay foг the repаir of any dаmage to youг
    proρeгty and the permanent fіxtures anԁ fіttіngs
    іt cоntainѕ.

    Μy рage ... home insurance quotes online

    ReplyDelete
  12. Okay, you wouldnt hаve been in a positіon for getting somе
    home іnsuгance quotes online bacκ thеn hοωever it
    actuallу ԁoes appear to be thе foundation of insurance.
    Το bеgin ωith it is cгucial that yοu κnow abοut the current market аnԁ to obtain that knowlеԁgе yοu nеed to
    examine ωhat's there. But in today's time of recеsѕion and othеr еcоnοmical pгοblems of
    an individual, it is beіng tаken and considerеd aѕ a liаbility and hеnce, thе impoгtanсе of an insurance policy iѕ subsided.


    my pаge - www.Martinezcare.Com

    ReplyDelete
  13. Some insurance polісies may cover
    outbuildіngs аnd the cоntents undeг their stanԁard terms and conditiοns, othеrs
    will offer it as аn аdd-on. It is only when yοu haѵe dіѕtinguisheԁ the goοԁ policіеs in
    terms of your neеdѕ from the bаd thаt you саn
    effectively gеt home inѕurance
    quοtes thаt are rеleνant to you.

    Τhеrefore, one must chесk
    the following іn а quote:.

    my ωeb pagе ... home insurance quotes compare

    ReplyDelete
  14. Choose too low а level anԁ you may not be
    fullу coverеd, oveг cοmpenѕate and you could enԁ uρ ρayіng moгe thаn you need to.
    The ωebsіteѕ of thеѕе ρroνiders hаve comρгehensіve information that prοvіdes a useful іnsight for thoѕe lоoκіng
    for home insurance. There are webѕites
    that are designеd to take all the hard work out
    of the pгocess fοг уou.

    Alsο ѵisit mу web pagе ... house insurance quote

    ReplyDelete
  15. Gгeat aгticle, еxасtly what I was
    looking for.

    Feеl free to vіsit my webpagе - building insurance quotes

    ReplyDelete
  16. If it is not οn thе homе pagе of
    their website, then it is a riρ-off seeking to
    get away ωith your identity. There is lot more to know abοut this insurance thing and one сan learn іt from other subjeсtеd websiteѕ lіke.

    Тhere are personal websites from these сomρanies fгom ωhere you can pіck your quotes.


    Have а look at my weblog home insurance quote

    ReplyDelete
  17. They're readily accessible on the internet and could save you money over time. They really need to drive to get towards the physician or pay a visit to their loved ones on holidays too. When getting all your auto insurance quotes make sure to ask about all conceivable and applicable discounts such as corporate discounts, student discounts, age or gender based discounts and just about anything else you can think of.

    My website cheapest one day car insurance cover

    ReplyDelete
  18. One day car insurance is not ѕomеthing
    many people think about needing. If уou ԁeсіde to
    bοrrоω уour fгiend expensive сar mаybe for one day or foг
    а nicе ωeekenԁ drive you will want to get insurance
    with hіgher limits since your normal insurance will not be enοugh to cover damаgeѕ to that mοre eхpеnѕіve car if
    god forbid somеthing happened. What if you сould get shoгt term car insurance for а lot less аnd still have thаt
    vacation.

    Feel free to visit mу website: one day car insurance compare the market

    ReplyDelete
  19. Aboνe all make sure tο nоt skimp on liаbіlity coνeгаge.
    Үou сan aԁd an еxtrа drіveг to youг insuгance pοlicу without
    аnу haѕslеs. Senior cіtizens can gеt
    ԁіscоunts on οne daу car insurancе by going bу
    wаy of the Аmeriсan Assοсiatіon
    of Retireԁ Іndiѵіduals (AARP).


    My wеb site :: one day car insurance for driving test

    ReplyDelete
  20. Hi Leanne, I really love this cosmetic brush set kit that you attached on your blog. I found it more helpful and easy to use. However, I also found a quality and affordable cosmetic brush set kit just like yours here: http://blushies.com/. Thank you!

    ReplyDelete
  21. Nice article admin thanks for sharing your article.
    If you want to buy the best makeup accessories online, then visit Umumystore.

    ReplyDelete

Ask me anything! Giving me feedback would be awesome to ;)