I was going to post a review up today and this package arrived which - I swear - I wasn't planning on blogging about but after opening, playing around with and washing these brushes, I need to post about these!
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| Christmas came early baby! ;) |
They came very well-packaged in a firmly bubble-wrapped parcel. Shipping to Australia took only 7 days (Christmas is literally three days away from today, so delays in shipping are to be expected - there were none!). I purchased the HOPE Series Brush Kit/Set and the MakeUpByToni Flat Top Kabuki brush - these are the only products that Toni has released and to be completely honest - if she released anything else in the future, I would buy it in a second - without any hesitation! :)
So the HOPE Series comes in the navy blue brush roll and with two extra travel-sized blending brushes (while stocks last). The other packaged box houses the Flat Top Kabuki brush and another free travel-sized blending brush (also while stocks last)! Whilst Sigma and Sedona Laces' idea of a free travel-sized gift is decent (but seriously, how many eyeliner brushes does a girl need?), you can NEVER have enough blending brushes. I thank and congratulate Toni on her insight into what brushes are most reached for when doing make up - instead of just going with the cheapest option during production!
Just an added note: MakeUpByToni "travel-sized" brushes which were included as a free gift are exactly the same height as a full-size Real Techniques eye brush (from their eyes kit) - they are substantial brushes in size which does not feel cheap or cheaply made! :)
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| 16 high quality brushes for $105 AUD including Shipping. :o |
The HOPE Series of a 12 piece brush set which comes in a navy brush kit roll for travel and storage. The handles are dark navy blue, with holographic print of the brand (MAKEUPBYTONI), with silver ferrule and light brown, white-tipped bristles. The bristles are a very high quality synthetic nylon bristles.
HISTORY OF BRAND/TONI:
Now I'm not an affiliate or an ambassador or any way involved with this brand, so I don't know the full story. These are the few facts that I've been able to find and have assembled all here for you:
- Toni is a make-up artist, she has a YouTube channel which showcases her looks and special VIP events which she attends.
- Toni released the HOPE Series to show that you don't need a fat-ass wallet to buy quality brushes, she quotes "There is HOPE!" (get it?) ;)
- HOPE Series was officially released on the 1st of August 2012 and there is very limited stock - once it's gone, it's gone. I will most definitely be buying back ups if there are any after a few months of rigorous testing of this kit I have now! (I shall keep you updated on that) :)
- The Flat Top Kabuki brush was only released a week or so ago, I had pre-ordered and was one of the first to get my hands on this sweet baby. :)
Unfortunately, that's all I know. I had only discovered Toni a few weeks ago and here I am, ranting about her brand of brushes! :)
FIRST IMPRESSIONS OF THIS BRUSH KIT + FLAT TOP KABUKI:
- The size and design of the HOPE series brush kit is very similar to the Sigma or Sedona Lace brush kits (which is a normal thing to expect since many brush kits have similar combination of these brushes). There has been a lot of speculation that MakeUpByToni brushes are made by the same company that Sigma Brushes source their brushes from (I believe there's a rumour going around that this is Crown brushes), personally I don't think this is true (see below point).
- These brushes are of MUCH better quality than my Sigma brushes. I'm not kidding, I own a lot of make up brushes: Sigma brushes (Mrs. Bunny, Performance eyes, Entire Kabuki and essential face kits), the entire Real Techniques range, Napoleon Perdis, TooFaced, UD, Revlon, Sedona Lace, NUDE, etc. And these brushes take the cake. (Metaphorically, I don't have any cake - calorie counting diet). :(
So if these brushes came from the same company, there seems to be a dramatic difference in the quality. The bristles hold their shape much better, are denser (especially in the case of the Flat Top Brush), and the cost is actually lower. Yes, I only paid $105 AUD for all 16 of these brushes INCLUDING shipping to Australia (which took only SEVEN days)!
You can purchase these though the following contact methods (which I found through her Facebook page):
Facebook: www.facebook.com/makeupbytoni
Youtube: www.youtube.com/officialmakeupbytoni
Tumblr: http://makeupbytoni.tumblr.com/
Twitter: www.twitter.com/makeupbytoni
Instagram: @heartonialvarez and @mateorafaelray (follow requests are subject to approval)
Email: contactmakeupbytoni@gmail.com (THE WAY I CONTACTED HER WAS THROUGH THIS!)
- Bristles are well-shaped, brushes are well-made with holographic printing (which won't fade like certain brands which I won't care to mention now).
- Bristles are incredibly soft - think of the softest thing you've ever touched, now multiply that by 5. Seriously though, the angled liner brush is as softer then some blending brushes which I own (which is amazing for people like me who suffer from sensitive skin around the eye area and sensitive eyes). I will be using this brush for gel liner to see how it performs but from first impression, it is firm yet unbelievably soft (good god, I hope this brush applies amazingly - if it does, I'm buying duplicates because I've never found a brush like this before!)
- After the first deep-clean I've done, there has been no bleeding, no shedding and no change in brush shape. I honestly CANNOT be more impressed with this brand.
- I have not found ONE flaw, even the brush roll (I had a terrible experience with brush rolls which mis-shaped and damaged the brushes), is of exceptional quality and actually maintained the shape of the brushes in the kit! *mind blown*
DISCLAIMER SECTION: (PLEASE READ)!
- I purchased everything with my own money, I do not get paid/any benefit from doing this review (in fact she has no idea I'm doing this - or that I even have this blog (I'm pretty sure)).
- I found out about MakeUpByToni a few weeks ago when randomly searching "Brush Review" on YouTube. I was curious about the reviews and I am so glad I found it when I did! What a stroke of good fortune! :)
- To be completely honest (I'm using that phrase a lot this entry), I distrusted the brand at first since she took payment methods which I have not used before. But because of the positive interaction I had with her (she's very friendly, open and willing to guide you through steps - and most importantly, she's very contactable through her Facebook, Youtube, Instagram, and Email!), I decided to take the risk... And then she got a PayPal account. That's right - go shop now, there's no more risk (not that there was anyway - trust me, I'm a good judge of character). You'll thank me later when you receive these brushes. ;)
In conclusion:
I will be continuing to use these brushes for many months before posting an in-depth review about the brushes. THIS IS JUST MY FIRST IMPRESSION POST and my opinions may change as I continually use these brushes for a few months. For the time being, they are impressing me on every level possible and as you can probably tell by my passionate blog post - I really needed to share my excitement today (the review I was going to post can wait till Monday).
These opinions are my own, I cannot guarantee that these brushes will work for you as they do for me. Please comment, subscribe, follow, bookmark or favourite this blog if you have the time. Thank you so much for taking the time to read my - rather eccentric - blog entry today, I really hope this will help someone in some way! Feedback is much loved no matter what the type! :)
Stay Beautiful and most importantly, stay safe during this holiday season my lovelies! xx
