Affordable 22-Piece Makeup Brush Set!! (Coastal Scents)

I always say that no matter how good of a quality your makeup is, if you don't have the right tools to apply them, you'll never see their full potential.  I say it because it's true (obviously that's just my opinion).  Investing in quality makeup brushes is essential.

I have my fair share of MAC, Sigma, Sephora, Bobbi Brown, etc. brushes in my arsenal.  But sometimes a girl (or guy) just doesn't wanna drop $15-$30+ on one single makeup brush.  (And let's be real -- does anyone need to spend $60 on a Tom Ford eyeshadow brush? They're gorgeous, but I mean...)  Sometimes all you really want and/or need is an affordable, good quality brush that gets the job done for every day use.  And if you're like me, sometimes you need some nice backup brushes to use when you're feeling lazy and don't want to clean your higher end ones.  Oops.

I've tried a fair number of affordable brushes -- think Sonia Kashuk, Forever 21 Beauty, E.L.F., Real Techniques -- but unfortunately, they all sort of pale in comparison to something like a Dior sculpting eyeshadow brush.  But insert: Coastal Scents.

I went on a mission to find a great backup set for when I don't feel like getting my higher end brushes dirty.  I, of course, did a ton of research before I committed (even if they're just my second-string ones!).  The Coastal Scents brushes seemed to be the winner to me -- a 22-piece set for only $35, with pretty rave reviews from other beauty bloggers.  I was tempted to pick up the Elite 24-piece bamboo set, but I thought spending $70 for backups was a little too steep.  This 22-piece set includes a brush for just about any function, from foundation to brows to liner to highlighting.

The set comes in a lovely little faux leather magnetic-close roll.  I probably won't be using this often, because I keep most of my go-to brushes on my vanity for easy access, but it's convenient for when I want to travel!  

The first thing I noticed about these brushes was the handle length.  I love when a brush has a long, sleek handle.  I find them much easier to use and they apply makeup much more precisely.  They also look like good quality brushes.  I think it's pretty easy to tell when a brush looks cheap and flimsy.  These aren't those!  They also aren't super light and look like they're about to fall apart (like some brushes like F21 and H&M can be).  They actually have some weight to them.  And for only $1.60 a brush, I'd say that ain't bad.

Here are some closer looks at a few select brushes:

The fibers are super soft and feel amazing on the skin.  To be sure there was no bristle fall-out, I rubbed them all around and doused them with brush cleaner to recreate a brush washing cycle.  No bristle shedding!  I'm not going to go into detail about every single brush, but I will say that probably 20 out of the 22 brushes will get a good amount of use.  (I probably won't use the fan brush because it's gigantic and I don't have that much surface area to cover on my face.  I also probably won't use the fiber hair flat foundation brush, simply because I prefer flat top brushes to buff in my foundation!)  

I pulled out a few of my often-used brushes and did a little side-by-side comparison of some of the Coastal Scents brushes, just so you can see the quality difference, if any:

Ugh. First off, sorry my Sigma brush is dirty!  I'm telling you, having a backup set of brushes is going to come in handy for me.  Anyway, this is my F80 Flat Kabuki brush from Sigma compared to the Coastal Scents Flat Buffer brush.  I'm not kidding, the Coastal Scents fibers are JUST as soft and luxurious feeling as the Sigma one!  It's substantial feeling and a great dupe.  The only noticeable difference is the density of the fibers.  My Sigma F80 is slightly more compact and dense than the Coastal Scents brush.  But for buffing out liquid foundation, it barely makes any difference.

Here is the Medium Shadow brush by Coastal Scents compared to the MAC 239 Eye Shader brush.  Right off the bat you can see that the Coastal Scents brush is slightly pointed at the tip, but that doesn't make too much of a difference when you're using a shader brush to densely pack on pigmented shadows.  The density and width of the brush heads are virtually identical.

Here is where the Coastal Scents brush isn't the best dupe.  I use my Sephora Collection #27 Pro Blending brush almost every single day, and love how fluffy and round the brush head is.  It's perfect for sweeping on an all-over lid color, and blending and diffusing harsh edges.  The closest thing the Coastal Scents set has to a "fluffy blending" type brush is the Blender brush.  You can definitely see the difference -- especially in the second photo -- between the two.  The Coastal Scents blender is much denser and wider, and not nearly as "fluffy" feeling as any blending brush already in my collection.

This is probably the best replication from the entire set.  I use my Sephora #11 Pro Smudge brush for blowing out my lower lash line color and smoking out any liners/shadows on my upper lash line.  This Coastal Scents "Brow" brush is virtually identical.  Your guess is as good as mine why anyone would think this brush would be used on an eyebrow.  As you can see, almost everything is the same between these two brushes.  Even the density of the fibers is spot-on.

I also wanted to spotlight these ADORABLE little brushes in this set!!  I've never seen such cute little brush heads before, but I am already in love.  So teensy tiny.

The mini angled brush will be perfect for applying gel liners, or for setting a waterline.  I can use the mini brushes for detailed shadow work or fine crease work -- even for highlighting the brow bone and cleaning up under my brows.  I just had to show how adorable they are!

All in all, I think the 22-piece set is definitely worth picking up.  Whether you're in need of an inexpensive every day brush set, are a beginner looking for your first major brush collection, or, like me, need a good quality yet affordable backup set, the Coastal Scents set is perfect!  I would never replace any of my higher-end brushes for these, because nothing is truly the same as a gorgeous luxury brush, but these are great alternatives that won't fall apart or shed and will apply your makeup with ease.  (The website also says the company is animal cruelty free and doesn't test their products on animals, so that's a big plus from an inexpensive brand!)

xojabee