Flawlessly blended makeup, and contouring are huge beauty trends. So what is the best way to achieve this look? An Oval Makeup Brush Set can get you there. Even if you are new to makeup, oval toothbrush shaped makeup brushes make it easy!
What are Oval Makeup Brushes?
Oval makeup brushes, are a new design of makeup brushes that give a flawless airbrush look. They are amazing for applying concealer, foundation, bronzer, and achieving a perfect complexion. The Oval brushes are curved like a spoon handle with bristles that look similar to a hair brush. Oval Makeup brush sets are great because they have very soft dense bristles.
These bristles cover skin evenly, and allow you to get a smooth application and coverage. Since they are very soft, they are also great for sensitive skin. Artis is the most popular brand of Oval Makeup Brushes, but they are pretty pricey. I wanted to know if Artis is worth shelling out for or if a dupe set is just as good. Read on to see which is the Best Oval Makeup Brush Set.
Artis Elite Mirror Oval Makeup Brush Set
Check PriceThe Artis Elite Mirror Brush Set, is the original and most popular Oval Makeup Brush Set. Artis has an amazing reputation for delivering a flawless finish, and is a cruelty free brand. Rather than trying to mimic animal hair brushes like many other brands, Artis uses CosmeFibre®. It performs without pitfalls of animal hair brushes, so it work perfectly with creams, powders, and liquids.
The Artis Elite Mirror Brush Set 10 ct. includes the following brushes: Oval 10, Oval 8, Oval 6, Oval 4, Oval 3, Linear 6, Linear 3, Linear 1, Circle 1, and Circle 1R. My first impression of the Artis Elite brush set was the beautiful packaging. The inner box keeps all the brushes separated. The handles are a beautiful white color, and are very sturdy. The back of the brush heads are mirrored. I immediately went for the largest oval brush- the Oval 10 and was amazed at the softness of the brush. Before applying any product to the brush, I swept it across my face a few times just because the feeling was so great!
Using Artis Elite Oval Makeup Brushes
The brush heads are densely packed, and Artis says it’s brushes have 10 times more bristles than other makeup brushes giving better coverage. I began by applying my usual foundation base with the Oval 10 brush. It’s amazing how quickly I covered my face with the Artis Oval 10. No matter what angle I chose to move the brush in, the bristles were always in contact with my skin. Before I was using a typical flat foundation brush, which would leave large streaks if I was not careful. With the Artis brush I was able to achieve a flawless finish in under 10 seconds. I was amazed at the airbrushed effect the Artis oval 10 gives in such little time.
Next, I moved on to the Oval 6 and Oval 7 to test out the contouring and highlighting effects of these brushes. I used the Oval 7 with my bronzing powder to contour my cheeks and nose. I used a liquid highlighter along with the Oval 6 on my cheek bones and cupids bow. I noticed that when applying powders like with most brushes, you’ll still need to dust off any excess before you begin. Overall I felt I had much more control with the oval brushes than with my typical flat contouring brush set. I also used less product than I normally would have with other brushes, as the product stays at the brush surface.
Finally I check out the linear and circle brushes on my eyes and lips. The softness and density of the Artis brushes really helps pack on the pigment with dark shadows which is much more difficult with traditional eye shadow brushes. I loved the softness of the brushes for applying lipstick, but I usually apply straight from the tube. It would take some time for me to add in the extra step of a lip brush into my routine, so I am not sure how often I will go the extra step of applying lipstick with the Artis brushes.
Overall the Artis Brushes work very well, and they truly give a luxury beauty brand experience to the user. The quality and performance of these brushes is fantastic. Since the Artis brushes are very costly, I was really curious to see how the dupes would stack up.
ProBalance Brushes Oval Makeup Brush Set
Check PriceProBalances’s Brushes are a popular brand of Artis Brush Dupes. The 10 count set corresponds exactly to the style of brushes in the Artis Elite brush set. They are also made using synthetic fibers.
My first impression of the ProBalances’s brushes was the packaging. It came in a black box that is not as nice as the Artis box. The brushes come in separate dividers, and came undamaged. The handles are black plastic with gold mirrored backs. TheProBalances’s brush set did come with a cool free gift: a rubber cleansing pad that helps clean the brushes.
I used the Oval 10 brush first. The handles are made of plastic, which aren’t sturdy like the Artis brushes. The brush heads themselves are of good quality, and have a nice texture. Although they were not quite as soft, or as dense as the Artis brushes they are very similar.
Using ProBalances Oval Makeup Brushes
I began applying foundation with the Oval 10 brush. It provided great coverage, similar to the Artis brushes. I did spend a little more time blending with this dupe. Next I used the Oval 6 and 7 for my contour and highlighter. Using my powder bronzer to contour with ProBalances brushes was less precise than using the Artis brand. This is because the Artis brushes are more dense. With ProBalances brushes, more of the product was sinking into the brushes instead of remaining on top. The liquid highlighter though appeared just as well as it had with the Artis oval brushes.
The smaller linear, and circle brushes worked well for applying eyeshadow, and lipstick very similar to the Artis brushes. Though the powder did not hold as well onto the brushes themselves and I had to use more shadow, the ProBalances brush set did pack on the pigment well.
Overall ProBalances are a quality dupe of the Artis Brushes. I love that they look very similar to the Artis brand, but at a fraction of the price of Artis brushes. Although you’ll use more product with these than the Artis brushes, the cost savings of the brushes themselves make up for that.
Emocci Oval Makeup Brush Set
Check PriceThe Oval Makeup Brush Set by Emocci is another very popular brand of Artis brush dupes. These brushes come in a variety of colors, however I opted for the rose gold color, called “pink and white”. I chose this set because the handles are similar to the original Artis brushes, and appear more durable than other dupe brands. The brush set includes 10 brushes, the same sizes and styles as the Artis, and ProBalances brush sets. It also comes with two free silicone brush cleaning pads.
The packaging on the Emocci Oval Makeup Brushes was not as nice as the Artis brushes. It was disappointing to see some of the brushes fell from their placements in the box. None of the brushes appeared damaged at all though. Straight away I noticed the brushes felt of higher quality than the ProBalances brushes. The Emocci brushes felt much more sturdy. The bristles appeared to be as dense as the Artis brushes, however they are slightly less soft.
Using the Emocci Oval Makeup Brushes
I applied foundation with the Oval 10 brush and the coverage performance was similar to that of the Artis brushes. I applied foundation and got a perfect finish quickly with no excess. Performing contouring and highlighting with the Oval 6 and 7 was awesome, and I saw no performance differences with the oval brushes between the Artis brushes and the Emocci dupes.
The quality of the smaller linear and circle brushes was not as great as the Artis brushes. The circle brushes are noticeably less dense, but since I would rarely use them for something with heavy duty coverage, it did not matter much to me. I did have great performance when applying eye shadow with the linear brushes. The sturdy handles really helped control the coverage of the application in the hard to reach eye areas. The bristles themselves seem to be a bit less soft than the Artis brushes, however I was happy with the way they feel on my skin.
Overall the Emocci Oval Makeup Brushes are a higher quality dupe of the Artis brushes. I love how many color options they come in, and it was hard to pick a favorite. The coverage ability of this set of Oval Makeup Brushes is almost identical to the Artis brushes which is amazing.
Conclusion: Best Oval Makeup Brush Set
Check PriceThe Emocci Brand of Oval makeup brushes was the clear winner. The brushes themselves are beautiful and are the perfect accessory for your vanity.
The sturdy handles help make the coverage process easier, and the dense soft bristles provide amazing coverage and control! Overall they are the best value for the money. The beauty forever brushes come at a much lower price than the Artis Elite Mirror Set. Using Oval Makeup Brushes has improved my beauty routine and I get great results in less time. I won’t ever go back to my traditional face brushes, and I cant wait to use my Artis dupes for years to come.