IMATS Brush Haul featuring Bdellium

One of my main goals at IMATS was trying out Bdellium Tools line of brushes.  They have a wide selection of travel size brushes, which I particularly am interested in both because I travel, and because I am horribly near-sighted.  In case you don't know this, near-sighted people have to get really, really close to the mirror when applying eye makeup and then the brush handles hit the mirror, or are just plain too long to use that close.  When I was younger, it didn't matter too much because I just put on my contacts and viola, problem solved.  These days, my eyes are getting more and more messed up -- now I can only see up close without my contacts unless I wear reading glasses.  It sucks. So applying eye makeup presents somewhat of a challenge.

Enter Bdellium travel size brushes.  Now, where I live, there is not a lot to choose from in terms of good brushes that don't cost and arm and two legs.  I've found a few that I really love, like a Sonia Kashuk No. 04 foundation brush at Target.  Love that brush.  But in terms of specialized eye brushes, not a lot to choose from unless I want to go to the MAC counter at Macy's and spend an obscene amount of money.  Not only do I not want to do that, I can't do that.  I've been doing a lot of research, and pretty much across the board everyone has raved about this brand -- it's affordable, eco-friendly, and very good quality.

The booth wasn't crowded, and I was easily able to get someone to help me.  Unfortunately, they didn't bring the Studio line travel set that I wanted.  Apparently it doesn't sell well at IMATS, so they stopped bringing it.  Bummer.  They did bring a small eye set of the Green Bamboo line plus a full range in the travel length handle, so I chose from that range, with a couple Studio line brushes that aren't produced in the Green Bamboo travel line. I believe the difference between the Studio and Bamboo lines are that the Bamboo lines use all synthetic fibers, whereas the Studio line uses a combination of natural and synthetic.

I've used a few of the brushes so far, and been really pleased.  I actually received a free travel E25 from Sigma, which I think I like better than the Bdellium blending brush, 776.  Not really sure why, but that's my early impression.  From the 5 piece kit, I really like the 777 shadow brush for packing on color, and the 781 Crease brush.  Both are the perfect size for my lids.  I haven't used the 769 angled contour yet, but it looks interesting, and when I had my makeup done at Ulta the MUA used one like it.  The 716 smokey eyeliner is gorgeous, lol.  It is the perfect size and shape with a full base and nice, narrow pointed tip.  The final brush in the set is a 760 liner/brow brush which is tiny.  Seriously, very small brush.  I'm not sure that I like it more than the traditional angled liner brush or not.  It works fine, but it's not making my fingers gravitate to it yet.

One of my individual brushes, the 780 Pencil brush is THE pencil brush I have been looking for --super soft, small but not too small, with just the right size tip.  Love it. I also adore the 714 flat eye definer.  It's like an angled liner, except it goes straight across. It does a wonderful job applying shadow to the lash line -- helps fill in the little gaps between eyelashes and deepen the eyeliner.  It also is great to smudge eyeliner pencil so that you have a softer line. Finally, I have a 768 round dome and a 755 smudge.  Both work well, but haven't used a lot yet.

I didn't get many face brushes, but like the ones I did get.  A 949 pointed foundation brush -- don't love for all over application, but really nice for some of the smaller angles of the face and under the eyes.  The 942 contour brush is one of my favorites from all the brushes I got.  I didn't have a good blush/contour brush, and this one is perfection.  It is a great size for me, plus the bristles are soft as in, can I just sit and stroke this brush??  It applies blush beautifully, which is exactly what I wanted.  The final brush from Bdellium is a 959 powder finishing brush.  Kaylie got one too, and she adores hers.  I'm a big fan of mine as well.  I've been using it for powder application and buffing.  It is super soft and dense, does a beautiful job and is the right size for me.  Can you tell that size is an issue?  Not in the double entendre sense, lol.  Just that I like a medium sized brush for a lot of brush types, and my choices fit the bill across the board.  Very happy.

I picked up 3 Morphe brushes just for kicks.  They were a less than the Bdellium, running $3 each for the pink handled ones, and $4 for the black handled blender M412.  The pink ones have no number or designation, but both are dome/pencil style brushes.  One of the pink handles is too long to fit in my roll, so it will stay at home for handy use on my counter.  I haven't tried them yet, but they feel good just running across my lid, and the brushes seem to be well made, especially for the price.  I will be doing an update addendum at some point, after I've used and washed all the brushes more.  Definitely want to see how they hold up, and which ones I end up going for again and again.

My kitty Milo thinks my new brushes are pretty cool, too. 

Please feel free to comment, and tell me about your favorite brushes, or what you think of Bdellium if you've tried them!