Eyeshadow Brushes Review (Part 2): Crease Brushes

Crease brushes are brushes which are used to deepen the crease area to create the illusion of deeper set eyes. It probably is less intuitive on Asian eyes because our eyes are not as deeply set as other ethnicity. Usually it is right below the brow bone where you can still touch your eyeballs. The bigger crease brushes can also be used as a blending brush to soften the edges of eyeshadows.

Here are the detailed explanation of each brush:

NARS Large Domed Brush (#13) has really soft bristles and is great for a very light wash of color on the eyelid and blending hard edges away. It is also great for applying powder undereye as its tapered end can reach into pretty small areas. Although it is a crease brush, it is a little too big for detailed crease work.

MAC 224 resembles NARS Large Dome in terms of shape but it is not as big and as dense as the NARS one. It is also not as tapered. I prefer the NARS one to this one as the NARS one is more tapered. They serve pretty much the same purpose.

MAC 222 has a blunter head than MAC 224, but it is slightly stiffer because of its synthetic core. This brush has natural fibers on the outside but stiffer synthetic inside. Since it is not tapered at all, it is really hard to use it for crease work. I use this mostly for blending.

MAC 217 isn't exactly a crease brush. It is hard to categorize this one because it is not as flat as the paddle brush, but not as round as a crease brush as well. Its bristle is almost as long as a crease brush but with a slight flatter shape. It has the same stiffness as MAC 222. Because of its unique shape and stiffness, I use it like a flat paddle brush more than a crease brush. It picks up more pigment than a crease brush, but can't pack on colors like a flat paddle brush.

NARS Contour (#14) is obviously a contour brush. Since the bristles are not as long as the other NARS domed brushes, it is stiffer and allows you to pack (or in this case more of "dot" on more color). This brush fits very well in the outer corners of my eyes and makes darkening my outer 1/3 of my lid a breeze.
NARS Small Domed (#12) is my favorite crease brush. None of the other cosmetics counter I saw come out with such a small crease brush. It is perfect for eyes which are smaller and not deep-set. It makes contour the crease so fast and easy.

Eyeshadow Brushes Reviews (Part 1): Flat Paddle Brushes

Every makeup fanatic knows the importance of having good brushes. Here I'm going to share my thoughts on my eye brushes collection. I have divided my collection into 3 parts: flat paddle brushes, crease brushes and eyeliner brushes, so it is easier to compare different brushes.

Flat paddle brush, like its name suggested, has a flat shape and round edge. It is particularly good for packing on eyeshadow, and it is a staple shape for eyeshadow application since they are very versatile.

Here are my thought on the individual brushes...

Japonesque 230 is a medium size brush with *extremely* soft squirrel hair. It is great for a wash on the lid, but because of its fluffier shape, it can't do much detailed work.

MAC 239 is similar to Japonesque 230 in terms of shape, but it is less fluffy. Since it is stiffer than Japonesque 230, it can pack on more color to increase intensity.

Japonesque 213 and 211 look very similar in the picture but 213 is way bigger than 211. Both of them have the same "flatness" and are made of sable. They are even stiffer than MAC 239, but they are not scratchy at all. They are my absolute staples. 213 is great for applying color all over the lid and packing on colors; 211 is good for apply highlighter in inner corners, layer eyeshadow over eyeliner or whatever detailed work you want to do.

MAC 228 is another small brush in my collection. The bristles isn't as soft as Japonesque 211 and I usually just use it as a smudge brush.

MAC 242 resembles Japonesque 213 but it is not as flat as 213. It is also made of synthetic material and doesn't pick up powder as well as 213. Though it is made as an eyeshadow brush, I now use it mainly as undereye concealer brush.