Crown Brush – a review

>I’ve seen good reviews for Crown Brush for a long time, and as a frugal person, I admire the low price point.  However, I was swayed by the great reviews for MAC brushes and the phrase, “Your brushes are an investment.”  So many times I almost bought several of the most popular MAC brushes, but the idea of plunking down that much cash when there might be a better alternative was just too much for me.

Finally, I decided to just give Crown Brush a try.  The minimum site order is $25, so if I ordered and hated them, I’d only be out the price of one MAC brush.  I perused the site on Tuesday and loaded my cart.

The Website

The brushes are divided by line.  There are single brushes as well as full kits.  I considered one of the kits, but decided to go for single brushes so I could get exactly what I wanted without any extra clutter.  I chose brushes from the Italian Badger line and the Luna series, as these had the best reviews on beauty blogs.  The site itself doesn’t carry reviews.  I chose mainly eye brushes, although I also got a kabuki, a dual-fiber powder brush, a concealer brush, and an angled brush for contouring.

The Ordering Process

I had read countless reviews that mentioned after submitting the order, someone from Crown would call back to get the credit card information.  I processed my cart and grabbed the phone.  Just a few minutes later, a Paypal invoice was delivered to my inbox.  I paid, and that was that.  No phone call.  No long wait.  Easy peasy.

Shipping

I have to sing the praises of Crown Brush.  I ordered at just before noon on Tuesday.  The package was delivered at 4:30pm on Wednesday.  I did not pay for any sort of rush shipping.  I paid only $7 for shipping at the height of the Christmas rush, and my package arrived the next day.  I am so, so impressed.

The Product

I ordered a total of 13 brushes.  4 are from the Luna series, and the rest are from the Italian Badger line.  The brushes are remarkably consistent in quality, with the exception of the badger kabuki.  The brushes are incredibly soft and well-crafted.  All the brushes held their shape after being both spot-cleaned and deep-cleaned. 

The IB and Luna brushes are lovely.  The IB handles are varnished wood with silver ferrules and the Luna handles are black plastic with black ferrules.  Both lines look and feel much more expensive than they actually are, although I do prefer the feel of the IB brushes a bit more.  The quality of both lines surpass other brushes I’ve used.  In the feel of the bristles on the skin, these are comparable to Ecotools brushes, which I like quite a lot, but the larger selection and the ability to chose the brushes individually for the shape one needs gives Crown an edge.  (Honestly, I hated the Ecotools crease brush, which was shaped identically to the flat concealer brush. What?  But other than that, Ecotools is pretty darn nifty.)

The only brush I wasn’t thrilled with was the kabuki.  It isn’t as soft as I was hoping, especially compared to the remarkable softness of the other badger brushes.  There is also a bit of glue on the bristles near the handle.  However, I can’t fault the finish that the kabuki gives.  My mineral foundation looks almost airbrushed.  The Everyday Minerals kabuki I’ve used for years is much softer but it doesn’t give as nice of a finish, so I’ve found myself going back to the Crown kabuki.  Since it works so well, I can’t say I’m disappointed, but I do wish it had been crafted as well as the other brushes.

I see no reason to pay the high prices for the MAC brushes now that I’ve used Crown brushes.  The quality of the Crown brushes are superior to the MAC SE brushes I’ve used, and similar to the MAC eye brushes I’ve used in the past.

The brushes I received are:

IB402 Italian Badger Kabuki
IB106 Italian Badger Angle Blush
The perfect contouring brush.  I also use this for highlighting.
IB110 Italian Badger Mini Oval Smudger
This is great for highlighting the inner eye corners, since it’s a little softer and wider than the BK16.
IB111 Italian Badger Round Angle Stippler Blender
I’m not sure about it being a stippler blender, but it is an amazing angle blender. 
IB116 Italian Badger Round Tapered Crease 
This is a great narrow crease brush and works well for the outer vee or adding a dramatic dark shade for depth.
IB119 Italian Badger Deluxe Crease
This might be tied with the IB108 for my favorite eye brush.  Doing the crease is so easy with this great rounded, long brush.
IB109 Italian Badger Chisel Fluff
I haven’t used this much yet, but it did blend out lines wonderfully.
IB108 Italian Badger Deluxe Oval Shadow
I’d call this one a must-have.  I’ve always used smaller shadow brushes because I have small lids, but this one is a perfect fit for my lids.  I got such a wonderfully precise application of lid color much quicker than usual.
IB114 Italian Badger Oval Camouflage
The stiffer bristles of this brush made applying my undereye concealer so easy.

BK5 Luna Dual Length Powder 
This looks similar to the MAC 187 but it isn’t stiff enough for stippling.   I LOVE this for blush because it gives me a sheer wash of even the most pigmented color.  As a pale person, this is a must-have.
BK14 Luna Deluxe Oval Shadow 
I prefer the IB114 Deluxe Oval Shadow for lid color, but this one is great for the browbone.
BK15 Luna Large Chisel Brush 
I bought this one for highlighting the browbone but like the smaller BK14 a little better for my smaller eyes while doing a more elaborate eye.  This one is great, however, for the days where I’m doing quick makeup and just want to cover the whole area between the crease and eyebrow with a sheer color.
BK16 Luna Chisel Mini Smudger
I prefer this one for under my lower lashes.  It’s slightly stiffer than the IB110 so I can smudge my eyeliner while applying a bit of shadow at the same time.

Pictures will follow when my camera gets charged.

In Conclusion

I ordered 13 brushes for a grand total, including $7.00 shipping, of $58.14.  The priciest brushes were the IB204 Kabuki ($8.99), IB106 Angle Blush ($7.09), and the BK5 Dual Length Powder ($7.63).  I would recommend all of the brushes wholeheartedly, except the kabuki, about which I’m still on the fence.  I’m already planning out a second order of Crown brushes for after the holidays.