REVIEW: EcoTools Six Piece Starter Set

L to R: Lash and Brow Comb, Eye shading brush, concealer brush, angled eyeliner brush, blush brush. Underneath: makeup bag.

Name: Six Piece Starter Set by EcoTools (5 brushes, 1 makeup bag)

Price: Purchased for £9.99 instore at TK Maxx (RRP: £15.99)

Quick Review: Good quality brushes. Some duds in the brushes (concealer, eye shading) and some scratchiness in the blush brush, but they all hold up from use and washing. A good, if incomplete beginner set.

Ingredients/Materials List:

Brushes: (bristles) Synthetic Taklon, (ferrule) recycled aluminium, (handle) bamboo.

Bag: Hemp cotton.

Full Review:

First of all, I think it's really cheeky to market it as a Six-Piece Starter Set. At a glance the average person will think you mean you're getting six brushes but it's actually five brushes and a bag. I know the key is six pieces, but you know we know what you're doing and that's tarting something up more than what it is. 

Moving on,

What you get:

• Makeup bag (cotton + plastic) with a zipper and a buttoned up back pocket. 
• Blush brush
• Concealer brush
• Eye shading brush
• Angled eyeliner brush
• Brow & Lash Comb

 The brushes are just beautiful, I love the rose gold detailing and the aesthetic very much follows the 'close to nature' image EcoTools is curating for their brand with the smooth wooden handles and brown colours for the bristles. The brushes feel nice in the hand, and a good weight and balance to them. 

The makeup bag has been extremely useful for travelling - I've used it to store makeup when travelling and the only thing I can't fit are palettes and some compacts. Careful if you're packing the brushes close to the zipper because the bristles may be caught by the zipper. 

This purchase was my first makeup brushes, so this review is in the perspective of someone who used these as "Baby's First Brushes." I'm still developing my brush skills, and I don't have others for comparison.

I've had them over the year, and out of the five I like the blush brush, angled eyeliner brush, and brow & lash comb. The duds for me are the concealer and eye shading brush. 

L to R: Blush, concealer, eye shading, angled eyeliner, lash & brow.

Blush Brush: A lovely size, soft and thickly packed without being too dense. It picks up and places product well, and diffuses product without much trouble. It's also held up well from multiple washes, I never experienced any shedding, and only had a few stray bristles bend away from the brush shape. However, some of the tips of the bristles are quite scratchy, and that's just getting more irritating the more I use it. So when I can afford it, I will upgrade to a better brush of the same shape and size. 

Angled Eyeliner Brush: A dense, moderately stiff brush with a edge. Adequate for filling in brows (but I had a much better time with a Real Techniques Brow Brush) and good for lining eyes. I could never line my eyes really thinly, but that may be a skill thing.

L to R: Eye shading, concealer, angled eyeliner, lash & brow, blush

Brow & Lash Comb: I don't use the lash comb, so can't comment. The brow bit is made of stiff plastic, like hard long toothbrush bristles. Brushing out with the brow comb helped remove excess brow powder and blend away harsh lines, and I found it useful. However I've started using a spoolie (cleaned up mascara brush) and that works just as well. 

Concealer Brush: Densely packed with long bristles, the brush is still pretty pliable. As I only have cream concealers at the time, applying with the brush is a nightmare. It picks up product fine, but I have trouble trying to deposit the concealer on my skin and making it stick. In addition, I end up with a streaky and cakey application. Applying with my fingers gets me better results, but I think it's because the concealer benefits from a little warming up first. Lastly, the brush is a nightmare to wash by hand because it's so densely packed.

Eye Shading Brush: This is shaped similarly to the concealer brush, and it's terrible for blending. Densely packed, it's quite stiff and I can really only use it to pack eyeshadow on my eye. I don't really have a use for this brush unless I want some precise shadow placement on my lids, with another brush on hand to blend. 

Verdict: With only 1 brush used without complaints, 1 brush that I will use before I upgrade and 3 duds, save your money (especially in the UK where the set's retail price is quite high) and look for another set elsewhere.