Hi everybody,
Recently, the lovely Franchesca sent me her newest
premium small dual fiber brush and I was elated. Being a fan of her
Ingenue sleek dual fiber brush, I was even more than happy to learn that the premium dual fiber brush is made of 100% fiber. Yes, both the black and white bristles are synthetic. And boy oh boy, isn't this brush soft!
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| Adorned with Grace Minerals Premium Small Dual Fiber Brush ($16.99 USD) |
Unlike the Ingenue sleek brush, this brush arrived in a brush guard and plastic pouch, which is a nice touch. The handle is made of wood and painted black, giving you a sturdy grip.
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| (L-R): New Hampshire state quarter, Ingenue sleek dual fiber brush and Premium small dual fiber brush |
From the above picture, the diameter of this brush's head is more or less the size of a quarter, leaning toward less. Also, it looks like there are less white bristles in the premium brush. However, if you compare the firmness between the two brushes, this new brush is a lot firmer, which makes it a better choice to apply creme blushes.
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| Body shot: Ingenue sleek dual fiber brush (top) and Premium small dual fiber brush (bottom) |
Length-wise, the premium small dual fiber brush is a bit longer. As mentioned earlier, the handle is made of wood. When I touched it, I have a feeling of touching an actual MAC brush. I compared with my
MAC 168 brush and yes, the handle has the same grainy texture. This is one sturdy brush that you can bang on the counter top if you want to (although I highly not recommend to do so!)
Also, notice the black bristles come up a bit higher in the premium brush than in the Ingenue brush. This tiny detail makes this brush a lot less floppy than the Ingenue one. I guess some other companies *cough EDM cough* should have studied the real 187/188 brushes more carefully before making theirs. A floppy dual fiber brush is a failed brush. In this case, the Premium small dual fiber brush passed with flying color!
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| Close up at the brush heads, old brush on the left, new one on the right |
You can see the stain on the white bristles of the Ingenue brush in the above picture. Although I've washed it more than 10 times, the black bristles still bleed out some dark colors. The premium brush, on the other hand, does not bleed or even shed a hair.
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| Density comparison |
Yes, the new brush is less dense. However, I find it to be a better brush when it comes to applying creme blushes. It picks up creme blush and blends it better, compared to the Ingenue one. Also, when I applied mineral powder blushes with it, this brush blends a lot better.
When I washed it, I find materials coming out of the white bristles faster and easier than in the Ingenue brush. The Ingenue brush, while is a good brush, has a nasty habit of retaining colors. To properly remove everything, I have to wash and re-wash it. For this brush, wash once and I'm done.
For drying time, the Ingenue seemed to dry faster at first. However, at subsequent washes, they dried at about the same rate. After the first wash, the Ingenue had a gluey smell that's not really obnoxious but quite annoying. After the second wash, the smell was almost undetectable.
To conclude, the Premium dual fiber brush is an excellent dupe of MAC 188 dual fibre brush. This brush makes blush application easy for both creme and powder blushes. It does not shed or bleed but dries fast. It is one sturdy brush and a good (and affordable) alternative to MAC 188. If you want a cruelty-free small fiber optic brush for your blushes, I highly recommend this one.
And now, a disclaimer for FTC
et. al.: I received this brush from Franchesca as a gift and possibly as a result of my whining about how the Ingenue sleek dual fiber brush bleeds. I love this brush and I think it is a step above the Ingenue sleek. For more information regarding My Makeup Blog's disclaimer policy,
click here.
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