Thursday, April 8, 2010

Enkore Makeup HD Stipple & Swirl Brush Review

 Koren Zander
If you don't already know who Koren of EnkoreMakeup is then you better hurry up and check him out on YouTube!  He's one of the top Beauty Guru's on YouTube's How To & Style Category with over 87,000 subscribers to his channel.  He's also #48 on YouTube's most subscribed (All Time) Guru's.  If you're a regular watcher of Koren, then you'll know that he has his own online store.  He has handcrafted makeup brushrolls and he even has his own makeup and makeup brush line which are available on his website.  He's full of so many beauty tips and creative ideas that it will leave you wanting more videos from him.  He recently made a new channel featuring his arch nemesis Enkorinne.  Be sure to check her out on YouTube as well!

Because I like Koren so much, last December I decided to buy the HD Stipple and Swirl from his brush line.  This brush was designed to be like that of the MAC 109 and MAC 187 put together.  I was so excited to get this brush but when it arrived and I tested it out I was quite disappointed with the quality of the brush as it had horrible shedding.  It would shed when I washed it and it would shed on my face while I applied my foundation.  And I'm not talking about 3 or 4 little hairs.  This was like at least 10-15 hairs.  The hairs looked like tiny fine cut hairs which reminded me of facial hairs right after your husband/boyfriend shaves.  I had to let Koren know about my concerns so I emailed and DM's him on his Twitter.  He was very quick to respond and said he would contact the manufacturer regarding this matter.  I was then informed that the little hairs were probably due to the fact that the black hairs were laser cut and they had probably not vacuumed all the hairs out.  My brush was shedding so bad that I could no longer put it use.  I told Koren how sad I was about it and he took action and had the manufacturer re-produce a new brush that would have a crimped ferrule which would help with the brush not shed too much.  To my surprise he would send me a new brush FREE of charge!

I received my new brush in the mail the following month and in the beginning I noticed major shedding again!  I was told that this would go away with a couple of washes and uses.  So I decided to give this brush a chance.  And Koren was right!  After a few weeks my brush is no longer shedding and the results of liquid foundation application with this brush are flawless.  I not only use this brush for foundation but for multiple uses as well.  It can be used for liquid foundation, blush, contouring and highlighting.  This brush is much better than the first as it is more dense.  This is a great brush if you're looking to have that flawless airbrushed finish.  If you already own a great brush that delivers great and flawless results and you like it then I'd say this isn't a brush that you don't necessarily need to have.  But if you're a brush freak like myself then you'll definately want one of these in your collection!

Here are some pictures of both brushes and how they compare.
Top: 1st brush
 Bottom: 2nd brush
Top: 1st Brush
Bottom: 2nd Brush
Left: 2nd Brush
Right: 1st Brush
Left: 2nd Brush
Right: 1st Brush


Do you own any of Koren's brushes?  What's your opinion?  Feel free to comment below.

4 comments:

  1. Great review.
    I've been wanting to try out his brushes for a while. Was the shipping reasonable?

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  2. I think shipping to Canada is like $14 flat rate? I think...check out his site to be sure.

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  3. Hi, I was looking into buying this stipple and swirl brush vs. the mac 188 brush. Could you tell me how they compare to in size and if the S&S brush still sheds? How are you like it now? :) Thanks in advance!

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  4. Hi Michell...so be honest I don't own the MAC 188. I have the Sigma 188. Compared to the Sigma one which is known to be just like the MAC 188 Koren's brush is very different as it has a rounded tip. The application is very different in that Koren's blends more flawlessly. After much use my brush no longer sheds. Hope this helps!

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