Since the world’s first beauty fanatic triumphantly shouted, “Eureka!” while thrusting her makeup brush into the air, faces and makeup bags everywhere have been plagued by boring brushes and stiff bristles.
For (what seemed like) millennia, brushes with boring black handles and scratchy bristles bothered beauty lovers, who dreamed of living life more colorfully, and comfortably, with brushes like the ones in the new $38 five-piece Sephora IZAK Brush Set.
Not only are the foundation, powder, eyeshadow, brow and liner brushes in this new limited edition holiday set super soft, they’re also quite sassy.
And the source of that sass? New York-based French illustrator Izak Zenou, who’s worked with some of the biggest names in beauty and fashion, including Chanel, Henri Bendel and Laura Mercier.
I love his illustrations and the work he’s done here. The black, white and hot pink brushes in the set, and the illustrated gal gracing the accompanying zippered pouch, are so glam yet oddly approachable…
The illustrated girl on the front looks like she’d be fun to hang out with — chic and totally down to earth. I bet she wouldn’t judge me if I showed up to our lunch date with two-tone matte lips and cat fur stuck to my suede ankle boots.
Sephora has been on FIRE this year with their gift sets, and I really like this one, too. You get the basics — a powder brush, a flat-top foundation brush, a flat eyeshadow brush, a bent liner brush, and a brush for your lashes and brows. The handles feel sturdy in my hands, and the brush heads feel soft against my skin.
Picture them sitting stylishly on your bathroom counter. 🙂
I do have one minor sticking point, and it has to do with water. When I wash the eyeshadow, foundation and powder brushes, the heads (which I believe are synthetic) retain a ton of water. If I don’t squeeze most of it out of them, they take forever to dry.
A minute ago, the set was marked as “sold out” online, but it might be worth tracking down at a store if you know someone who has makeup brushes on their gift list.
PRICE: $38
AVAILABILITY: Available now at Sephora stores and online at sephora.com (although they appear sold out for now)
MAKEUP AND BEAUTY BLOG RATING: A-
Your friendly neighborhood beauty addict,
Karen
bin du says
December 7th, 2012 at 6:02 pmkaren what type of hair are these brushes made from?
jenna says
December 7th, 2012 at 6:14 pmthe flat top brush looks pretty small, did you find it to be too small (compared to other flat top brushes) for foundation use?
Melissa says
December 7th, 2012 at 6:15 pmHaha. Your photos make this look way cuter than Sephora’s. (I love you Sephora- still the best store in the world). Too bad it’s sold out. It’s going on my Christmas list. Maybe Santa can work his magic and find a set for me?
Solangel says
December 7th, 2012 at 6:24 pmHave you tried the Pantone Luminous Brush Set? I’ve had my eye on that one since it has more brushes for 4$ less…I’ve been on the lookout for a nice, not-so-expensive brush set and that one seems the best to me, but this one is adorable! Is the powder brush too big, or do you think it would make a good blush brush?
Hazel says
December 7th, 2012 at 6:30 pmHow do these stack up against MAC Brushes? 🙂 I’ve been thinking about investing in good brushes lately and everyone always seems to say MAC.
Jolie says
December 7th, 2012 at 7:21 pmThose brushes are absolutely beautiful! They look really soft in the picture too. I usually shy away from things from Sephora since I find them to be unnecessarily expensive, but the $38 set averages at less than $7 a brush, which isn’t TOO bad.
Thanks for the post though; beautiful pictures 🙂
Renee | Beauty Fool says
December 7th, 2012 at 9:55 pmOMG cute! Love the girl illustration. Love the black and white brush handles and the overall look of them. Something fun to look at while applying your makeup; most brushes are just black and a little boring. 🙂 I wonder if this is an international release?
x Renee
Renee | Beauty Fool recently posted … Lately on Instagram #3
Marla says
December 8th, 2012 at 2:26 amThese brushes are so cute, just wonder how they compare to MAC. My MAC brushes are pretty darn good.
Jennifer says
December 8th, 2012 at 5:07 amThey are very cute for brushes!
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Kiss & Make-up says
December 8th, 2012 at 9:33 amSo pretty with the pink! I really don’t need any more brushes though, let alone a whole set… 🙂
Kiss & Make-up recently posted … Sephora wist list
Nina says
December 10th, 2012 at 9:05 amVery cute, and honestly, Sephora’s brushes have improved so much! I lovelove the ones I do have!
Shikha says
December 11th, 2012 at 10:32 pmOhhh,these are so lovely… I am eying them for quite some time, however these are not available in India. Neither Sephora ship them. 🙁
Karen says
December 12th, 2012 at 7:13 amAww, bummer!
mimi says
February 20th, 2013 at 8:42 pmI have them and they are super soft and cute. They not only add color to my brush set/vanity, they make me smile when i use them. I only wish they had more of them. Like they whole set. I would totally get them all. They are just as soft as sedona lace midnite lace pink and black bristle brushes. I have those as well and but the izak brushes are cuter.