New EcoTools Brush: The cheap duo fiber brush of your dreams!

Hi y'all! I've gone back to school and it is hectic hectic hectic! So I'll limit my postings to the weekends.

This post has been a long one in the making, since I have been eagerly awaiting the arrival of EcoTools' 2011 release of their new Kabuki Finishing Brush! It all started when I read Gianna's post about upcoming EcoTools' brushes. None of the descriptions really intrigued me, except for one. 

"The bamboo Finishing Kabuki ($6.99), which has varying hair lengths to provide a sheer, delicate finish that is soft on skin" -drugstorenews.com

To be honest, I was mostly interested because I had no idea what they meant! I did some googling to find a picture to give me a better idea.

I came across an old eBay auction and saw this: 

I think my feelings when I found this were comparable to a schoolgirl meeting the Beatles.

I promptly freaked out because I knew that what EcoTools was releasing was a new duo fiber brush and if there's one thing that catches attention fast in the makeup world, it's a cheap dupe of MAC's infamous duo fibre brush.

So I've been waiting impatiently since late last year for this brush to pop up in stores. Flash forward to last night. My bf and I went to dinner in SF and we took a walk after. He let me pop into Walgreens (because he loves and know me well, lol) to check for the wet N wild 8-pan palettes. No luck yet, and we were just about to leave, when I glanced over at the EcoTools rack and saw it. 

I was giddy and knew I wouldn't leave the store without it. I picked it up for $7.29, which is $.30 more than their listed retail price (yes, I care about that). The local Walgreens in my area always jack up cosmetic prices by about $.30. Boo! But I couldn't resist buying it!

Look at that sexy, sleek handle! The look of the brush seems to be inspired by old fashioned men's shaving brushes. Its design fits comfortably in your hand. It's such a departure from the normal EcoTools brush handle. But I think funky brush handles are EcoTools' sign of an awesome brush, exhibit A: the beloved Bronzer Brush?

This is not the first time that the company has released a duo fiber brush. The first time they did so was the Finishing Brush in the Alicia Silverstone Brush Set. EcoTools is pretty good at giving the consumers what they want. They restocked the previously limited edition Alicia Silverstone brushes due to high demand and now they're giving us another duo fiber brush. And this definitely feels like an improvement from their first brush.

Owning both, I'll compare the old and new one side-by-side. 

To start off, both brushes are typical EcoTools brushes, as in angel soft bristles and minimal shedding. But the duo fiber brushes tend to shed a little more, as in one fiber bristle once every few uses instead of the typical no shedding as found in the other brushes. Still great quality!

(L-R): Finishing Brush from the Alicia Silverstone collection, Kabuki Finishing Brush

The new Kabuki brush is definitely larger, twice the size of the Alicia brush. This means you could apply product to larger areas at a time. The brushes feel about equally dense, so the floppy-ness is about the same in each brush. Maybe the Kabuki brush is slightly stiffer, but not by much.

(L-R): Alicia brush, Kabuki brush

As for fiber length, the Alicia brush has longer fibers, about .5cm longer than the Kabuki Finishing Brush.

(L-R): Alicia brush, Kabuki brush

The two brushes also vary in fiber distribution. The Alicia brush has concentrated clusters of fibers which are more sparsely distributed, whereas the new Kabuki brush don't have the concentrated clusters and the fibers are densely and uniformly distributed throughout. 

(L-R) Alicia brush, Kabuki brush, Bronzer brush

It is a noticeably shorter brush, shorter than the regular length from EcoTools and even shorter than the Bronzer brush. The shorter length allows you more control and ease of use when you have to buff out something.

All in all, I think the new changes make for a good stippling brush for foundation, whereas the older Alicia brush is better suited for applying pigmented blushes. I am not sure how it compares to the MAC brush, since I don't own one. But I'm sure we'll see some comparisons pop up soon! 

Despite my grumbling, the price is also an improvement. Instead of paying at least $15.99 for the Alicia Silverstone set just to own the finishing brush, you could have a improved version for $6.99! 


How do you feel about the new Kabuki Finishing Brush? Own one already? Or interested in picking one up? Your thoughts!