EcoTools Four Piece Beautiful Complexion Set - A Review For My Pure*

It's done, it's dusted and it's over with for another year. I hope you all had a fabulous Christmas I know I did, the highlight was spending time with my family - it's been a tough year and I'm eternally grateful that we we're all here to celebrate together x It goes without saying that I also got lots of lovely pressies and I am going to try and post a few what I got for Christmas videos, but thanks to a video camera meltdown, you might have to wait a few days for them never the less though I was truly spoilt and I'm so blessed to have such amazing friends and such a generous, loving family.

I got lots of lovely beauty goodies this year but something that I didn't get were make up brushes. I love my brushes but this year instead of asking for some as presents, I decided to treat myself to some new ones for one of December's My Pure reviews.

Thanks to My Pure, over the last 18 months or so EcoTools have probably became one of my favourite cosmetic brush brands, and for someone who has many brushes as I do that's definitely saying something  Created by actress and philanthropist Alicia Silverstone, the EcoTools range, is a range of ethical, and cruelty free make up brushes, and beauty accessories that do exactly what they promise. I've tried quite a few of their make up brushes now but for this festive review I thought I'd pick a set that would make a perfect gift either for yourself or for someone else, no matter what the season or the occasion.

The EcoTools 4 Piece Beautiful Complexion Set comes boxed in the familiar card, and acetate packaging that we're so used to but this set comes with a bit of a twist that makes it perfect for gifting 

Simply turn the box over and you're greeted with a ribbon and full, and easy instruction on how to turn the basic box, into a gift wrapped masterpiece, without the need for scissors, sticky tape, or wrapping paper, and there is even a space to write to and from - perfect for wrapping phobics like me!

Whilst the packaging does look a bit like stars and snowflakes, I think that this set could be gifted  ll year round. As nice as it is though, it's all about what's inside though and being EcoTools, it certainly doesn't disappoint.

The box contains 4 full sized complexion brushes. Each brush has the familiar bamboo handle, soft, synthetic, cruelty free bristles and a recycled aluminium ferrule. Some of the ferrules in the EcoTools, range are in a plain silver or copper tone but these ones are beautifully decorated with a turquoise, blue and yellow honeycomb and leaf design. The four brushes are designed to help you create that perfect, flawless face, and to do that you get a Mattifying Finish Brush, a Skin Perfecting Brush, an Eye Perfecting Brush and a Correcting Concealer Brush.

Mattifying Finish Brush

Despite the fact that it goes in and out of popularity, I love face powder. I have very shiny, (okay oily!) skin and I need a bit of powder to give that camera ready smooth finish. I love a nice, big powder brush and that's exactly what this is.

The natural coloured bristles seem to almost absorb the excess oil, and the softness of the bristles leave a silky, almost airbrushed dusting of powder. This is definitely a full face brush so if you just use a bit of powder say on your t-zone, then you'll need to use a lighter hand but if you use powder all over or if your using a mineral or powder foundation then this brush is ideal.

Skin Perfecting Brush 

The Skin Perfecting Brush is basically your base brush. Appearance wise it reminds me a lot of the similarly named Skin Perfecting BB/CC Brush (read my review here), It's almost identical but this one is probably just a touch fluffier.

It has the same angled head and it has exactly the same purpose. It's designed specifically to apply BB,and CC creams and tinted moisturisers but I've also used it to apply a light, liquid foundations.

It does the job, it blends nicely without too much streaking, and it's soft against the skin but it's firm enough to get in all of those tricky areas, around the mouth and the nose.I've used the other Skin Perfecting brush almost constantly since I got it and this is very, very similar, so I'm a very happy bunny to have a spare.

Eye Perfecting Brush

This brush is an interesting one and I have to  be honest and say I have nothing else like it in my collection. The Eye Perfecting Brush is specifically designed for applying under eye concealer. Normally I either use the brush provided with the product, my fingers or a normal flat concealer brush but this is something quite different.

This brush has quite a large, almost domed head. Initially I was sceptical, but the shape, and the feel of the bristles and the overall firmness of the brush, mean that it fits the contours of the eye perfectly, allowing full coverage,  and gentle blending, without dragging, leaving an almost airbrushed finish. I still like using my fingers but this is almost as good, and probably a bit more hygienic.

Correcting Concealer Brush

The final brush in the kit, is another unusual one and something else that I don't have in my collection. Yes I have plenty of concealer brushes but they either have a rounded or flat tip, this again is something completely different to me.

It has short, almost stubby bristles, and a slightly domed tip. The bristles are soft but again it has a firm feel. The shape of the brush enables you to place the concealer exactly where you need it, and the texture and shape of the brush allow for easy, blending and coverage exactly where you need it.

This brush has really surprised me and over the last couple of weeks it's been my go to concealer brush. I don't use a lot of concealer but the festive excesses are playing havoc with my skin, and I've used this brush an awful lot, and I've been really impressed with how it's performed with a wide variety of different textured concealers. This brush is now my go to concealer brush x 

Yet again EcoTools have come up trumps, this kit contains a selection of good quality brushes that do exactly what they say they do. The brushes are soft to the touch, yet firm enough to the do the job, and despite being used with liquid products, they are really easy to wash, with minimal shedding. This kit is ideal for creating the perfect, flawless base, and although I've already mentioned this quite a lot, some of the brushes really do create an almost airbrushed finish. I think that this kit would be ideal for either a make up beginner or for a make obsessive like me, it contains a good assortment of brushes and a few unusual ones that would be a welcome addition to any brush collection.

If you want to treat yourself or someone else, The EcoTools Four Piece Beautiful Complexion Set retails at £19.99 from My Pure. If you have any questions please let me know xx

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