Beauty on a Budget - PRIMARK's PS Flawless Finish (Oval) Contour Brush Review

I picked this up on my recent Primark Haul and I've been putting it to the test. The oval brush has been quite popular from the $55 Artis Brush to the hundreds of dupes floating around the internet. Since I don't have anything else to compare it with, my main goal while testing is whether an oval brush is something that adds value to my collection.

I actually came across this brush by accident while searching for Primark Cosmetics recommendation. I didn't end up purchasing any cosmetics at Primark because I couldn't handle the scent. The brushes however were very tempting. They all have these rose gold handles and it was very difficult to just pick one.

I have been looking at different oval brush options but I wasn't sure if I wanted to try one of the black handle oval brushes on Amazon/Ebay or from more familiar brands like EtudeHouse My Beauty Tool Secret Brush 121 or Missha Artistool Foundation Brush #101. In the end since I was at Primark and was able to get a feel of the brush (and it was only $4.50) I went ahead and got it.

If you are interested in obtaining the PS oval brush to compare to the Artis Brush I would say size wise it's the closest to Oval 6. On the Artis Brush website the Oval 6 is meant for "contouring" and "foundation in select areas" which is what this brush is good for.

The Application

To test the brush and coverage I tested it with different foundation base formulas from super sheer bb/cc creams to heavy duty foundation. I found that this is best with heavier foundation formula. I don't think this is something I would use with a sheer to light foundation or BB/CC cream.

The time it takes to blend is a little longer than using a beauty blender or a buffing brush. The surface area of this brush is really not that much  different compared to the Real Technique buffing brush. For some reason it feels like I'm applying more effort and it took me slightly longer to blend everything out.

I do feel that the finish of the heavier foundation is much better than using the buffing brush. Since the bristles are so much more compact it gave a flawless (and I mean FLAWLESS) finish. Especially around my nose and mouth where foundation tends to get bunched up but I didn't have that problem with the PS brush.

The only negative thing I have to say about this brush is the handle. The middle part of the handle especially feels very flimsy as if it might break at some point if I exert to much pressure but again at $4.50 can I really complain?

For contour I used the e.l.f. cream contour palette and it worked really well. This is definitely the right size brush for contouring but it didn't work well with any of my powder bronzers. The same with highlighters, worked well with cream and liquid highlighters but not powder.

If you are near a PRIMARK and want to try it out, I can't recommend it enough. I'm surprised that e.l.f. hasn't come out with a dupe since they're pretty fast in churning up dupe brushes. I think I might be persuaded into buying a larger oval brush so if you have any recommendations of ones you like do let me know below.

Until next time,