During IMATS LA, I could not resist making a stop at Elessa Jade (aka Pursebuzz)’s booth. As a longtime Pursebuzz fan, I was excited to see all the fun, sparkly jewelry and accessories there. However, it was the 13pc Sweet Temptations brush set with traveling brush holder that immediately caught my attention. So I purchased a set to test out.
What Comes In The Set?
All the brushes in the set are synthetic and cruelty-free. So they can be used with both powder and cream products. The set comes with the following brushes:
The Good
The selection of brushes in this set is definitely appreciated. There an equal amount of face brushes to eyes and lips brushes. Here’s some of the high points:
- Design: All the brushes have black handles with ‘Elessa Jade for Pursebuzz’ logo on them. Let’s not forget the cute cupcake bow graphic on them. The lightness of these brushes make it easy to maneuver them. But, the best part is the travel-friendly brush cup holder. It’s in a sleek, black color (with pink stitching), and adds a little chic to my vanity.
- Quality: These brushes are incredibly soft, so it doesn’t feel like your scratching your face. There is minimum shedding on these brushes, which is always a concern of mine. But after testing them with various products and washing them twice, they’ve held up quite well.
- Performance: For the price, these brushes are great. They really do what they’re meant to do, whether it’s packing on an eyeshadow or powdering the face with a powder. Plus the softness of the bristles really make application and blending a breeze.
- Price: I purchased my set for $20 at IMATS LA, so not quite sure if it was a special price for the trade show. However, the set was originally $69.99 on elessajade.com. Now if you make the calculations, it comes out to roughly $5.60 per brush, not including the brush cup holder.
The Bad
- Design: While I love how sleek the brushes look, the lack of a name on each of them is a definitely a negative. If you happened to be new to makeup brushes, you might not necessarily know a powder brush from a buffer brush. So having the function of each brush on the handle is helpful.
- Quality: The pointed pencil brush was the dud of the collection. When compared to the Sigma E30 or the MAC 219, the bristles on this are too dense. What’s bad about this is that it tugs on the eye area a bit. And as much as I wanted to love this brush, I cannot get pass the stiffness.
Overall
As a makeup brush collector, I’m always on the hunt for new brushes. The 13pc Sweet Temptations brush set is definitely a great find. Not only is a budget friendly set, but actually performs extremely well. I love how well my makeup looks after using these brushes. This set would be a a great gift for someone new to makeup or simply for a beauty enthusiast on the hunt to try something new. And with the wide range of brushes in this collection, there’s a great palette to work with here.
Rating: 
