Weekly Beauty Challenge Mini Series: Challenge #1

Lately I feel like I am stuck in a rut of using the same beauty products/brushes. Like most people, I get used to things that work for me but tend to neglect other products/brushes in my collection. In an attempt to break out of this rut, I had the idea of doing a mini series of beauty challenges on my blog. Hopefully these challenges will help me to explore other makeup items/brushes and find ways to make products work for me that have not in the past.

Weekly Beauty Challenge #1: Brush Set Challenge

For this week, I am challenging myself to use only the Kirkland Signature 8 Piece Luxury Collection brush set when applying my makeup. Challenge accepted! (Any How I Met Your Mother Fans out there?)  My hubby gave me this set as a holiday gift. The set is comprised of a powder brush, a finishing brush, angled cheek brush, foundation brush, allover eye brush, all-purpose eye brush, crease brush, and a dual ended angled liner/spoolie.

I did make an exception by adding two additional brushes, an e.l.f. Angled Bronzing Brush which I use for contouring and a retractable brush that I use for blending. I think this is fair because contouring is a vital part of my routine and blending is essential to any makeup look/application process. The Kirkland set does not have, in my opinion, brushes that serve either of these functions.

At the end of the week, I will post an update to let you know how the challenge went. So check back! :) I'd love suggestions on future challenges as well! Please leave a comment below. 

Update: It's been a week of using the Kirkland brush set and I think it went pretty well. It was definitely challenging not to reach for other brushes but I found some real standouts in this set.

 The All Purpose Eye brush was a dream and slightly larger and fluffier than the e.l.f. eyeshadow brush. It packed on shadow with the same ease and was ok to start the blending process. The Angled Liner/Spoolie was great for gel liner and tidying up my brows. The Dual Fiber Crease brush was intimidating at first but worked really great to create a defined crease which with my eyes is tricky! The All Over Eye brush was too large to use for my smaller eyes but I ended up using it to highlight and set smaller areas with powder. I really loved using the Angled Cheek brush to apply blush. I only reached for my e.l.f. Angled Bronzing Brush once to contour with.

The Finishing brush which can be used with liquid or powder foundation was such a disappointment. I was hoping it would be a dupe for the UD Good Karma brush which retails for $24. WRONG! The bristles are too loosely packed and the hairs shed. I never even used the Foundation brush because I'm simply not a huge fan of paddle shaped foundation brushes. The Powder brush was mediocre at best and I much prefer my other powder brushes to the one found in the set. 

I do like this brush set and I think it has a brush for almost (It lacks a good blending brush.) every makeup need. Plus there are a few multipurpose brushes and a sleek travel/storage case. For the price, I think it is nice quality and is a great set for beginners or as an add on set for more established makeup mavens.