On Sunday, I opened an Ulta email to find this IT Cosmetics Star Foundation brush.
First, let us deviate for a piece of personal trivia. Some people like hearts and heart motifs. Some people like polka dots. I, however, am partial to stars. I don’t necessarily want to wear them (okay, in pajamas I do), but I find them cute and enjoy looking at them.
80% of the time I am in a store (wait…what are stores? Do you remember stores? Pepperidge Farm remembers.), when I go, “Oh! That’s cute,” I’m reacting to something silly with stars on it. A mask? A lampshade? A throw blanket? 3-ring binder? As the trendier youth would say, “Fuck me up, fam.”
…so, all of that to say the IT Cosmetics Star Foundation Brush fully, unapologetically triggered my, “AHH, cute!” reflex. The bristles! The ferrule! the print on the handle!
–but, don’t worry; I didn’t hit my head. It also triggered my, “You guys serious?” one.
Cute Isn’t Enough to Drink the Kool-Aid
Remember, ladies – just because something is cute doesn’t mean it is even remotely practical. It also doesn’t mean it is inherently useless, so hear me out.
Detracting Elements
Applying foundation with this would probably work, sure. My fingers also work, but there are reasons I don’t use them. The IT Cosmetics Star Foundation Brush will not work better than a more conventionally shaped flat-top buffer brush (like this one from their own line). The angles of the points of the star aren’t necessarily going to move around the contours of your face well, and I suspect they may be prone to streaks that must be blended out (spoilers: reviews confirm my suspicion.
The IT Cosmetics Star Foundation Brush’s custom ferrule was probably quite expensive to tool and produce. This cost is absolutely passed on with the product in one way or the other. One way, the product is of comparable quality and costs slightly more than their usual line (but not so much that it is jarring). The other, the product is of poorer construction (like many limited edition or holiday kit tools are) and priced about the same as the usual line to realize more profit.
Piggybacking on that, I don’t know whether it will hold up well with time and care. Don’t take my word for it; read the reviews. It’s a new release with only five reviews by the time I wrote this but there is already a review decrying its flimsiness.
Try This Instead
I have a few different flat-top buffers I use these days. In a similar price-point, you can’t go wrong with a Sigma F-80 ($25; and if you want cutesy vibes, there’s a holographic pink one, too ). I’ve written about it before; it’s among my most expensive brushes aside from my MAC brushes, but it is a workhorse. The second one I have ever owned is still going like a champ; I recommend.
For more cost-effective solutions, Coastal Scents makes a good one (wrote about it in my Elite Set Review), and while I didn’t LOVE the brushes from this cheap Amazon set, the flat top buffers in it are still doing a nice job with my Missha BB Cream.
The Bottom Line
If you’re comfortable with throwing out $30 on a vanity decoration, knock yourself out. If I could get it for $5, I’d consider it because it sparks impractical joy.