Smashbox Beyond Beauty Brush Set

I stopped by Nordstrom Rack the other day on a hunt for jeans because I found a rip in the knee of my jeans. Although I didn't end up liking any of the Se7ens that I saw, I did walk away with this Smashbox brush set.

I don't particularly follow cruelty free brands (not saying that I would go out of my way to buy products that test on animals!), but I do try. I've always known Smashbox to be cruelty free with their products, and while I don't own any of their products besides their primer, I wanted to give their brushes a try.

This whole set ended up costing $40, although the retail is $84. In fact, it's still being sold on the Smashbox site. Given that it was Nordstrom Rack and half the packages had been opened, I took it as a opportunity to test out the brushes on my hand and omg they were so soft.

Power (top) and foundation (bottom)

The bristles on the powder brush are so ridiculously soft that I can't stop running it across my arms. It's larger in size than the MAC 129, but a tad smaller than the 150 (I don't own the 150, so I can't say for sure). The foundation brush is exactly like the MAC 190 foundation brush, so it's not really anything out of the ordinary.

Shadow, liner, concealer, and bullet-point

I found the eye brushes to be similar to most MAC brushes, which is not a surprise considering that they're industry standards. The four eye brushes are exclusive to this set, although most of the brushes on the Smashbox site looks similar enough. The shadow brush is similar to the MAC 239 ($24.50), and is great for basic eyeshadow application, as well as highlighting the browbone. The liner is perfect for use with gel liners, or even eyeshadow as a liner; it's very similar in shape to the MAC 212 ($21) brush. The concealer brush is great for cream or mineral concealer, and is similar to the MAC 194 ($18.50). Lastly, the bullet-point brush is an exact replica of the MAC 219 ($23), and is great for smudging along the lash line, defining the crease, or highlighting the inner tear duct.

So for a grand total of $40, you get $87 worth of eye brushes, and $74 of face brushes! Plus, the clear lucite handles are kind of cool. :)

I love the case that came with it, too. It's hard, so you won't run the risk of damaging anything that you put inside it, and the brush holders are actually hard plastic that snap the brush into place so you don't have to worry about your brushes not being secure while traveling. The downside is that there's very little leeway in the size of the handles since it's plastic and not elastic, but I think that'd only be an issue if you were to put non-set brushes into the holders.

(images courtesy of Specktra.net)

This promo for the MAC Holiday '08 collection has been leaked online. The collection is called Red She Said, and there's going to be brush sets, as well as three bags and palettes. Since red is my favorite color, I'm really looking forward to this! There's no information as of yet, but I'm sure Specktra will have all the news very soon.

And because MAC doesn't have quite enough collections, here are the upcoming collections out at the end of this month:

Time to start saving, right?

Brand: Smashbox, Brushes, Review

23 comments:

kayebee said...: That brush set looks DIVINE. I can't believe you got it for $40!!! Amazing deal.

I love MAC holiday collections. <3; May 6, 2008 5:23 AM
MakeupByRenRen said...: ohhhhh i love new makeup brushes...those look absolutely lovely!; May 6, 2008 7:27 AM
yummy411 said...: cool brush set!

ummm mac needs to realize that building the anticipation to early makes extremely high expectations that can fall hard!; May 6, 2008 7:34 AM
Gee said...: I wanted that Smashbox brush kit, except I didn't want to pay $84! Sheesh!! But $40 is a steal!!! Nice find~

The Holiday collection looks stellar!! Can't wait!; May 6, 2008 7:56 AM
ilurvemakeup said...: I remember wanting that Smashbox set when itsliz89 posted about it on ABB. The times I've been to my Nordies, they never had it :/ You so lucky you found one! :)

P.S. Sorry about spamming your reader LOL I've lost a couple of feedburner readers cuz of my constant blogging. I can't help it, I love blog whoring Enzil xD; May 6, 2008 8:40 AM
BeautyTalk said...: What a great deal on the brushes! My heart definitely skipped a beat at the MAC holiday collection, but for some reason I expected more :(; May 6, 2008 9:56 AM
CuttiBeBe said...: I LOVE THE BRUSH SET!! omg, I've been wanting it ever since it came out, but I didn't wanna shell out $90 for brushes. How come I never find make up in Nordstrom Rack? Where do they usually have the rack anyways?

I totally understand what you mean by the eyebrow thing. I used to draw my eye brows every day for 5 days, and it had to be in the Sammi Cheung high arc shape everyday.. so yea, I'd say I'm pretty trained with eye brow shaping. but my eye brows now are tattooed. It's fading a little bit now, so I touch it up a bit with a brow pencil.. but what you saw is the usual color/shape.

one trick about eye brow drawing, i don't know if you know already, is to taper the pencil to a "duck mouth" shape, so it's flat, instead of pointy like a eye liner. that way the brow you draw will come out more natural.; May 6, 2008 12:31 PM
Nic Nic said...: Hey Emilee, just wanna say thank you for the kind and supportive comments you left, it was really sweet of you!

Ahh now you got me lemming over these brush hehe..they don't cost too much over here, I found a website that stock them :D

I love red too, cant wait for the MAC '08 holiday ranges to be out!; May 6, 2008 1:57 PM
Angie said...: Great haul at Nordstrom Rack!! Did you try TJ Maxx recently? I just picked up a pair of Odyn jeans and TR at local one near my house for only $30!!! They have some 7fam there for only $99too. It felt like I've hit the jackpot, lol.

Anyway, that holiday collecltion is yummy!! It's a hate-love relationship w/ MAC. My bank account hates and sometimes I do too, but can't resist lol. Did you get any from the Naughty Nauticals or Dazzleglass?; May 6, 2008 4:22 PM
Askmewhats said...: wow you got it really cheap!!! Lucky you! I have the exact set and that's the first brush collection (good ones) I have. And you're right, it's very very soft and so far...I cleanse it daily and deep cleanse it weekly and so far..it looks the exactly the same as the day I bought it (minus the colorings that are left) :) good buy!!! I love it! I just don't use the hard case as it's difficult for me to snap on it again and again :) YAY!; May 6, 2008 5:59 PM
Jennifer said...: hey i want to sign up for mac pro and i noticed that you mentioned something about being a member. which two professional documentations did you send them (they said you could do a head shot or a copy of the license of your beauty school)? can u give me any tips?; May 6, 2008 7:50 PM
jie-jie said...: I got the same special set just a year ago for $40, down from $80. But the eye brushes from your set are sooooo much better! you're so lucky to get such a great deal! I love the powder brush too, and have been using it a lot.

Omg!! This year, I'd definitely be hauling from holiday stuffs. Those red packaging is calling my name. I just hope they look just as great in person, and with great colors too.; May 6, 2008 8:02 PM
Emilee @ GMM said...: Kaye: I think this year's holiday collection will trump all the past ones...but then again, I'm probably biased because of the packaging. Coincidentally, my first MAC set was the Holiday brush set back in 04? 05?

Ren: Your post reminds me that I need to haul my behind to Michael's and get some brushes, haha.

Yummy: We've still got about, oh, 7 months left before the collection hits. Somehow, I feel like Specktra will get more information long before then, haha.

Gee: I wouldn't pay $84 either, lol. I barely want to fork over $50 for MAC's holiday collection.

Lurve: I haven't been on ABB in so long, but I think I remember Liz posting about it. My NR is usually shot to hell with packaging all torn up and touched (eww), but the brush sets were surprisingly untouched. If you want me to pick one up for you, let me know. :) I can't guarantee it, but I don't mind stopping there again, haha.; May 7, 2008 12:38 PM
ilurvemakeup said...: Awww that's so sweet of you :) I think I'm good with brushes for now. I keep getting mu brushes and I have so much already lol I'll have to check my other Nordies for those goodies ^_^; May 7, 2008 2:43 PM
Anonymous said...: wow u DEFINATELY SCORED on the smashbox set shot my boyfriend got me it for valentines day and with shipping it was $100 BUCKS!!!:() im glad u got it for that price though.. an they are REALLY REALLY SOFT i luv the EYEshadow BRUSH JUSt as MUCH as the 239 from MAC!!!

and wow wut a pretty holiday set cuming up your right time to save up :)

take care; May 7, 2008 7:36 PM
Emilee @ GMM said...: BeautyTalk: Thanks for visiting! :) MAC does get a bit boring with releasing almost the same things each year, but the packaging is to die for!

Cutti: If you go to Nordstrom's site, you can actually find locations for the Rack. Just make sure you check the Rack box. :)

I usually use powder, but thanks for the tip on the pencil! It's just so much of a hassle to painstakingly draw my eyebrows in every morning.

Nic Nic: No problem; it's really horrible what happened to your shop, and I really hope they find the perpetrators!

It's a great brush set; I don't know how much it costs over there, but if it's a decent price, I say go for it. :P

Angie: I actually picked up a pair of R&Rs at TJ Maxx a while back! It's a hit or miss a lot, but I can't complain. :)

I ended up getting two eye shadows (the pink and purple one? Sorry, I'm horrible with names haha), and 3 dazzlglasses - Blue Comet, Ms. Fizz, and Love Venus. All the rest were kind of blah, and I wanted these to wear out to the clubs and whatnot. They're so goopy, but so pretty! :D

Askmewhats: I really should learn from you. ;) I'm so lazy with cleaning my brushes; most of them are still purple from the last time I used them. :\ I was a bit wary of getting white bristles because I didn't want to stain them, but I guess I just have to be a bit more proactive about cleaning them!

Jennifer: I actually just go to the Pro store a lot, but I'm not actually a member. The Pro store is open to the public, it's just that having PPID entitles you to a discount. There's a very helpful thread on Specktra regarding this exact topic; my understanding is that if you're licensed, that's generally enough if you send them a copy of your certificate. I don't know too much since I don't freelance, nor do I really need the incentive to shop more at MAC (haha), but I'd be more than happy to help you if I can. :)

Jie-jie: Did your's have different bushes? Or just different quality? I'm really pleased with it, even more so than MAC (blasphemy!).

I have a feeling that the holiday collection will have great packaging, but all the colors will be easily duplicated. In other words, good ol' MAC, haha.

Anon: Your boyfriend's really sweet to spend $100 on the brush set! My boyfriend thinks $10 is even too much and doesn't get why I need more than one eye brush, haha.

Thanks for visiting, and take care. :); May 8, 2008 4:45 AM
Violet Honeybee said...: Awesome find! The Holiday collection is SOOO drool worthy! =D

I love the dazzleglasses!!! Did you get any? Which ones??; May 8, 2008 1:46 PM
Violet Honeybee said...: Awesome find! The Holiday collection is SOOO drool worthy! =D

I love the dazzleglasses!!! Did you get any? Which ones??; May 8, 2008 1:47 PM
spankedelic said...: soooooo pretty! it's very elegant looking. mac keeps coming out with so many collections! ahhhhhh.....it's making me broke! i've been good lately and haven't splurged on any makeup but that smashbox brush kit looks very tempting! how do you like the brushes? do they feel nice?; May 8, 2008 7:35 PM
jie-jie said...: LOL at blasphemy. My set included a point eyeliner, powder, foundation, retractable lip, and dome eyeshadow brushes. It's definitely worth the price. I really like the powder brush and foundation brushes, but my favorite is the dome eyeshadow brush. These were my very first brushes, so I've been using that e/s brush for everything when I started out. It's so soft, it's really big but I can hold it at different angles to either do the blending, applying colors to the lid or brow bone, and to apply color to the crease. Not as great, but doable. If I'm too lazy to use different brushes, this is the one brush I'd use for everything. I hated the eyeliner brush though, out of shape and not firm!

Unfortunately, I'm a sucker for red. If they come out with amplified creme, I'd definitely grab some.; May 10, 2008 2:14 AM
(g)ezebel said...: wow -- $40 only for smashbox brushes? that IS a great deal.

oooo, i love red, too. dammit, MAC, i'm gonna go bankrupt sooon!!!; May 10, 2008 5:03 PM
' * : . b | u 3 . : * ' said...: i LOVE that promo pic! but i dunno about the packaging design....I don't really like the outside of the palettes. I'm excited to know what pigments they have for the set this year though!

and I am SUPER excited about the mineralized blushes and eyeshadows! :D lol; May 14, 2008 8:07 PM
nai nai said...: yes! great catch! i also got the same brush set from nordstrom's rack also! hehe luckily for me my nordstrom's rack keeps their brushes locked up behind the glass, so i know i got a brand new untouched set =] unfortunately, those brusehs are soo white and lovely that i have only used the powder brush once and have been afraid to stain the rest! haha.; May 26, 2008 11:41 PM

Smashbox Beyond Beauty Brush Set

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