Wilko's Makeup Brush Review (Stippler Brush)

Lately, I have been looking to increase my makeup brushes collection; not that I need more but I have become a little obsessed with getting the right tools to give me the best finish achievable by my non-MUA expertise. I have always had a Wilkinsons near me because I live and work in South West London which means I pop in there every now and then. Personally, I am not a big fan of store brand makeup brushes including Boots and Superdrug brands because I find that some of them are not very good quality and are not particularly cheap either. The difference between these store brand makeup brushes and Real Techniques is really small so I’d rather just add a few pennies and buy the real deal. However, Wilkinson's or Wilko which is what the beauty section is called,  has made me change my mind for the better.  I saw a big banner advertising their makeup brushes and new Premium Makeup Brush brand which looked too similar to the Real Techniques Core Collection design and I knew I had to check it out. They have a wide selection of brushes from the Wilko Premium Brand including Foundation Brushes, Powder Brushes, Blush Brushes, Eye Shadow Brushes, Concealer Brushes, etc. Again, I was late; almost all the brushes had been sold out and I asked the sales assistants and they confirmed that they were all sold out and there was none within their storage. Damn!! However, I managed to pick up the Stippler Brush because I had been putting off buying the Real Techniques one and the good thing is these brushes all have testers so you can test and feel them (with your hands, of course). I also have a review on their non-premium Blusher Brush here so check it out..

Packaging

First off, I am seriously impressed with the packaging of the brush. It comes in its own individual packaging which is very handy for travelling and it is essential to keep this packaging for that. I like the Gold and Black design of the Stippler brush although they should have been more innovative by coming up with their own colour/design scheme rather than one similar to Real Techniques but as Kermit the Frog says -That's none of my business. The brush in itself is very sturdy, solid and well made and I can see this brush lasting for a long time. You always know brushes which are just flimsy from the first day but this is certainly not one of them.

Bristles/Shedding/Washing

I really like the bristles because they are very soft and fluffy although I have to mention that they may be a little too fluffy for a stippling brush. It has white tips like many brushes these days and I think it makes the brush look prettier and lets you know when all the dirt and grime has come off when washing. I have washed this brush a few times already and I have experienced no shedding. As mentioned earlier, it is really well made and sturdy so the glue which attaches the brush and its bristles is not one to give way easily and this prevents shedding.  It washes really, really easily and it dries even faster which I am very pleased about. The bristles are synthetic but they don’t feel cheap or low quality at all.

How I use this

To be honest, I have never used a stippling brush because I just prefer buffer brushes and I know they are not the same thing. As mentioned earlier, I have been toying with the idea of buying the Real Techniques Stippling Brush but I was not ready to spend almost £11 for one brush just yet. Stippling brushes are traditionally, although not exclusively, used for foundations, cream based makeup like blushes and for bronzers. Stippling is done to create a more flawless look and allows you to dip the brush into a makeup product and apply it with short dabs on areas of your face to be blended out for a flawless look. Armed with this knowledge, I ventured to use this to create my flawless look J. The  bristles are really fluffy and this makes it really difficult to control especially with dabbing motions. Also, the brush and its bristles are wider than the average stippling brush which may be another reason why it is difficult to control. After a few failed attempts, I seem to have gotten a way around it. For now, I just use it exclusively for foundation and it gives a really flawless finish although it takes a little longer than using a my usual buffer/foundation brush. However, the results are worth it. I don’t like cream blushes as such so I have not used this brush with them yet. Overall, I really like the results I get with this brush. Also, you can fan out this brush by gently spreading it out and it can be used for lightly applying bronzers, blush and some setting powders.

Cost

This is where things get really exciting. It cost just £4 despite the fact that it is the Premium brand and I think it is amazing!! I absolutely love the price. The quality of the product way surpasses the price and I am really pleased that they are affordable. The sad thing is they are sold out online and in-store as well which goes to say that they are really popular. I am sure they never imagined that it would be so well loved and I hope they are making plans to expand the range and increase its availability.

Cons

Major con will be availability. It is not readily and easily available and if you don’t have a Wilkinson near you; it would be hard to track this down. Also, I don’t think it does the best job of stippling like it should which I think may be because it is too fluffy and its too large. However, it has other uses which I have highlighted above so it’s not too much of a stress.

Personal Thoughts

I really like this brush and although it does not do the stippling as well as I would have liked; it does the job. When I use this for my foundation, the results are outstanding and it seems the pores on my face appear less visible because the brush seems to help distribute the foundation well enough to blur them out and this was not the case when I just used my buffing brush so I think this brush has been instrumental in achieving this. I bought another brush which I would be reviewing next although it is not from their Premium range but it is equally good. If you have a Wilkinson near you, it is worth checking out their beauty section in-store or online here. See you in my next post...x