Urban Decay Optical Blurring Brush REVIEW

Eye and face brushes are one of the most important tools for perfecting makeup, which is no wonder why companies are always releasing new ones. 

Of course, one can apply makeup without the use of brushes, but let's face it, some of us don't like having our hands full of foundation or eyeshadow. 

Now, being a makeup addict, I am always on the hunt for the perfect brush -perfect foundation brush, perfect contour brush, etc.

For today's review, I will talking about Urban Decay's Optical Blurring Brush.

Before getting started with the review itself, here are a few quick facts about the brush.

Price: $25

Sold at: Urban Decay's website, Sephora, Ulta

Description (according to their website):

Flawlessly applies, buffs and blurs your liquid, cream or powder foundation. And like all our brushes, it’s totally vegan! We created this brush specifically for our Naked Skin Weightless Ultra Definition Liquid Makeup, but it works beautifully with ANY liquid, cream or powder foundation – it’s THAT good!

The densely packed hairs pick up and distribute makeup evenly, while its domed top and round shape make it effortless to maneuver around the face. The "optical blurring" comes in in when you apply, buff and "blur" your makeup to a totally flawless finish. (Ahhh.) 

The Naked Skin connection:
Buffing and blurring with our Optical Blurring Brush allows Naked Skin perform the way it was meant to perform – light-reflecting particles are evenly distributed, fine lines seemingly disappear, and you’re left with a stunning soft-focus finish.

As much as I LOVE Urban Decay, I have mixed reviews about this brush. 

When I first purchased it, I INSTANTLY fell in love with it. The brush lives up to it's name and flawlessly blends the makeup. One of the reasons I purchased it was because the prices was fairly reasonable (compared to other brands such as MAC, Sephora, etc) and because it could be used with the foundation, which I also love. The Optical Blurring Brush itself is sleek because of the metal handle and it made me love it even more.

One thing that had really stood out about this brush was how soft the bristles were. Previously, I had been using a different brush and I could notice a change in how my foundation applied and looked when I started using this one. 

It doesn't take long for a person to learn how to use this brush, just apply the foundation on the brush, or face, and blend in circular motions. I even got my sister hooked on this brush and she too noticed a difference in how her foundation went on.

However, one of the problematic things about this brush was the cleaning.

Whenever I would wash the brush (I used to use baby shampoo, which I no longer use), no matter how many times I cleaned it, the bristles would STILL be stained. It irritated me and went online to find ways to remove staining. I found an at home brush cleaner that I could create with just olive oil and dish detergent. Surprisingly, that method worked, but only slightly. Still it was better than nothing. By this time I had had the brush for about a year or so, when I began noticing that everytime I washed my brush, it would shed like crazy. The bristles were literally coming apart and I had to gently push the bristles back onto the handle. Sadly, I stopped using the brush for that sole reason and no longer reach for it. I do sometimes use it whenever my Beauty Blender (HG) is dirty, but other than that, it just collects dust. It's unfortunate because that brush used to be a favorite; it blended out the foundation nicely, but I couldn't live with the shedding. 

Now, would I recommend this brush? That's a tough question. Maybe the shedding was partly my fault. Maybe I washed it too often? Or maybe not as often? I'm not sure. The brush itself IS great and does the job, but the shedding just tainted my image of it overall. Perhaps I got a fluke and that's why the brush began to shed so badly. So far my sister's brush has been wonderful to her and loves it.

If you're interested in the brush, go for it. As I mentioned, it blends the makeup really good AND it's a good price compared to other brands. If you do experience shedding, say after a few weeks or so, return it. I purchased mine at Sephora and they have a really good return policy. For me though, I guess I will continue to use the brush again until it completley deteriorates and I might just consider repurchasing it in the future. If I do, I will keep you updated. 

Look at my poor brush and the crazy shedding!

-Nayelley

Disclaimer: Honesty is one of my HIGHEST priorities, and this review is no exception.