Review of Kirkland Makeup Brushes

Hey everyone!

Did you know that Costco’s brand Kirkland sells makeup brushes? Well, you probably do, because a lot of people talk about them. Recently on a trip to Costco, I came across these and couldn’t help myself. I’ve heard from a lot of different people that these makeup brushes are quite the steal, so I wanted to try them out for myself. Plus, the gold, champagne colored handles totally sold me too.
Here's a look at the packaging:

As you can see, it's a pretty big. By the way, I searched pretty much the entire building for it. I found it really close to the pharmacy, so it's probably in that area. I like that you can see what the brushes look like in the package (I always get the ones in the back because I think people mess with them less. I wonder if that actually works?).

Now we'll take a closer look at the individual brushes in the kit! There are 8 brushes total, plus a brush travel bag.

So first up is this powder brush. It's very large! I would say this brush would be fantastic with your are using something bronzer, since it's generous, fluffy, but not densely enough packed to make you look orange. I noticed a couple hairs shedding, but nothing obnoxious.

I was super excited about this duo fiber brush! I currently do not own a brush like this that can be used for wet or dry products. I have yet to use this, but I was very impressed with the density. I've heard complaints in the past that the Sigma version is too floppy to apply things like blush. But because this isn't too long, I feel like it would be a great job. I can see myself using this with blush, and maybe even if I try out a liquid foundation.

 Here is there large angled contour brush (very similar to my MAC 168 and my Sigma F40). First thing I noticed about this, is that it's kind of the middle ground between the 168 and the F40. The 168 has short bristles that are very dense! It makes applying color to my cheeks extremely easy and pigmented. The F40 is slightly harder to use because it's hair is much longer. It can be hard to sweep color because of the length (it just wants to bend over if that makes sense). The Kirkland brush on the other hand is a little in between. First, let me say, it packs color on fast! Using my NARS Orgasm, I was shocked that just 2 (yes two!!) sweeps of blush totally coated my cheeks! It's not as dense at the 168, but super soft and a lot easier to use than the F40.

Here is the usual flat foundation brush that is recommended to be used with liquid foundation. I have never used any brush like this, so I can't say for sure if this is a winner (I don't think a lot of people use this style any more for foundation, but I could be wrong! That's why I like powder...so much easier!). Here are the eye brushes that were included in the set.

On the top, if the crease brush. It's really precise and fine point. I didn't think it would be worth a hill of beans honestly. But, I tried it out with Snakebite from my Naked 2 palette and was surprised! It would be fantastic when you want to precisely apply a dark color to the outer V.

 

Next is the angled brush for defining eyebrows or eyeliner. On the end of that brush is a spoolie (is that what it's called?). I desperately needed this addition! I'm not sure if it's for eyebrows or eyelashes, but it has already saved me from a mascara mishap!

 

The third brush is a huge all over eye shader. It's huge. I really don't see a use for it for me personally, although they say it's one of the only synthetic brushes in the kit, so it could be used with like my MAC Paint Pot or something like that.

 

And last is the eye shader. At first I was super impressed, I didn't think it'd pack color very well. But it's been great! I love it a lot! No complaints! It does exactly what you want your eye shader to do: apply color evenly and quickly over a big surface area!

 

And finally, this is the pretty brush travel case it came with! I love it! It has the same champagne colored outside (like faux alligator) and a zipper around the edges.

On one side is has a pouch, perfect for my Covergirl Shimmering Sands or a few MAC single eyeshadows. And the otherside has places to put the brushes. Super helpful and great for traveling.

Overall, my thoughts on this set are pretty positive. Honestly, I don't think the brushes are remotely close to being MAC quality. But, the cost of this entire set when I bought it ($24.99) is the cost of one brush at MAC. But for the average makeup wearer, someone that wants brushes that are slightly better than ELF, these are fantastic. I would most definitely recommend them to anyone starting out with makeup and needs a set, or someone that wants an extra few brushes on hand.

 

Have you ever tried a Kirkland brand brush kit? What were your thoughts?