Sephora Platinum #44 Stippling Brush

 Where do i begin.

I received this in a swap, a while ago. Lured in by the reviews, i really tried making this tool work on my face, with my foundations, bronzers, powders etc. An important thing about this brush is that it's marketed in two versions-the European one, i.e. uppercase and my version as well, and the US (and other parts of the world i guess) version, which looks like this:

The brush is originally intended for powder use- or at least that's what the 'poudre diffuseur' says (embossed on the handle). However, most people compare it to MAC's stippling brush and either love it, or feel disappointed, etc, you know, the usual story. So i figured i might also try to get airbrushed complexion and benefit from owning this little tool. I'll start shooting then:

1. The handle is a bit bulky and non-ergonomic because it's cone-shaped and not straight. I always feel like it's too hard for me to grasp it on the thicker side and prefer to grab it by its metal joint, which isn't very comfy either. If the brush would have the same handle as the US version (straight, MAC-type) that would be a different story, at least for me. 

2. The hairs ARE duo-fibers and robust enough (you can turn the brush upside down and place it with the bristles facing down, like sitting on its own 'head', and it will stay like that with no deformation of the bristles whatsoever) but not dense at all. They're just too few hairs with this brush, once you 'squeeze' it you're left with a very small 'ponytail'. 

3. Harsh bristles. They scratch my face and i feel like i'm poking myself every time i want to 'pixelate' my foundation.

4. The color bleeds (well...) a little; it doesn't disturb me that much because it doesn't settle into the white fibers. I'm mostly worried about the quality of the hairs and the possibility of them absorbing too much water thus ruining the adhesive at their base; it doesn't shed hairs and it doesn't smell bad (my swapper washed and sanitized it before, but most reviews claim the brush still reeks of 'goat hair' even after repetitive baths. It didn't happen to me).

5. The hairs are so scratchy they streak. I can't achieve pixel-type coverage or anything remotely similar, it's just a bunch of streaks on my face and i have to come back with circular motions and blend them in...which defeats the entire purpose of a stippling brush. 

6. It's very expensive. 

7. The hairs get messy after i wash the brush and i always have to use a little brush guard (fabric, not plastic) to keep them in shape, otherwise they'd fan out on me.

I guess this is the less successful version of the brush and i ended up being stuck with it. I really don't recommend this brush; as everybody else said (or most reviewers), get yourself an extra $10 and a MAC stippling brush instead of this one. 

I'm definitely sticking with my old The Body Shop kabuki and my Kicks €10 foundation brush. This one is going on my swap list right now.