Can You Handle E.L.F Studio Stipple Brush?

Hi everybody,

Although I haven't owned MAC 187 yet, I'm kind of a fanatic when it comes to dual fiber brushes. When done right, these brushes can make your foundation application look flawless. When E.L.F came out with their own version of the stippling brush, I said "Hallelujah, finally!" I was so happy when they had that 55% off sale and I went online to order two of them. It took almost a month to arrive and I almost missed the deadline for the Secret Santa. However, the biggest blunder was: I only received one brush. After emailing E.L.F to straighten things out, I got my money refunded to me, although I would much prefer to receive two brushes instead of one.

E.L.F Stipple Brush ($3)

At $3 a pop, E.L.F Studio Stipple Brush is considered the cheapest dual fiber brush out there. However, the question is: does it live up to its standard? Find out after the jump!

Shot of the brush head
Both black and white fibers are made of anti-bacterial synthetic fiber

Full view of the brush

Another close-up of the brush head

Comparison (L-R): Adorned with Grace Ingenue dual fiber brush, E.L.F stipple brush, StudioTools Dual Finish brush (RIP) 

Length comparison (top-bottom): StudioTools, E.L.F, Adorned with Grace

As seen above, the E.L.F stipple brush is not the densest brush of all. While the AwG brush is a smaller one, the white/black density is a lot better. The StudioTools brush is the densest. However, the ELF brush has the longest handle and hair fiber. It feels solid and well-made. The hair did not bleed or shed while I washed and it feels soft on my skin.

With that said, the lack of density and abundance in length only mean one thing: you can't really stipple your foundation with it. While I would not say it's floppy, it is not sturdy, either. I could not quite pound foundation on my skin. However, I still can apply with a sweeping motion and it feels light on my skin.

The ELF Studio stipple brush really shines when used as a highlighting brush. It gives me an ethereal glow when I use it to apply my ELF Gotta Glow blush. Also, it works well with cream blushes as it picks up enough product to blend.

Cleaning wise, this brush is easy to clean and dries fast. As I mentioned earlier, it does not shed or bleed.

Is it worth the money? Yes, it does. At $3 a pop, this brush really bleeds its competitors dry (what competitors?!) However, it is not a good dupe for MAC 187. As I've said many times before, if you want MAC 187, get MAC 187. You really can't compare it to anything else that looks remotely similar and costs about 15 times less. Really.

Would I buy it again? Yes, I would. In fact, I would even buy it to give away to people in dire needs for a stippling brush. It is decent starter skunk brush and believe me, my first dual fiber brush was a lot worse. I would encourage you to get it when E.L.F has a sale. Why paying more when you can get it for less?

Disclaimer: I bought this brush with my own money. The opinions, however, are mine.

So, tell me what you think about ELF stipple brush. I'd love to hear about it.

P.S: If you like my blog, please subscribe to my feed. Thanks a lot!