Review of Rite Aid Renewal Duo-Fiber Blending Brush

Okay, somehow I found myself back at the Rite Aid Renewal display. The excuse I made to myself is that I needed a highlighter brush. And I actually do need on - I've been using the EcoTools foundation brush, since all my other brushes were being used for other purposes. No, actually. I really hate mixing colors, so I didn't want to use the same brush for my highlighter as I used for my blush or bronzer. I'm not generally OCD, it's just this one thing. Anyway, the gist of it is that I bought the Rite Aid Renewal Duo-Fiber Blending brush for use as a highlighter brush. I had good experiences with this line in the past - such as with the eyeshadow brush, which I really liked. So I bought it, took it home, and took some pictures of it.

The brush is very soft, but the bristles are not very dense at all. However, I intend this for use as a highlighter brush, so I don't want it to pick up a lot of product. I have absolutely no interest in looking like a glitterball after I apply highlighter - I just want a light dusting of shimmer/glow. And this is perfect for that use. I think this is mostly intended to blend out very pigmented blushes, or for sheer application of very pigmented blushes. However, I'm happy with my MAC 229 for blush application - it applies my blush flawlessly. And I only have 3 blushes, I believe, none of which are ridiculously pigmented to the point where I end up applying too much color. So my only plans for this brush are as a highlighter brush.

This is amazing for use as a highlighting brush. I swipe this lightly in my theBalm Mary Lou-Manizer and dust it on the tops of my cheekbones. It lends a glowy look to my face, contrary to how I had looked using a foundation brush for applying highlighter (a disco glitterball, and an unblended one at that). I barely need to blend out the edges, because it applies my highlight so sheerly and fabulously. I washed it, and not a single hair was shed. The brush after its' first washing:

This brush is pretty much as sturdy as the eyeshadow brush from the Rite Aid Renewal line - that is to say, extremely. The handle is solid, and there's been no wiggliness from the ferrule as of yet. The handle is black rubbery plastic, kind of similar to the NARS blush and eyeshadow packaging. The handle is easy to grip and not slippery. I can't stand slippery brushes - I'm a klutz, so I'm prone to drop things constantly, including brushes.
So, here's my rating of this brush.

Softness: 10/10, this brush, like the other one I've tried from this line, is very soft. It's a synthetic fibre brush, so it's not natural hair, and it's very soft!
Function: 10/10, I bought this to use as a highlight brush, and it works amazingly for that purpose. It would probably work well to blend out or apply highly pigmented blush as well.
Durability: 10/10, there have been no signs of shedding or loose parts from this brush!

Total: 30/30, or 100% (A)

I wrote in my last review, of the Rite Aid Renewal Eyeshadow Brush, that I hoped that other brushes from this line would work for their advertised purpose a bit better than the eyeshadow brush did. And this brush has lived up to my hopes! For I think around $8, this brush proves again how high quality drugstore products can be. There's no reason to go out and pay $20 or more for a brush intended for highlighting, because you could just go to your nearest Rite Aid and pick this up for much less. Overall, I am very happy with this purchase, and feel that it was very worthwhile!

What is your favorite brush to use for highlighter?

Review of Rite Aid Renewal Eyeshadow Brush

I heard about this line from Nouveau Cheap, who mentioned that the brushes from the Rite Aid Renewal line were soft and very high quality for drugstore, store-brand brushes. Who could resist that promise? So when I visited Rite Aid, disappointed that the Maybelline Color Tattoo eyeshadows were out in the colors I had been lemming (Tough as Taupe and Bad to the Bronze), I marched over to the Rite Aid Renewal brushes. I already have my HG powder brush from ELF, so I knew I wasn't getting their powder brush. Lash and brow groomer I have 2 of from sets I bought, so that was out. I don't use liquid foundation, so no duofibre stippling brush for me. Smudge brush I felt I didn't need. I didn't wan't the travel kit - I'm pretty happy towing my full size brushes everywhere I go. So my other option was the eyeshadow brush. Now, I usually use my Sephora Double Ended Every Day this-name-is-too-long-to-write-out-every-time-so-it-will-from-now-on-be-called-the-Sephora-Double-Ended-Brush to place eyeshadow allover my lid. But I had never really tried a different one (the Eco Tools one I got in my set was much too large for my half-Asian half-white eyes). This one looked like the perfect size. So I grabbed it and checked out.

I took it home and immediately snatched up my camera to start taking pictures. I took some with the packaging on.

I then took the brush out of its packaging. The first thing I noticed is that one of the brush hairs was loose! It came out shortly after, with a little bit of tugging.

In terms of first impressions, that wasn't a good one. =/  But I scrubbed it on my hand a little, and no further shedding occurred. So I shrugged and moved on. The next thing I did was to wash it. It survived its washing with no shedding at all (whooo!) Here's the brush after its first washing:

I then pulled out MAC Satin Taupe and picked up some color with the brush. It does a very nice job of picking up pigment - the bristles are quite dense, and therefore decently stiff but very soft at the same time.

I then took it and placed it next to my Sephora double ended brush, my usual shader brush, for comparison. As you can see, the Sephora brush is thinner and flatter, and also less dense. The bristles on the Rite Aid Renewal Eyeshadow Brush are also much shorter.

I then used it to apply color to my eye. It wasn't really large enough to pack on the color  allover my lid, and too dense to use it to swipe the color on - it just kind of deposited all the eyeshadow in one place - the first place you touched it to. However, the next day I used it to pack color on in my outer corner, instead of using a crease brush as I usually do. Magic! It packed the color on densely, and it was just absolutely fabulous. Now, whenever I need to pack color on in the outer corner, this is my go-to brush. It was only $3.99, and it was absolutely worth it. I review brushes based on 3 things: softness (this is very important to me), function, and durability. 

Softness: 10/10, this brush is absolutely lovely in that respect!

Function: 8/10, it was meant to place color all over the lid but is too small for this use. However, it is useful for applying eyeshadow to the outer corner of the eye. Still, it would have been nice if I could have used it as intended.

Durability: 9/10, the handle is nice and solid and no wiggly ferrule, but shedding that hair when I first took it out of the packaging was a bummer. It's true what they say, first impressions are everything - it survived its' washing, but I'll be on the lookout still next time I wash it.

Total: 27/30, or 90% (A-)

I might have to pick up some more of these brushes next time I'm at Rite Aid - perhaps they will function better for their intended use than this one did.