KIM Professional Makeup brushes are a new line of brushes produced by fine art brushmakers, Rekab. I was sent a few brushes to try from their range. I received their F251 large duo fibre face brush, E131 small angled liner brush and L311 narrow lip brush.
The F251 duo fibre brush is described on their website as being designed for use with wet makeup. I have used it for applying liquid foundation as well as pigmented blushers and bronzers. This brush is obviously similar in style to the MAC 187 brush. For those that are interested in how the brushes compare, I would say that the KIM version is wider and not as densely packed.
This brush works well for liquid foundation application and produces a nice finish without streaks. The white hairs are nice and soft and feel pleasant on the skin. As you can probably see from the photograph above, the KIM duo fibre brush had a few longer black hairs which muscled in on the tier of white hairs. I found that these longer hair came loose with washing and use and most have been shed.
This brush reminds me in quality of the now discontinued Ruby + Millie Duo Fibre brush that I once owned. It's nice and does the job but it's not quite as well made as the MAC brush. So, I was a little surprised to see the price. This brush retails for $39 (approximately £24) and I think it's on the high side. Especially in comparison to the price of the rest of the KIM brush line.
I was thrilled when I saw the E131 small angle liner. This looks just like my favourite Ruby + Millie angled liner brush that I mentioned here. I'm pleased to say that is compares very well. The hairs are soft on the eye but firm enough to apply a precise line. I use this to apply dark eyeshadow at the lash line and it performs beautifully. This brush is reasonably priced at $10.
I have to make an admission that it's a rare day that I use a lip brush. So, I don't have a lot of experience to draw on in terms of comparison. What I can say is that the L311 lip brush was very easy to use. I have used it with pigmented lipsticks and found it picked up colour well and made application very easy. At $9, I think it's another reasonably priced brush.
As you can see, my thoughts on these brushes are a bit mixed. Overall, I think they are of reasonable quality for the price. I would actually like to try one of their other face brushes (the flat dome 222 and angled contour F213 both look interesting) to better judge the standard of these brushes. The duo fibre brushes do often make an unfavourable comparsion to the MAC version and this particular brush stands out as being their most expensive.
Although the brushes are produced in Europe, KIM Makeup brushes are based in the US. They do ship Internationally and have flat rates for shipping; $5 for postage within the US and $10 for International postage. There is a list of the Countries they ship to on their website. Please be aware when ordering from the US from overseas that you may incur charges for orders over a certain value. Please checking your local customs regulations for information.
Disclosure: Items were sent without charge for review purposes.
I already have the Mac 187 brush. So, I won't be getting the Kim F251 brush, but for $39, you might as well just get the Mac 187 brush, which is $42.
ReplyDeleteGosh, I was reading my comment above and I sound a little harsh -_-
ReplyDeleteI also forgot to ask, do you prefer the 187 or F251 better?
Hi Joyce, I didn't read your comment as harsh at all. My preference is definitely for the MAC 187. As you rightly say that with only $10 difference, I think people would be better off getting the MAC. However, I know it's an expensive purchase and it's a shame the F251 isn't a bit cheaper to appeal to those people that can't afford MAC but still want a quality brush.
ReplyDeleteThanks for taking the time to comment :)
Jane x