Artis makeup brushes - Oval 6 review

My first thought about Artis brushes was ‘hmm…these look weird’, which was quickly followed up by ‘OMFG they are the softest thing EVER’. They don’t look like your traditional makeup brushes. In fact, they’re about as different as you could get while still being called a brush.

Artis were developed with beauty users in mind. While traditional brushes are easy to use by makeup artists and are designed to apply product onto someone else, they’re not always the easiest of things to get to grips with when using on your own face. So Artis went to a whole new level and redeveloped brushes as we knew them.

The densely-packed, cruelty-free, synthetic fibres make your product go a really long way, while the round and oval shapes mean that they can be used for a variety of uses across the eyes, lips and face.

There are ten brushes in total in the range, many of which can be used for multiple purposes. The Oval 6 brush that I’ve been testing is a great example of this – it works fantastically for anything contour, blush or highlighter related, as well as giving a flawless finish to liquid and cream foundations. If you only buy one brush from the range, make it this one. It’s super versatile and I reckon will replace at least 50% of the brushes you currently have in your collection.

The shape and length of the handle does take some getting used to, but after a bit of practice, it becomes second nature. Small, soft strokes tend to give the best results – I tried a smaller brush at the recent launch event and managed to blend my eye shadow in 2 seconds flat. The smaller ones are also surprisingly precise when it comes to lipstick application. I managed to apply mine in less than half the time it would usually take and with a very neat line, despite the circular shape.

Artis recommend purchasing one of their cleansing pad and a bottle of brush cleaner alongside any brush purchases. The cleansing pad definitely comes in VERY useful, as it makes it simple to give the brushes a quick clean in between uses, especially if you want to use the same brush for different products on the same day.

Brushes start at £28 and go up to £60, so definitely compare against MAC prices and are well worth the investment in my eyes. Unless you’re a MUA, you probably don’t need brushes like the Oval 10 as they’re designed for application on the body, but I’d definitely get started with the Oval 6 (£44) and Circle 1 (£28).

You can find Artis at Space NK and Net-a-Porter.

Do you like the look of this new brush line?

*contains PR samples