Review: Laura Mercier Mini Brush Set

I was informed about this big in-house sale at Kens Apothecary at One Utama New Wing a while back. However, by the time I learnt about the sale, it only had 3 days left. I quickly made a trip there the next morning the moment the mall opened as I wanted to see if those things that I had been eyeing on were on sale. And I also worried those might have been sold out by then. I never had much luck with sales in the past...


So there I was, looking at the big sale sign right outside the little boutique. I was so excited as this was my second makeup sale experience! The first one was when Becca withdrew from Malaysia few years back.

Anyway, the sales assistant was busy rearranging the products as they had been misplaced from the previous day. I asked why there was a big sale on T. LeClerc items (up to 70% for most products) but only 20% (for most) and 50% for very selective items on Laura Mercier products.


She told me that T. LeClerc has changed its distributors so they are reorganizing the goods and since Kens Apothecary carried both brands, they decided to include Laura Mercier in the sale so that's why only very few items from Laura Mercier were 50% off. I quickly surveyed the table and picked out this brush set as it's 50% off! I couldn't believe my luck!!! It's the latest mini brush set I had been seeing online. Oh My God!!!


(I grabbed 2 sets so I could keep a set as a gift later...)


I went home and checked out this set on Laura Mercier site again. And sure enough it was there. A whoopy $80USD worth of brush set. I couldn't stop giggling. Now I knew how others feel when getting a chance to buy makeup at cheap prices.


PS: I later learnt that like Bobbi Brown, Laura Mercier also often creates different brush sets and many of them are named Mini Brush Set but the contents are all different! The particular set of 6 I got were just taken off Laura Mercier & Sephora sites and had been replaced by a new mini brush set... If you like what you see here, you might still be able to score a set from eBay or at certain Laura Mercier counters or Sephora stores... I am not sure. *_*

Laura Mercier Mini Brush Set



This Set includes 6 mini brushes:

Prices listed are for individual, FULL size brushes (except for Flat Eye Liner Brush - TRAVEL size) on Laura Mercier site.

Finishing Brush ($42)
All Over Eye Colour Brush ($30)
Flat Eye Liner Brush ($25)
Double Ended Brow Groomer ($10) and Smudge Brush ($24)
Creme Eye Detail Brush ($26)
Pony Tail Brush ($29)

As you can see, it's a set of 6 various brushes for a complete makeup look. Well, almost an entire face, if only there was also a lip brush. :) But most people don't use lip brushes anyway! I like how diverse this set is. It's very practical for those who travel a lot. What you need are all there in a roomy pouch.


Let me show you all of them one by one!


PS: Brush descriptions (in green letters) were adopted from Laura Mercier.

Finishing Brush

- Laura Mercier Finishing Brush is comprised of both natural & synthetic hairs to pick up & buff colour onto the skin for buildable, even colour application

This is my favourite brush among all! The white bristles are a lot longer than the black ones and the whole brush is loosely tapered so it picks up less pigments (colour) for a more natural look. This brush is exceptionally good at toning down a very pigmented blush. Suddenly, I can wear many more blush shades!


It is also useful for loose powder and powder foundation application. As it picks up a lot less powder, my face doesn't look as pasty as I sometimes do. I tend to apply foundation and powder all over my entire face (even though I was told it's not necessary). Therefore, this brush comes handy for me - wanting a whole face coverage without the mannequin face effect.


Here is a picture of it comparing with Etude House Duo Fiber Cheek Brush. You can see how sparse the bristles are compared to the denser Etude version. I am not implying that Etude version is of less quality. They have total different uses for me. I love the two brushes all the same!

Laura Mercier Finishing Brush vs. Etude House Duo Fiber Cheek Brush









All Over Eye Colour Brush

- a large flat head brush with a beveled edge for a smooth, perfect application of base shades.

This is a unique shaped brush. It reminds me of another Etude House brush. It's the Oblique Shadow Brush in this picture below. While I use the Etude House version on crease area (almost) exclusively, the Laura Mericer All Over Eye Colour Brush offers much more because of its longer and softer bristles. It's seriously an all-rounder. Be it a highlighter, shadow colour or even crease shade, I find it working very well.

Etude House Oblique Shadow Brush (bottom/left) for comparison








Flat Eye Liner Brush

- contains synthetic, firm bristles narrowing to a thin, flat line to ensure the most exact placement of Eye Liner.

This is probably the least useful brush among the set. It's made of soft synthetic bristles and it's rather wide and flat. I am not used to use such straight cut flat eye liner brush so I don't use it as much as other flat eye liner brushes. If you have a suggestion about this brush, I'd like to hear from you. Thank you!

Double-Ended Brow Groomer and Smudge Brush

- Brow Grooming Brush is a high quality synthetic fiber brush with stiff bristles in a "mascara spool" that maintains well-groomed brows throughout the day.

- Smudge Brush is a natural brush created for adding depth close to the lash line & in the corner of the eye.

I normally avoid double-ended brushes because they can't stand upright in a brush holder. As this brush came with the set, I had no option but to try it out. And it's a pleasant surprise that I actually like this brush! The Smudge Brush is great for blending colours on the lids as well as lower lash liners. And the Brow Groomer is good for taming my naturally thick and messy brows as it has short and firm bristles! (The only brush in the whole set that has firm bristles and I believe it's necessary!) The original size of the Brow Groomer and Smudge Brush are sold separately. I think that is most ideal. :)

Creme Eye Detail Brush

- a high quality synthetic brush designed for precise application of crème eye colour products.

I can't comment on cream shadow application as I have never used use this brush as suggested. Otherwise, I like its pointy bristles for crease colour application. It is great on my small and tugged-in crease.

Pony Tail Brush

- a natural brush with soft, medium-length bristles formed at a slight point ideally used in the eye crease.

This is a super soft brush. If you have a problem with very soft bristles for precise application, this is not for you. I had to get used to its soft bristles before I could utilize the brush. Once that's taken cared of, I was all set. It turned out that it is good for blending colours from mid-section of the lids to the crease.



Packaging/Price:

This was retailed for $80USD. For 6 brushes of various purposes, it's most definitely an excellent bargain even though these are mini brushes because they are not that mini! You can see from this picture below that the handles of these brushes aren't that short. I personally prefer brushes with short handles as I have Small hands. :)

Packaging Details

There is plenty of room in ths bag. Should you want to carry more brushes than 6, it's not an issue at all!

My Verdict:

I had been eyeing on couple of Laura Mercier brushes as their super soft bristles were something I was looking for to replace a couple of brushes that had become harsh for my skin.


They were not disappointing after all. And I have been putting them to good use just about every day. Laura Mercier brushes aren't cheap to begin with. Its individual full sized brushes would have cost a bomb if I were to purchase all 6 that way. I was glad that I had a chance to score these brushes at 50% off, thanks to a very kind blogger who informed me about the sale.


If you have a chance to get this brush at $80USD, it is still a steal. Honestly, this is the best mini brush set I have tried.



Related Post:

Review: Etude House Brushes



My Colouring:

MUFE Full Cover Extreme Camouflage Cream #4, Lift Concealer #3, Duo Mat Powder Foundation #202, Face & Body #20, High Definition Foundation #118, Liquid Lift Foundation #2, Clarins Instant Smooth Foundation #1.5, Pupa Professionals Triple Action Powder Foundation #02 (when tanned)

Light Asian skin (obvious brown spots on cheekbones, slightly dry & doesn't break out easily), dark brown eyes, jet black hair, medium pigmented lips.

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