Charm Travel Pro V3 brush set: My review and how to use it
Tuesday, September 13, 2011 at 1:32PM I'm sure that you've already seen the blogger raves for the Charm Travel Pro brush set. All I can add to the conversation is that yes, this is a great set that you really won't regret buying. It's expensive at P2,200 for the whole set, but then again it's an investment that you'll probably use until you're sick of it. ;)
What I like most about this set, aside from the portability, is how useful ALL the brushes are. Some brands throw in brushes just to pad the set and make you pay more for them, but in the end you just use five out of say, ten brushes. That's a waste of money. But this Charm set has a well thought out selection with no repetitive or ineffective brushes in it.
Now, like the Version 2 set, this set is not exactly for makeup beginners since the brushes are designed for precision application. But I hope that with this post, you'll learn how to maximize this set whether you're a beginner or an advanced makeup enthusiast!
Face brushes
Eye brushes
The Concealer Brush (top) is perfect for hiding spots, eye bags, and uneven discolorations in your skin. It's best used with cream or liquid concealer. The Foundation Brush, on the other hand, is best with liquid foundation.
Start applying the foundation from the middle of your face and then spread out, thinning the coverage as you go. This trick creates a natural canvas and keeps your face from looking like a mask. The sides of your face tend to be slightly darker so you don't want to cover that up with lighter foundation.
Perfectly-sized concealer brush. This is one of my favorite brushes in the set.
The Powder Brush (top) is best for setting your makeup with loose powder. It's also great for re-touching the t-zone with a pressed powder. The slightly angled Blush Brush can be used for contouring the hollows of your cheeks and applying blush on your cheeks.
Just a note though, the blush brush is dense and a bit stiff, so it applies a lot of pigment in one swipe. Make sure that you take off some of the blush on the back of your hand for a more natural glow on your cheeks.
The Duo Fiber Stippling Brush is a multi-purpose brush that you can use for liquid foundation, liquid/cream blush, and powder face makeup. For applying foundation, use the "stippling" technique. Place the liquid foundation in a clean flat dish and pick it up with the stippling brush. Then, dot the brush all over your face quickly. You'll get an airbrushed finish as opposed to a heavier, more opaque finish when you use the flat synthetic Foundation Brush.
When applying cream or liquid brush, use the same stippling technique but don't forget to swipe the brush over to blend color. You can also use the Stippling Brush to apply a very light, natural layer of powder blush, contour, or or highlighter on your face.
Charm sells a full-sized version of this. The travel version has the exact density and size of the brush head as the big version.
The Wet/Dry Brush (top) is for packing pigment in your eyes. It's not designed for blending. To use, load the brush with eyeshadow and then pat it on your lid for a more intense color. Since the brush it flat, I also like using it for lining my lower lid with eyeshadow.
The Angled Eyeshadow Brush (bottom) is for applying a sheerer color on your lids for a more natural look. You can also use it to contour your eyes due to its thick, round edge. This brush is an over-all brush so if you need to bring only one brush, choose this!
The Crease Brush (bottom) is for applying eyeshadow on your crease and outer-v. It's small, so it's perfect for chinita eyes! The Blending Brush (top) is for blending out harsh lines in your crease makeup. Just go over the obvious lines in a swiping motion to sort of soften them. I also like using this brush for applying brow bone color (like matte beiges) and then using some of the shadow to blend the crease colors together.
The Flat Brush (top) is for lining the lower lids and waterline. Use it with cream eyeliners or eyeshadows. The Bent Liner Brush (bottom) affords you more control and precision when lining your upper lid. It's easier to get a perfect line with it - with a bit of practice, of course.
I've already talked about Charm's Eyebrow Brushes here + did a video on eyebrow grooming, so I suggest you head over to those links to see how you can get perfectly shaded brows! Quickly though, use the Angled Brow Brush (top) to shade your brows then use the Spoolie to blend out the color to match your skin.
The Lip Brush is packed in a sleek pink bullet cap that keeps the whole thing clean and sanitary. Use this brush to apply lipstick, obviously. :P It's pretty good at it since the size and shape allows you to cover more lip area in a shorter amount of time!
And that's it! Hope you found my tips useful. Let me know if you got this brush set and how it worked for you! If you're hesitating about getting it...I hope this photo hemorrhage of a post convinces you. Haha.
Black and pink croc case is stylish and small enough to fit in an overnight or hand-carry bag
All brushes come covered with plastic so that they're clean and well-shaped when you get them. You can also re-use the covers when bringing the brushes individually.
The Charm Travel Pro brush set (P2,200) is now in stock at Beauty and Minerals
Reader Comments (9)
drool...i really wanna get my hands on these soon!:) thanks for the wonderful pictures miss LIz....
Yay! Thanks for this post. I have this set but I usually just use the face brushes. I'm clueless on how to use the smaller ones (except for the brow brush and the spoolie).
Thanks.
Thank you for the interesting review of the Charm set of brushes... I love the pictures and I love how you explained its uses... I am very well-informed and still learning....
The set is an investment for those make-up enthusiasts... I am on the stage of still learning a lot more about make-up so I guess I won't be needing all of these 14 brushes... I only need a foundation brush, blush brush, eye shadow brush and a lip brush (the very essential ones) I think…
Based on your review I will buy the Marionnaud Premium Blush Brush, got a Charm Mini Kabuki brush already and ordered an Avon dual ended eye shadow brush.
Now, I am in need of a lip brush.... do you have recommendations???
Can I use my kabuki brush for applying foundation???
Oh my... I've been using an Angled Brow Brush to apply gel liner thinking that it was an eyeliner brush. HAHAHAHA =)) Oh well... n00bie mistake XD
@dar you should def use the eye brushes, sayang, they're so nice! play with your makeup. ;)
@melanie any lip brush is fine since the purpose is basic naman. you can check out watsons, they usually have lip brushes. nichido has nice ones too!
@lor actually there's such a thing as an angled eyeliner brush! lol! but this one from charm is specially made for eyebrows - it's thicker and more dense, and the hairs are natural instead of synthetic. So if you're using a thin, angled brush with synthetic bristles, that's really for eyeliners talaga. :D
Cool review liz! Thanks
Charm's store is really near where I live... I should really check it out soon. Haha! But I've been saving up for a Shu Uemura brush (any eye brush). I ascribe to the expensive belief that make up brushes are investment pieces. But! I do have one Charm Kabuki brush and it is excellent.
Now, I'm wondering why my post wasn't posted...
Great review Ms. Liz! :D Eyeing the duo fiber brush lately! Hmm, i'm a makeup newbie and i have the Marionnaud brushes pa lang.. They're good naman pero I'm still on a hunt for affordable brushes that would do the work for newbies like me :)) These babies are sooo cute! PINK eh!
Are these brushes synthetic Ms Liz? Can you compare synthetic with natural fibers brushes? :D what's the diff and when is it good/best to use the synthetic and natural ones? :D thank you!
MORE POWER! :)
thanks for the great review, Liz!