LAB² stands for Live and Breathe Beauty. This synthetic brush range hails from America and were developed by celebrity MUA Brett Freedman. Take a look at his Instagram page (@BrettGlam) to get a flavour if is LA lifestyle peppered with unicorns, and his own cosmetics range which is available from Sephora. It gives you an insight into the creative force behind the brand and why the brushes have been named as they have.
If you are looking for a cruelty free hypallergenic brush range that you can pick up in your local Superdrug, this might just be the range for you. The bristles are a special synthetic fibre which feel very much like the bristles on the Revolution brushes that Royal and Langnickel collaborated with Kevin Bennett on. The fibres are very soft and smooth but there have a tactility about them as opposed to be super smooth which indicates that they will be good at picking up both powder and cream/liquid product. These brushes are a real lint and dust magnet. The ferrule is titanium and has a oil on water effect in the light. The handles are rubberised so both comfy and wipeable if like me, you sometimes decide to put product on with your fingers, and then go to pick up a brush and end up with foundation / concealer, lippie all over your brush! The larger brushes can stand up by themselves on a flat surface. The eyeshadow brush doesn’t. Washing is a breeze, the bristles don’t bleed and they dry quickly.
I’m Turning Pro Brush Kit (£18.99)
This set of four brushes is a great way to start your brush collection.
Buffing Brush – Lab 2 say that this is a powder brush, but I prefer it for cream foundation. It is densely packed with short bristles and I personally prefer a fluffier brush for powder. This brush however, with a spritz of Smashbox Primer water is a great alternative to a beauty blender. It’s shape is like a very slightly rounded kabuki so it gets into the contours of your face with ease and buffers products to an air brush type finish
Contour brush – This gently angled brush make is perfect for defining the face and I find that I use it for highlight and contour. It is also great to sweep powder under the eyes to set concealer as has a narrow profile that seems hug the lower lash line perfectly.
Foundation Brush – Ummmm… my face is large and round. This brush is very small. I did attempt to do my whole face with this brush but it was an enterprise that I quickly abandoned as it took so blimin long! Good for concealer or if you have a tiny face.
Eyeshadow Brush – this is the only eyeshadow brush that I have and I like it alot. It is great for packing on colour which is what I mainly use it for but it is not too big to blend with either and really good with cream eyeshadow products.
Triple Threat Multi Purpose Brush (£11.99)
This brush is my favourite. It is not revolutionary in terms of brush shape. it is a flat top kabuki brush but it is amazing with liquid foundation. it is densely packed by not stiff so you can blend and blend with out irritating the skin. I have used it to apply tinted moisturiser as well and everyithng just lays beautifully. Love this brush.
Make Me Blush Brush (£9.99)
In terms of shape, this is my favourite shape brush. It is round and tapered. the bristles are not long enough for ti to be a tulip shape but it is great for blush application if you apply gently. if you press down too much and splay the bristles, you may find that you end up with too much blusher on your face. This brush in my opinion is great for powder foundation of i you like to set down a heavy layer of powder to finish your look this is the one to go for.
On a Powder Trip Brush (£11.99)
This brush is less dense then some of the other face brushes and the bristles are slightly longer. The paddle shape comes from the slightly pinched at the top ferrule and the result is a beautifully soft brush that work well with finishing powders and is large enough to cover the face in a few swipes and lovely for buffing a final layer of translucent powder to give the face an ‘air brushed’ look.
My Recommendations
There are over 20 brushes in the range and a set of eyeshadow brushes as well as lip brushes so this is a full brush range. The prices are really affordable, especially when Superdrug is running a three for two offer so you can get some real bargains. I do think however that you don’t NEED the whole set as there are brushes with duplicate functions so it comes down to personal choice. For me the Triple Threat and the Multi Purpose brush serve the same function – it is just about whether you prefer a flat top or rounded kabuki style brush. they are both equally good. The same applies to the contour brush and the blush brush. If you prefer an angled brush for your cheek colour, go for the contour brush. I would recommend stocking up on the eye brushes though.
LAB2 brushes are available from Superdrug. Prices start from £5.99
PR Sample