Zoeva Brush Review

Zoeva Brushes and Brush Belt

This rather huge haul was done few months back. I was hearing a lot of good things about their brushes so I boldly did a big haul from a company I never bought anything from before. Thankfully wasn't a flop. :)

Zoeva is cosmetics company that does makeup and brushes. They are lower end of the mid-range as far as price goes. They are affordable but they are not dirt cheap. Definitely a good range to start with if you don't have a brush collection. 

First one up is 227 Soft Definer Eye Brush. I love my MAC 217, and since the new MAC 217s don't measure up to old ones, I am on a constant search for a brush that functions similarly. While 227 is nice, it is a bit different from MAC 217. It is fluffier and not as tapered. It blends well but isn't too directional. 227s fluffiness is comparable to Hakuhodo J5523 but again, not as tapered. This brush basically fails to be MAC 217 in ways that most "dupes" fail to be MAC 217. Does that make it a dupe? Lol. The brush is nice and soft but it's not too soft to render it useless for blending.

MAC 217, Zoeva 227, Hakuhodo J5523

I also got 228 Crease Brush. I wanted a fluffy blending brush I could blend in a more blown out fashion or a soft wash of color. I don't exactly have a similar brush to compare it to since I usually don't do blown out blending. For me, it doesn't work the best for super heavy duty blending like getting rid of harsh edges of dark outer v color but it works well blending transition color or blending colors together. Not the softest but it's not scratchy either. 

Zoeva 228 Crease Brush Comparison

Surprisingly I've gotten a lot of use out of 225 Eye Blender. I purchased it to do a precise blending or crease work on my small eyes. Again, this brush also lacks the snap and density to do heavy duty blending but it does work for "regular" blending. What I have been really liking this for is color lay down. 225 lays down soft color evenly on the lid and crease. As a person who doesn't really like super dark crease shading, 225 has been fantastic.

Suqqu M, Zoeva 225 Eye Blender 225, Koyudo C011, Fine Kalla KK-004

I LOVE MAC 239. It's an only brush I have a double of. It's a perfect shader in my opinion. Zoeva 234 smokey shader brush looked similar so I had to buy it. Zoeva 234 pretty much work the same. It's not as dense and stiff in the wide part of the brush as MAC 239 but very very similar. Zoeva 234 looks more rounded compared to MAC 239 in the picture but there's that much variation in the MAC 239s. I just tend to pick out more rectangular ones. If you like MAC 239 and want multiples of it, check out Zoeva 234 in interest of saving money. 

I also have Bobbi Brown Touch Up brush as MAC 239 dupe but Zoeva 234 is softer. That particular Bobbi Brown brush is pokey pokey. 

MAC 239, Zoeva 234 Smokey Shader 

Next up is Zoeva 230 Pencil Brush. Right after I wash/shape it, it comes to a precise point. After a couple of uses and spot cleaning, it fluffs up a bit and loses the point. It functions less like a pencil brush and more like a small laydown brush for me. Bristles are soft enough to use head on. 

Sigma Synthetic E30, Zoeva 230, Hakuhodo G5548

These two are probably my favorites. 110 Face Shape Brush and 142 Concealer Buffer Brush. Both are dense synthetic brushes. They are not as dense as Sigma Sigmax brushes which makes them not as stiff. 110 Face Shape is smaller than synthetic brushes that are often used to apply liquid foundation. The size is perfect for doing face shaping things like contouring and placing blush/highlighter. This brush is really unique in my collection and well loved! 142 Concealer Buffer is even more well loved. It's hard to pin point why this brush works so well but this brush converted me from using my fingers to blend concealer to using a brush. This is not so stiff and dense that it removes concealer from the face but it does blend it out well. It's directional enough that I can blend out the edges of placed concealer instead of blending over the whole thing. I love it. I would totally get a backup. 

Zoeva 110 Face Shape, 142 Concealer Buffer

Two more. Almost there! 105 Luxe Highlight is tapered/rounded brush. Size and shape is ideal for contouring and highlighting. I really like it. It doesn't "catch" on my base like Real Techniques Contour Brush. It's soft and has medium density. 

Finally! I am unfortunately going to end with a downer. Zoeva 124 was the most disappointing brush. I bought it to use stipple on my foundadtion. It HURTS to do this. I can't use it. I can use it for powder but still scratchy. So I don't grab for this really. I was quite surprised since other synthetic brushes are so soft. Maybe I got a dud. 

Sigma F88, Zoeva 124, Sedona Lace 928

Whew. That is all the brushes. I actually unintentionally left out 231 Petit Crease Brush. It feels like a bigger version of the pencil brush. Maybe a bit more scratchy. 

I may have made the brushes sound mediocre. In my collection, they are. Aside from Face Shape and Concealer Buffer (these are absolute faves). That is because I have spent ridiculous amount of money and time getting brushes I love. I am absolutely spoiled when it comes to brushes. Not that all expensive brushes are good but when it comes to natural bristle brushes, good ones often come with the price tag because the bristles themselves are expensive. Do Zoeva brushes measure up to Suqqu, Chikuhodo, and the likes? No. But they are significantly better than other ones I've tried from similar price range. They are also better than ones you pay a lot for the "brand name," you know? If you don't have a extensive brush collection, Zoeva is a great place to start.

They are available on https://www.zoeva-shop.de/