When searching to upgrade my makeup brushes, I came across Rephr. Their brushes always seemed to pop up, when I watched makeup tutorials of professional makeup artist and I was sure there would be no way for me to afford them. But they often times have their concept store event, where they offers great discounts and I took advantage of it.
Rephr
I saw Rephr brushes being used by professional makeup artist on Youtube and I knew I wanted to try them out at one point. I love the story behind Rephr. Rephr name comes from reference as Rephr strives to make products based on costumer's feedback. Don't we all wish brands would listen to costumers more?! Rephr brushes are all made of goat hair, handcrafted in Kumano, Japan. They often times have concept store offers, which is basically when they sell their brushes at discounts like 40% off so that anyone can get them at affordable prices. What's the catch? You have to write an honest feedback after you've tried them out. I bought mine during concept store event, so they were all 40% off some even 50% off.
Packaging
The packaging is minimalist, but good enough that it protects brushes from damaging. They come wrapped in plastic and they always include bubble wrap.
Brushes have plastic black holders and are made of goat hair, so natural bristles that are white. They are all handcrafted, which means they use uncut hair. The brushes aren't named, they are numbered. The number is printed at the bottom of holder.
Bristles
These are definitely the softest brushes I have ever tried. I know synthetic brushes can be really soft as well, but this is another level. Rephr brushes give you that perfect balance of softness, but still have enough grip to actually hold the product and apply it on the skin.
I love soft brushes, because they don't apply as much product, so you can use very pigmented products and still apply them in a subtle way. Because brush shapes are usually tapered and soft, they blend out products like a dream. If you have problems blending eyeshadows, I dare you to buy one brush from Rephr and suddenly you'll see all eye products apply so much better and easier. I also love face brushes for that perfect contour that doesn't look too intense or like a stripe on the face.
Rephr has their online store and you can buy the brushes here. They often times have their concept store event as well as pro events where they offer brushes at great discounts. They ship worldwide.
Regular price of eye brushes are from 18-24€ per brush and face brushes are from 28-130€ per brush. They also have brush sets which are priced very well, usually cheaper than buying single brushes.
Face Brushes
I have bought a few brushes from Rephr and since my first order I have already reordered some as well as added some new ones. I loved them immediately and wanted to take advantage of discounts.
From left to right: 05, 19, 04 |
05 is cheek brush. It can be used with powder, bronzer, blush or highlighter. I personally love using it for bronzer. It has the perfect rounded, but tapered shape that blends products well, but is still dense enough to apply good amount of products. I also love the size of it as it's not too big, but still not small. It would work for so many face sizes. It has been named as the Best Blush Brush by InStyle Magazine and is one of their favorites.
19 is candle shaped multitasker for the face that can be used for powder, highlighter, blush or contour. I love to use it for highlighter, especially to apply it on bigger area, almost as a finishing powder. It's also great for blush application. This one is slightly longer and more pointed, but I also find it just slightly denser. It's not what I expected, but I found use for it.
04 is angled cheek brush. It has been originally designed for contour, but can also be used for precise application of bronzer, blush or highlighter. This is my favorite Rephr face brush. It's perfect for contour. You can apply very pigmented products with this one, just a few swipes under the cheek bone and you get the most perfect blended defined cheeks with little to no effort. It's again very soft, you don't overdo it, but still packs good payoff as it's slightly denser.
From left to right: 16, 01, 02 |
Eye Brushes
16 is large tapered crease brush. It's actually one of my favorite eye brushes from Rephr and now in general. This has that perfect tapered shape that almost comes to a point. I absolutely love it for the crease. Bristles are so soft and tapered that it blends eyeshadow as you're applying it. It's one of those fluffier brushes, but can still pack on product, so you don't need to keep going back for more. I use it on me and others and it makes it so easy to apply eyeshadows in the crease.
01 is multi-purpose eyeshadow brush. This is that universal shading brush that can be found in other brands as well. It can be used on different eye shapes and can be used with cream or powder products. I find this to be the perfect blending brush, when I finish my eye makeup and want to make a nice blend. I also love it for darkening outer corners or applying a light shadow all over the crease. It has that rounded edge that blends everything nicely. Similar shapes are Zoeva 227 and MAC 217.
02 is classic shading brush. You'll see these type of brush shapes in any brush brands. It's that dense wide brush with rounded edges perfect for applying any shimmery or matte eyeshadows all over the lid. It can be used with powder or cream products. Even though it's soft, it still picks up eyeshadows well, if they're of good quality like Viseart for example. It has the perfect size that it's not too big or too small. It can also be used to smoke out lower lash line.
From left to right: 23, 03 |
23 is the finest pencil brush in Rephr collection. It's also my favorite eyeshadow brush from them. I have been wanting to get a brush like this for ever. It's the tinniest pencil brush I own and it's just perfect for any detailed work. It comes to rounded point, it's dense, but still soft. I love it for applying winged liner with powder eyeshadows. This gives me the perfect soft edge to my liner and I can control where I want to apply eyeshadow. It's great for applying eyeshadow closely around lower lash line, especially on others and can be used for any detailed work like pin point concealing or smudging out liner.
03 is fine pencil brush that is once bigger than 23 and it's the perfect brush for lower lash line or smudging out eye pencils. This is soft enough that it will never feel itchy or poke you around the eyes. It has that pointed shape, so it's great for blending out lines and perfect for detailed work like cut creases. Another favorite of mine, especially when I do makeup on others.
Rephr Gentle Brush Soap
Rephr is known for their brushes, but they are expending and including new products like brush soap, eyelash curler, modular vanity system and the latest being hydration cream. I received their brush soap with the purchase as a free gift and have been obviously using it a lot already. It's regular hard soap in black color and has some subtle classic scent to it. It works perfectly with Rephr brushes, it cleans them well and doesn't leave them dried out.
Performance
Al brushes perform superb. They are all super soft. Some are more fluffy, some denser, but they all have the ability to pack on product without too much effort and blend it as well.
I have already washed my Rephr brushes several times and I can say there have been no problems with hairs falling out or brushes looking frayed.
The bristles are soft, so I recommend you to use those meshes for brushes to put on when they're drying to keep in perfect shape, but even without it, they're fine. Always wash them upside down and dry them that way as well, avoiding any heat or sun which can melt the glue and make hairs fall out. You can clean them with regular soap bar or use gentle baby shampoo and occasionally treat them with conditioner like you would your hair. But it's not necessary. Good makeup brush can last you a life time, if you take good care of it.
I have to say, these are the best brushes I currently own. They're the best, because they are the softest and most comfortable brushes, but still pick up products and give good payoff. They make blending eyeshadows so much easier. There are several shapes to choose from and I think their selection really has something for everybody. Sizes are made so that they fit most face and eye shapes, they're not too big nor too small. If you buy them on concept store events, you'll pay as much as you would for any other good quality synthetic brush like for example from Zoeva or MAC and you get much better quality here. I will for sure be buying more in the future.
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