Let’s be honest here, Morphe Brushes is not one of my favorite brands. First, it’s one of these white label companies (like those I mentioned in my anti haul) but also, they use and abuse of affiliations with “influencers“, which just annoys me.
But before doing a little research on the subject and having a better understanding on how all this business actually works, I was tempted by some of their brushes. With all the YouTubers always raving about the brand, it was difficult to resist.
So I bought some of their brushes, some from the standard range and others from the Elite collection, which is a little more high end.
I wasn’t really convinced by the standard brushes. They are quite cheap, so it’s obviously appealing, but the quality is quite inconsistant. They don’t really hold their shape after a few washes and some of them even shred quite quickly. In short, let’s say that for the price, you don’t want to and shouldn’t expect too much.
However, and it came as a surprise for me, I absolutely love the brushes from the Elite collection. But by the time I decided to write a review here, this collection has been discontinued. Luckily, a few months later, Morphe launched a new range to replace it: the Elite 2 collection, which is suppose to be even better. Of course, all the affiliated influencers have already spread the word about this range saying that it’s better and it’s incredible and what not.
As I had enjoyed the first collection so much, I thought it might be nice to try some new brushes and also to buy a back up of some of the brushes from the first collection that I love, to have spare ones. (you know, just in case) (#hoarder) tongue
So let’s see if the second version of this Elite collection is better than the first one! wink
Morphe Brushes Elite 2 collection, presentation:
Morphe kept some of the brushes from the first collection and added new ones. so I ordered 8 brushes from the Elite 2 collection, and 2 were supposed to be the same as those I had from the previous Elite collection:
– the E41: a big face powder brush,
-the E42: a angled bronzer brush,
– the E34: a blush brush,
– the E3: a medium face powder brush (I already own this one from the previous Elite Collection),
– the E48: a small powder brush I use to set my eye concealer (it’s also the second E48 I own),
– the E49: another small powder brush I use to set my eye concealer,
– the E13: a shader eye makeup brush,
– the E36: a pencil eye makeup brush.
These are all made with brown synthetic bristles (so they’re vegan and cruelty-free, obviously lol). The bristles are quite soft (except on one of them). The handle appears to be in black resin (I don’t think it’s wood) and the ferrule is in metal. They look rather nice. Very classic, but nice.
The prices are quite affordable, as always in this brand. The most expensive brush retails for $22.99 dollars (it’s the E41).
Morphe Brushes Elite 2 collection, my test and thoughts:
- – The E41:
A very big face powder brush, I use it mainly with loose powder. It’s not too dense, it’s perfect for a light powder application on the face. The bristles are soft, which is always nice.
However, it’s not very well made and the ferrule is not well fixed to the handle so it moves a little when I use it, which makes me fear that it won’t last very long… For a $22.99 makeup brush, it’s quite disappointing. uneasy
- – The E42:
A very nice discovery. I use this big angled powder brush for applying my bronzer. It’s quite dense so it can pack a lot of product on the skin but it also helps to blend quite easily. Its angled shape really eases the product application.
I love it especially with my MUFe Pro Bronze Fusion or my Too Faced Milk Chocolate Soleil bronzer.
It retails for $16.99.
- – The E34:
This one is a blush brush. I am very picky about my blush brushes but I love this one: it’s round, dense but not too much (you can blend easily) and it’s soft. As the bristles are synthetic, I think it also works with cream blushes but I confess that I have not tried (it’s way too hot here for cream blushes at the moment lol).
Its price: $16.99.
- – The E3:
It’ one of my favorite brushes from the first Morphe Elite collection. I adore it for a super feathery application of pressed powders (face powder or bronzer). The shape of the new E3 is slightly less tappered than the first version but to be honest, it doesn’t really translate on the skin and the quality of application is almost the same. This brush is ideal for a very diffuse application of a product. For example, I love it with my Hourglass Dim Light Ambient Lighting powder.
Its price $16.99.
- – The E48:
Same thing, I’m obsessed with this brush from the first Elite Collection, and I absolutely wanted a second one just in case the first one would disintegrate (yep, I am chronically anxious lol).
Unfortunately, when I received it, I was pretty annoyed. The shape of the new one is really different from the one from the first Elite Collection. I mainly use this brush to apply loose powder under my eyes and set my concealer (yes, I know, it seems super high maintenance but I assure you that my concealer doesn’t crease and lasts so much longer with this technique! #winning bigsmile ). So I found the slightly pointed shape perfect for that purpose. The new version is much rounder and even if it applies the powder rather well, the other was more precise. What a disappointment. sad
It’s still quite soft and the powder application is light, so it’s not a bad brush. But the previous version was better…
Its price is $8.99.
- – The E49:
So, as I was disappointed with the E48, I ordered this E49 because the shape seemed better. This is a flat brush, but quite fluffy and with a slightly elongated shape. The shape is actually perfect for the application of powder under the eye. However, I have 2 issues with this brush: it’s quite scratchy and the ferrule is not well fixed to the handle, so it moves when I use it. Another disappointment. sad
It’s a shame because it applies the powder quite well. But the scratchiness (is it a word?) is quite annoying, especially in this sensitive area of the face.
It retails for $9.99.
- – The E13:
This is a soft and fluffy shader brush. I use it to pack on softly some eyeshadow and to blend it. It works great for both purposes. The bristles are soft on the eye and it does the job.
Its price is $7.99.
- – The E36:
The E36 is a tiny pencil brush, with a precise pointed shape. It’s perfect to blend an eyeliner and apply some eyeshadow along the lash line. It’s quite dense but it’s not scratchy (not always the case with this kind of brush). It’s a good brush.
It retails for $4.99.
Finally, here are some photos to compare the shapes between the brushes from the former Morphe Elite collection VS the new Elite 2 collection:
The old E3 is a little more fluffy than the new one, but honestly, when you use it, it doesn’t feel super different. However, the 2 E48 brushes have a very different shape, don’t you think?
So, in summary:
[wprs-pros][wprs-cons]
The Morphe Elite 2 collection is not a bad collection but of the 8 brushes I own, 2 have an issue with their ferrule, which makes me think that they won’t last very long and I never had this problem with any of the brushes from the first Elite collection.
So as you probably understood, I prefer the old Elite collection. Too bad, isn’t it? wink
I’m not sure what happened with Morphe and why they had to stop the production of their first Elite collection, which was quite unanimously appreciated. Maybe they had to change factories and they couldn’t produce these specific models of brushes, I have no idea… But anyway, it’s a bit of a shame, in my opinion.
The Morphe Brushes Elite 2 collection is available on Morphe brushes website and the prices vary between $4.99 and $22.99. dollars
And you, tempted by this new Elite 2 collection? Did you know the brand Morphe Brushes? Thoughts?
Photo credit: bonnie-garner.com