Although brushes aren’t as exciting to review as nail polish or makeup, I find them very useful.

Makeup brushes are something you use on a daily basis (well, provided that you wear cosmetics). And a lot of them can be quite pricey.

Sure, I have a lot of Sigma makeup brushes, but when something new comes out that looks amazing, I’m very tempted to try it. But, the high price usually holds me back. Unlike a bottle of nail polish, a brush can be quite the investment.

For that reason, I haven’t bought a new brush in a very long time. But then the Urban Decay Good Karma Optical Blurring Brush came out along with a new liquid foundation.

Being a fan of the Urban Decay brand (their products are top-notch), I caved and bought both the brush and the foundation.

I’ve tried out the brush for quite some time, and now I feel like I can honestly review its performance. Let me tell you more about this brush that’s been getting so much hype lately!

Urban Decay Good Karma Optical Blurring Brush Pictures

Claims: TRUSTED, but Product: HOLY GRAIL STATUS!

√ Buffs foundation to avoid streakiness
√ Can be used to apply liquid to powder foundations
√ Dense bristles allows for easy manoeuvring around the entire face area
√ Helps create a flawless finish

Key Notes

• Name: Urban Decay Good Karma Optical Blurring Brush
• What I Paid: $26 CAD
• Where to Buy: Urban Decay website, Sephora stores & Sephora website (out of stock now, but will be restocked in January, according to the website)

Urban Decay Good Karma Optical Blurring Brush Review

Bristles

No matter how you hold this brush and use it, the bristles are always super soft despite any angle. They’re so soft that I bet when you first feel it with your hand, you’re going to start petting it. Hehe! The bristles feel wonderfully soft on your face, too.

The bristles are soft, but they’re densely packed (not floppy!), so they pick up your foundation well and distribute it onto your face easily.

They’re in a domed shape, and when you press the brush against your skin, the bristles don’t just bend over – they stay straight. What does this mean? Product doesn’t just get hidden in the bristles – it goes on your face. Less waste product!

The bristles are also synthetic, which I prefer. Natural bristles can be itchy or have a weird smell after you’ve washed them. Since they’re synthetic, that means they’re also cruelty-free! 🙂

Washing the bristles takes some time and a few lathers because they’re so dense. And make sure you give them a lot of time to dry! (I’m actually thinking about buying a second one so I can be a little lazier with the brush cleaning…)

Handle

The handle is made of recycled aluminum, which I think is great because it’s better for the environment.

It’s very smooth and is round and cylindrical. But closer to the bristles it gets a little wider. This makes it easier to hold. I know that some people like to hold the brush closer to the bristles, and with this handle design, doing so makes it very comfortable. But you can also hold the handle farther away, and it’s comfortable, too.

Performance

The Urban Decay Optical Blurring Brush has become my new favourite foundation brush because it feels wonderful on the skin, it applies foundation easily, and it feels so soft on my face!

I used to use an Everyday Minerals flat top or round top kabuki brush daily to apply loose mineral foundation, but since using this one, I’ve completely switched over!

The Optical Blurring Brush from Urban Decay works better because the bristles are shorter than the one I was using before, and, like I said, the bristles don’t bend/flop over, so the product doesn’t get lost in the bristles and it goes on your face instead.

It works fabulously with loose mineral makeup, which is what I used to test this brush out initially. But since I also ended up buying the Urban Decay Naked Skin foundation at the same time, I ended up trying this brush with that, too, since it’s a liquid foundation. (Sometimes brushes that work well for powders don’t apply liquid foundation well.)

Plus, I’m a liquid-foundation newbie, so I wanted to see if this brush would truly deliver great results, even if you haven’t learned the skills or tips and tricks on applying liquid foundation.

I find that it’s great to first stipple on the liquid foundation, buff it out, but then use a stippling motion again to get rid of any brush strokes. If you use the brush like this, you’ll get the best finish.

If you’re using a powder like mineral makeup, you can buff it and not worry about stippling, unless you need concentrated coverage in a certain section.

I’m happy to report that this brush gave me impressive results to the point where I felt like I could be really lazy and not take long to blend, and the foundation would still look great! That speaks volumes about the quality and design of the Urban Decay Optical Blurring Brush! (By the way, I’ll be posting a review on the Urban Decay Naked Skin foundation in the near future. It’s definitely on my to-do list because I’ve been testing it out for quite some time and feel that I’m ready to share my thoughts on it.)

Animal-Friendliness

Since the bristles are synthetic, this product is cruelty-free! If shopping for animal-friendly products is very important to you, you’ll be happy to learn this.

Price

The price for this brush may be expensive to someone who doesn’t buy brushes often or purchases ones like Sigma brushes. However, considering that you’ll be using a foundation brush daily, I feel like it’s a worthwhile investment. After all, if a brush makes your foundation look better and you can apply it faster, isn’t that worth it?

Packaging

It comes housed in a cute cylindrical package that protects the bristles and the handle. Plus I like how it’s not just exposed like a lot of brushes for everyone to touch. (Sure, you should wash your brushes thoroughly before using them, but it grosses me out a bit when I think about brushes on display that tons of customers have touched with dirty hands.)

Pros Vegan Handle made from recycled aluminum Dense, super soft bristles make applying foundation a snap Packaging protects bristles

Cons Pricey Dense bristles take longer to wash & dry

Final Verdict: 10/10

The Urban Decay Good Karma Optical Blurring Brush is incredible. It certainly lives up to the hype, and I’ve enjoyed using it so much that this is now the only brush I use to apply my foundation every single day!

If it’s within your budget, I suggest you give this one a shot. It may very well shorten the time it takes you to get ready in the morning!

What are some of your favourite makeup brushes? Do you wear foundation? If so, what kind?