This Thumb-Sized Makeup Brush Made My 30 Others Obsolete
ARTISRecently, I found myself staring at my box of beauty tools in horror. It was stuffed with upwards of 30 brushes in every shape and size, sponges, wads of silicone, and even vibrator-esque applicators all meant to do the same thing: make my makeup look undetectable. In a fit of Marie Kondo-like binge cleaning, I decided enough was enough. These brushes couldn't possibly all "spark joy"...nor all be necessary for a smooth complexion. Thankfully, I got a hold of the new Artis Palm Brush-Mini ($52) and it made cutting down my stash easier than ever.
If you're not familiar with Artis, they're the Aston Martins of the makeup brush world. Their signaturepaddle-shaped oval makeup brushes
are a favorite among top beauty vloggers and makeup artists. And, the ultra-natural finish their bristles give is unparalleled. That's thanks to its high number of fibers in each brush (the popular Oval 10, for example has over 250,000 fibers on its head). You get no visible streaks, demarcations, or unevenness that often result from other blenders.
The Palm Brush-Mini is all of the above in an adorable, tiny package. It's literally the size of my thumb—which makes it even easier to maneuver under the eyes, around the nose, and other tricky spots. My foundation process used to be first applying product with a stippling brush, going over with a sponge blender, then finishing with an oval-shaped paddle brush. Now, I just use the mini by itself. Plus, I multitask by using it to evenly blend highlighter, blush, and contouring powders too.
Aside from the sheer, oh-so-Instagrammable cuteness of the mini brush (I admittedly photographed it against champagne bottles, books, and other desk objects out of excitement when I got it), it's also convenient. I like to keep my to-go beauty bags compact and light with just the essentials, so the brush's small shape makes it travel friendly.
On top of all that, I've gotten countless compliments on how glowing and clear my face has looked lately. That's definitely not because of what's happening with my acne-prone skin (I'm in the midst of a terrible breakout, as usual). It's just a testament to the pore-blurring, hyperpigmentation-vanishing powers of the tiny Artis miracle worker. Who needs filters?
Kristina Rodulfo is the Beauty Director of Women's Health—she oversees beauty coverage across print and digital and is an expert in product testing, identifying trends, and exploring the intersections of beauty, wellness, and culture. Prior to Women's Health, the Filipino-American, NYC native and NYU alumna was at ELLE.com for four years. As Senior Beauty Editor, she reported and co-produced the Webby Award-nominated documentary Beat: How Drag Queens Shaped the Beauty Industry and hosted the millions-viewed video series "Beauty Haul." She can never decide whether or not to get bangs, feels naked without winged eyeliner, and will never shut up about running the NYC Marathon.