Over a scrumptious midweek dinner, I told my girl friends that I’m always on the fence every time Beauty and Minerals comes up with a new brush set. Two reasons: 1) Sophie is a very good friend hence folks might think that my reviews are swayed by this bit and 2) I’ve never encountered a single dud/lemon brush reason why historically speaking, I’ve never had anything not-so positive to say about her products. Disclaimer aside, I’d like to share with you my two cents on her latest makeup brush set aka. the Charm Travel PRO V3 (Php 2200).

Big fact: my fave colour combination of all time’s always been black, hot/neon pink, and gray. That said, can you tell that aesthetics wise, I’m already head over heels over this brush set?!?! Sophie’s amped it big time this round from the packaging and colour combo to the beautiful, sassy black faux croc pouch plus hot pink zippers. She says “classy and sassy”. I say gorgeous!

Popping the brush bag open, I had a mini heart attack.

each brush has a protective plastic cover upon purchase

some brushes sport a reusable sleeve to keep it in pristine shape

What you should know about Charm brushes in general’s that there’s lots of blood, sweat, and tears love involved in every version. Sophie takes all of the comments and suggestions from her customers and considers them every time she’s cooking up with a new set/version. Every prototype’s stress tested (is the handle too heavy, is the hair too soft/stiff, are the natural haired brushes bleeding after X washes, etc.) before approving for retail production. Basta, you’re sure to have a better if not the best brush set every time.

Since Sophie’s dubbed this brush set as a travel version of her PRO brushes, I thought it would be swell to put the two versions side by side for comparison. I also used the same products when I compared the brushes for consistency.

foundation & concealer brushes

I think there’s not much difference when I applied some MAC Studio Fix Fluid SPF 15 on my face with the two foundation brushes. Both brushes were soft yet there’s good control considering the length of the synthetic hair. There’s more comfort though applying foundation on someone else using the PRO version though because of its overall proportion (brush handle to hair, hair to actual angle when applying makeup on someone either standing or seated). Road testing the concealer brush is a different story. The PRO version’s best for blemishes and the undereye area while the travel version worked damn stellar on my eye area and the sides of my nose. It’s super cushy soft too and left absolutely no streaks because of this feat. Not a single tug felt too!

stippling, angled blush, and powder brushes

No difference on the non-bleeding (yes, they absolutely did not bleed on me) stippling brushes. I think they’re (discounting the handle length) actually identical and equally amazing. They’re so sleek and down right efficient. So efficient I’m a proud owner of 3 PRO sized stippling brushes (now being sold separately for Php 700). :) These brushes are my go-to magic wands when applying HD foundation, pigmented blushes, and luminizers. The angled blush and powder brushes from the travel PRO set are softer compared to the PRO version (not that the former version’s hard nor stiff). There’s no difference really in terms of its application result but I just like the touch feel of the travel PRO by just a wee bit.

wet/dry eyeshadow brush, blending brush, pencil point brush

angled eyeshadow (I don’t have the PRO size), flat liner, eyebrow shading brush, brow spoolie, bent eyeliner brush, lip brush

What’s my take on these slim brushes? They’re absolute must haves! You can even raid my boudoir and you will see these brushes abused and soiled while my former MAC, shu uemura, and Japonesque loves are well, squeaky clean. Don’t get me wrong — I still love my mainstream branded brushes but for some reason my right hand always nab these babies first.

Overall, I have to say that for personal use, this is Beauty and Minerals’ best brush set to date. They’re absolutely wonderful as a bunch and highly affordable considering its high quality. Check them out at Purbeauty (2/F Serendra, Bonifacio Global City) and see for yourself why I’ve gone nuts over this brush set! :)