Review : Shopping experience with iHerb

Yep, that's right. My very first iHerb haul.

I got to know about iHerb about a few months ago, stalking the site, coveting, and adding it to my wishlist.

But I never really got the chance to purchase anything until recently when I started working part-time. 

So when I saw Fiona from Street Love sharing about her haul from iHerb and shared her coupon, without  hesistation I swooped up at the opportunity and checkout a few items I had been wanting for sometime. Brushes! I have loads of makeup but very few proper brushes. Let's see what the stork brought in! 

Ecotools Brushes

1. Ecotools Deluxe Fan
2. Ecotools Flat Eyeliner
3. Ecotools Airbrush Concealer

Real Technique Brushes

1. Real Technique Miracle Complexion Sponge
2. Real Technique Silicone Liner Brush
3. Real Technique Retractable Lip Brush
4. Real Technique Setting Brush

A cute free gift!

1. Ecotools Brushes

Don't they look gorgeous? I iz so happyyyyyy <3

When I held my Ecotools brushes, taking them out from their protective casing I noticed that the casing felt dirty or looked smudged. See the red circles in the picture above? Yep, those fairly noticable patches on the pouches. Not sure what it is, but it did bug me a little. 

I found something interesting about the Ecotools packaging. Instead of using void stickers, Ecotools used a hidden tag pin to avoid tampering of their products. By doing so, you can be rest assured that your babies won't be tampered with. When I saw this, I felt relieved that my brushes were not swapped or disturbed in anyway. Sorry, it's an Asian thing I guess. Here's a video to explain it : 

Anyway, moving on. When it comes to packaging, Ecotools hands down has the best packaging for brushes I have ever come across. It does not feel or look cheap but it comes with an affordable price tag! Below are some up-close pictures on the physical attributes of the brushes. 

Engraved logo on the 'necks' of the brushes.

Brand printed at the end of their brushes.

The names of the brushes are also printed on the bodies of the brush.

Quick Review

At the moment, I have used Ecotools Deluxe Fan Brush and Ecotools Airbrush Concealer Brush for about two weeks now.  

I purchased Ecotools Deluxe Fan because of my super pigmented blushers such as my Sleek Blush-by-3 in Lace that has three lovely colours but if not applied with a light hand or brush, the chances of looking like a clown is without a doubt all-time high. The bristles of Ecotool Deluxe Fan is surprisingly quite thick and fluffy for a fan brush. The previous fan brushes I had was ELF Studio Fan Brush and Bellapierre Fan Brush. Both of them looks like scrawny, sick brushes if placed side by side with Ecotools Deluxe Fan Brush. I am happy to share that it works just the way I imagined to work. I glided it on my Sleek Blush-By-3 in Lace blush and gentle swept it across my cheek, leaving a faint, natural looking tint. It does not pick up too much product or too little, it picks up a right amount of product. The thing that bugs me is the size. It is quite a big in size and if you are petite or have a small face area, it is best to avoid this brush. 

As for the Ecotools Airbrush Concealer, I-am-in-love! I am currently using Skinfood's Salmon Dark Circle Concealer Cream which its texture is tricky to work with. So far I have not found any concealer brush that could blend my Skinfood Salmon Dark Circle Concealer Cream without leaving it streaky or sticky. I had always been using my ring finger to melt it and blend it gentle under my eyes. But for this Ecotools Airbrush Concealer, its a whole new ball game. I can now blend my stubborn concealer with a brush! It also blends my Skinfood Banana Concealer Stick very well. The bristles are soft, hence its gentle on sore pimples.

2. Real Techniques Brushes

A repurchase!

Quick Review

As for now, I have only managed to test out and use the Real Techniques Setting Brush and Real Techniques Silicone Liner Brush. In my previous post, I did share my thoughts on Real Techniques Expert Face Brush which was suprisingly not soft nor fluffy and that has instilled this 'fear' of another 'miss product' from Real Techniques.

Real Techniques Setting Brush did caught me off-guard because I was expecting it to fail me just like its fellow Expert Face brush. But no, it didn't and boy, I was glad that it actually works. The bristles is soft and extremely gentle to the skin. The bristles picked up powder products very well, hence a light hand would be the best method to go especially when it comes to setting the undereye concealer.

Now, here's the irony. This particular brush was the one that initiated my 'will' to place an order with iHerb because I had recently started using my gel liners again. I excitedly removed this brush from its packaging and dipped it into my ELF Cream Liner in Black to draw on the back of my hand, just to find that it is just another.. gimmick. Ladies and gentleman, I give you - Real Techniques Silicone Liner Brush. Yes, I am THAT disappointed. A detailed review coming soon. 

Conclusion and Recommendations

Shipping and Parcel

My parcel arrived in good condition and I was surprised to see that my items were not bubble-wrapped. There was only one big, crumpled brown paper on the top to lessen the movements of the items in the box. I paused for a moment to get over the Asian thing where all items MUST be bubble-wrapped - no kidding. 

Most online beauty stores I have shopped with wraps every.single.product.with.loads.of.bubblewrap. So I got over the minor 'shock' and proceeded to laser scan every item ensuring its in good condition. All's good. 

About the shipping, I initially wanted to opt for International Airmail because its cheaper but it does not have a tracking number. A big NO. My precious cargo paid with my hard-earned money missing? No way. Nuh-uh. So DHL it is! iHerb did clarify on their site regarding their International Shipping : 

1. Orders going through DHL or UPS have tracking information, and are delivered a lot quicker than International Airmail. 
2. Orders going through International Airmail are scrutinized less by customs in your country and subject to less custom duties, but have no tracking information, and take longer for delivery.

So, I would recommend opting for DHL to save on the future headaches and unnecessary worries. Share with your friends or family, its more fun that way. Share the shopping guilt. Ha ha. 

I love how iHerb provides an approximated currency conversion amount beside its Dollar price. It's super convenient, helps me to decided quicker and not waste time 'copying & pasting' and converting the Dollar price on XE Converter to obtain the Malaysian currency. 

Products

Based on the items I have ordered, I would recommend : 

• Real Techniques Setting Brush 
• Real Techniques Miracle Complexion Sponge
• Real Techniques Retracable Lip Brush 
• Ecotools Deluxe Fan Brush (Not recommended for petite/small face area)
• Ecotools Airbrush Concealer 
• Ecotools Flat Eyeliner (Not recommended for small eyes)

Hope this post have helped you one way or another. Ah, you are still reading! Great! Before you leave this page and decide to place an order with iHerb...

Please key in this code "FMP835" to receive $10 off your first order. Share and spread the love to your friends and family! 

Thank you for reading! :) 

Love,
Sarah :)