Growing up I was always obsessed by clothes and my little sister by skin care and make up. Aged 4 I made a swimsuit out of a Sainsbury’s plastic bag, and during our childhood Lucy practised many a new makeup technique on me with varying degrees of success. So when I was given some make up brushes I knew they would come too much better use in Lucy’s capable hands:
Nothing excites me more than the prospect of new make-up or tools. When n4mummy asked me to try two new sets of make-up brushes, I was over the moon especially as I have time to experiment whilst off work following back surgery (make-up is of course vital to the rehab process!).
L.A.B.2 stands for Live and Breathe Beauty. They are a U.S. brand who has been around since 2014. They have a website and great blog which gives tips on make up application.
I received L.A.B.2’s ‘Strokes of Genius Brush Kit’ (Eyeshadow Brush, Crease Brush, Pointed Eyeliner Brush, Brow & Eyeliner Brush & Brow & Lash Groomer) and ‘I’m Turning Pro Starter Kit’ (Foundation Brush, Contour Brush, Buffing Brush & Eyeshadow Brush). Wow! That was a mouthful!
The brushes are made from synthetic hair and feature ‘FiberLuxe Technology for superior pigment pick-up and optimal release’. This doesn’t mean much to me, but in simpler terms; the brush hairs are very soft yet dense, all brush shapes are very well suited to the task in hand and they do pick up and put make-up on your face extremely well. The black rubberised handles mean the brushes are easy to grip, and each brush is labelled which is very handy. I’m hoping that the wording does not rub off with time… It’s hard to pick a favourite as they’re all brilliant, but I use the spoolie (eyebrow tool), eyeshadow brushes and contour brush every day, so they probably win that one.
The brushes clean well; no hair shedding in sight, although I haven’t had them long enough to see how they cope with multiple rounds of cleaning.
Overall, I love these brushes; they look and feel professional and application is fun and easy with good results. So far they seem on a par (in terms of quality and price) with the Real Techniques brushes I’ve used. I’m definitely discarding my Body Shop brushes of old as the L.A.B. 2 brushes are, in my opinion, superior.
For people interested in these things, the brushes are made in China, and they state on their website that they are cruelty free and not tested on animals – which is great news. However, I did notice that the packaging features a bunny logo but not the official ‘leaping bunny’ logo (which guarantees a product to be 100% free of new animal testing). The brushes are also dermatologist tested, so great for sensitive skin.
The full set of brushes is available at lab2beauty.com, however they don’t ship internationally at the moment so you’re best bet is amazon. Prices range from £15.29-19.99 for the brush kits, so good value in my opinion; individual brushes are also available from £4.74 . Superdrug stock four of the brushes and prices start at £6.99*.
n4mummy loves
- Easy application
- Great Prices
- Cruelty Free
- Dermatologist Tested
*Prices correct at time of writing
Written by Beauty Editor Lucy Meering