Rae Morris works her magic on supermodels and actresses. Today we look at whether any of this can be transferred to ordinary makeup users through her brush range.
Rae Morris is the go-to makeup artist for the big names in the high fashion and entertainment industry. Her clients range from supermodels such as Shanina Shaik, to singers including Kelly Rowland and Jessica Mauboy and global personalities like Trinny Woodall. Morris is best known internationally as the longest serving director for L’Oreal Paris (2003-2013) and has quite literally written the book on makeup — she has many books in fact which are used to teach makeup artists in training.
As a teen, it was impossible not to see Morris' work everywhere. Australian celebrities like Cate Blanchett, Miranda Kerr or Kylie Minogue seen on the front cover of Vogue, Harper’s Bazaar, Marie Claire and the likes were usually accompanied by the tiniest attribution of Morris' name on page 3 of the magazine. In no way or form did Rae Morris have a tiny influence though. Almost every teenager I went to school with bought a fashion magazine at least once a month. We'd diligently hold on to our glossy images in the fear that our teachers would confiscate them. In a way, our teachers' drawers could be considered libraries which chronicled Morris' makeup. Her work shaped much of my generation's understanding of editorial beauty in a way that Instagram now shapes the teenagers of today.
I had the pleasure of an extremely brief meeting with Rae Morris after watching a demonstration of her work many years ago. From my recollection, she's a warm and friendly woman who is quite open with sharing her techniques. Not all makeup artists I've seen over the years are as liberal with their secret tips and tricks. I did buy her Express Makeup book back in the day and her Makeup Masterclass book is on my wishlist.
"My brushes are the secret behind many of my most famous creations."
The Rae Morris brushes have gone through a number of iterations. First there were the Chinese and Korean made ones, then they went magnetic, then finally production was moved to Japan, the home of fude where these ones, the Jishaku range evolved. The brushes are aptly named because the Japanese word 'jishaku' means 'magnet'. What distinguishes the Rae Morris fude brushes from the rest are their magnetic capability.
This is going to be an extremely long post with so many brushes to go through, so grab a drink and snack. As always, there will be subtitles and photos for every section should you want to skip ahead. I'm going to cover the face brushes first and go through them in order of my makeup application, then talk about the eyeshadow brushes so the brush numbers will appear out of order.
The contents are:
Price, availability, packaging
Rae Morris Jishaku brushes currently range from AUD $45 to $200 a piece. Curated sets are also available for purchase. They're available for purchase directly from her website raemorris.com, from online retailers Beautylish, Cult Beauty and Net-A-Porter. In Australia, they can be found in store at Mecca Cosmetica branches.
I paid full price for some of my brushes but managed to snag some from Beautylish (free international delivery for orders over USD$35 but a 10% GST charged in USD to Australian purchasers) and the official website at a 30% discount as they were clearing out old stock. Purchasers who sign up for the newsletter and buy directly from the Rae Morris website will receive 10% their first order. Delivery from raemorris.com is free for orders over AUD$100.
I purchased the bulk of mine from the Rae Morris website with the rest piecemeal from the other sites because they are very expensive. These. Are. Expensive. The majority of the brushes I will discuss begin at prices over AUD $80 each now. Each brush is packaged in an enclosed plastic sleeve. Some brushes come with a brush guard as I believe they're suggesting that they should be used when drying them after washing. Purchasing directly from the website will ensure your brushes are wrapped in tissue paper and enclosed inside another box. Purchases from Mecca, Net-A-Porter and Beautylish are similarly packaged but in the retailer's own box of choice. Net-A-Porter is the most zealous with how protected its products are. With lots of padding, they also enclose the wrapped products within an additional zip-lock bag for extra protection.
The Jishaku First Edition Brushes
My brushes are the First Edition Jishaku brushes which are made of natural goat and grey squirrel hairs. These brushes have magnetic capabilities so they can be stored upright on any metal surface, although designated plates and steel holders are available as accessories from Rae Morris. I don't have the Rae Plate or Rae Frame but the brushes stick well enough to the bottom of an old mini cake tin. The handles are made from a hard maple and cherry wood that is sturdy yet lightweight. The numbers on the brushes are carved into the handle so they're subtle but they will never rub off. The Jishaku ranges are handmade in Japan.
I'm very late to the party with my review. Readers who are not first time visitors to my blog know that I'm late to every product because I like to take my sweet time before putting up a post. I confess that the main reason I was very hesitant to buy these in the first place was because there were a distinct lack of reviews for the Jishaku range. Sonia G on Sweet Makeup Temptations stopped reviewing Rae Morris brushes after they went magnetic the first time. She made some harsh but deserved criticisms of the early editions. On top of that, very few reviews of the Japanese made Jishaku range can be found online. I spent a considerable amount of time Googling away and didn't get much information.
I bought a pre Jishaku brush when they still had the light pine-coloured wood handles and to this day, I think it's one of my worst purchases ever. I have a distinctly clear memory of throwing it in the bin around 2013 after it continued to shed on my face during make-up application. I didn't give these a try until February 2019 and then only because Net-A-Porter sent out a 20% off coupon code. I stayed away from Rae Morris brushes for a long time but I'm happy to report that I will not be throwing any of these much improved ones away.
At time of writing in early 2020, Morris' new Second Edition Jishaku brushes are being made from synthetic fibres. More on that later, but the brushes reviewed in this blog piece are all natural haired. I've seen the new ones in person and the shapes are similar so hopefully this can serve as a rough guide for shapes and usages for those purchasing online. I have yet to see any reviews of the new Second Edition Jishaku range.
Brush 27: Mini Radiance
"This is the brush I personally use to apply foundation when I’m ‘on the go’ – on the plane or in the car 5 mins before I have to start my day."
This is the foundation brush of my dreams. I have long professed my love of the Koyudo fu-pa 02 and the special CD Japan edition of the Koyudo fu-pa 02CB. They're my favourite fude foundation brushes but now that this one has entered the arena, it's becoming a contender for the top spot.
The Rae Morris Mini Radiance is so very similar with only a few slight tweaks. The #27 is the densest of them all so you get the most coverage from a foundation and it is the least likely to create streaks. The handle is the same as the CD Japan version but longer than the short, stubby fu-pa brushes.
The second differentiation between the Rae Morris #27 and the Koyudo fu-pa brushes is that the edges from all angles is fully rounded. The hairs on mine are also just a fraction shorter than the Koyudo versions. Maybe it just has the best bundling out of all three but a foundation brush with rounded edges is better for creating a perfected finish. The downside is that the Rae Morris brush costs three times what the CD Japan version does.
The #27 works with my liquid foundations and doesn't absorb too much product so long as I apply the product to my face before going in to buff. This is a hakutotsuho goat brush but it's very soft on the skin. The Mini Radiance brush is a candidate which might benefit from being constructed from a synthetic fibre since it can't absorb foundation.
L to R: Rae Morris #27 Mini Radiance, Koyudo x CD Japan fu-pa02CB, Koyudo fu-pa02
Brush 6.5: Angle Eye Blender
"This brush is designed for when you want to blend and eye shadow that already been applied to the socket area up into the brow bone. Great for larger eye shapes, or where a hooded or heavy brow bone is prominent."
This is a brush that I don't use as intended but this brush is the most uniquely shaped makeup brush that I've ever seen. Rae Morris shows how much of a makeup genius she is with this brush. I don't have a prominent brow bone — in fact, a profile look of my face will show you that my eyeballs extend out past my forehead and brow bone like an insect.
My big, rounded eyes are quite abnormal for Asians and I can't really follow many tutorials designed for Asian eyes. I hear many comments on about them, particularly when I'm in East Asia. Asians don't have the same Western sensibilities so strangers and acquaintances won't have a problem telling you, "woah, your eyes are huge!" To explain the true shape of my eyes, they start at the bottom edge of my eyebrow and what looks like undereye puffiness in my photos is really the bottom of my eyeball. I don't have saggy undereyes. It's my protruding eyeball.
The 6.5 Brush solves a problem that I recognise that not many people have. Due to the size and shape of my eyes, I have a hollow and flat shelf of bone that sits until my fat cheeks rise up and hit when I smile.
Pictured here, I can get the brush to fit exactly into this funny dip in my face when my face is in its resting position. Yes, I'm well aware that I look like a person who wants to invite you to join a cult but that's just the way my eyes look before I use eyeshadow to make them look less crazy.
Obviously, I use this to apply and blend out under eye concealer because of how perfectly it fits. I need to use this more because I've been skipping concealer for the better part of a year now. My wrinkles are starting to form and now concealer application has to be done carefully so I've been avoiding the use of under-eye products.
The brush is made from sokoho hair according to the old Beautylish listing. I could have sworn it was hakutotsuho when I first got it because it had a lot of spring in it but it's definitely softer and the hairs are finer than #1, #2 and #27 which I know for certain are made from hakutosuho. Oh well, moot point now that they're all vegan bristles.
Since I've repurposed the #6.5 brush for concealer, this is one brush that I think may be improved by going synthetic since it won't eat up the product. I'm very pro-natural hair for fude brushes but I'm willing to concede that the vegan version of this brush may very well be an improvement. I have a lot to say about the new Second Edition brushes, but I'll wait until the very end.
Brush 1: Deluxe Kabuki
"Apply all-over powder and cream face products, like powders, bronzers, blushes, to the skin with a soft buffing motion."
I love this brush. I'm hesitant to say 'love' on this blog because I'm highly critical of others in the beauty world for throwing around the word to describe products. I don't say it lightly when I say that I love this brush and this isn't even my favourite Rae Morris brush. It is however, my favourite goat haired brush that I own for the purposes of powdering.
Rae recommends using the #1 to apply powder, bronzer and blush. She also says that it's great as a contouring brush.
Made from hakutotsuho, this brush has an audible snap when you run your fingers through the bristles which means it's got heaps of structure and flexibility to it.
This brush is in my top three because it is truly multifunctional. I have a small face and dry skin. This means that I usually apply powder very selectively to sections of my face.
The Deluxe Kabuki gives me precision with both dabbing motions or sweeping motions.
I like to use this brush mostly with a loose powder like the Hourglass Veil Translucent Setting Powder by dusting it along my forehead or tapping it down my nose, on the sides of my nose and above my upper lip. I also get great results if I tap this brush into Rae Morris Invisible Mattifier which is a silicone 'powder' used to knock down shine. I also oftentimes need to set a heavy concealer over a breakout along my outer cheek, jawline and chin area and the tapered tip of this brush allows me to tap and blend a powder over it to set the coverage.
"With gentle pressure this brush can be used for fine blending/contouring. With mild pressure it is perfect for blush application."
Due to the small size of my face, this isn't my go-to brush for contouring. I don't mind it for bronzer but I prefer a slightly bigger brush to diffuse the product. Other than for powdering, I like this brush for blush. It's the perfect blush brush to pair with a nude, non-pigmented product such as the Tarte Amazonian Clay Blush in Paaarty or any of my Tarte blushes for that matter. The hakutotsuho hairs pick up firmly pressed pigments with ease. Heavy handed blush appliers like myself should not use this for blush. I made the mistake of using a highly pigmented pink Tom Ford Cheek Colour Blush and went into clownish territory.
Brush 2: Mini Kabuki
"Used to apply bronzers/blushes, but to smaller areas – also doubles as a contouring brush."
I find it difficult to express how much I love this brush. I purchased one at full price and jumped on the opportunity to purchase a second one when I saw it discounted. The Mini Kabuki brush is the only Rae Morris brush of which I own a double.
The #2 is my favourite brush because it is the most perfectly sized brush for my face shape and size. This brush isn't just a smaller version of the #1. It has shorter hairs and therefore has a less noticeable tapered tip in comparison to the Deluxe Kabuki. Due to the brushes being handmade, the bundling of one of my brushes has more of a domed top while the other one has a marginally tapered tip. The Mini Kabuki is floppier than the #1 but is by no means a floppy brush. You get exact application of product where you want it because the bristles don't splay out much and easily glide as you move the brush in directional sweeping movements.
Although it's also made of hakutotsuho, it doesn't have as much push-back as the larger version so it lends itself to more sweeping motions because it allows more glide across the face. For this reason, I use this to contour or brontour with my Charlotte Tilbury Film Star Bronze and Glow bronzer or the Kevyn Aucoin Sculpting Powder. I can chisel away at my rounded face until I have a jawline and a distinction between my hamster cheeks.
Now, on to the reason why I needed two of these brushes. It's the obvious candidate for powdered highlighter. I don't like to buy blinding highlighter so the only ones in my stash can be classified as wearable and subtle. Due to having very dry skin, I also prefer to use a cream highlighter most days.
Pictured below, my makeup has seen about 6 hours of wear and tear but I'm wearing the highlighter and bronzer from Charlotte Tilbury Film Star Bronze and Glow in light. Both were applied using the the Mini Kabuki brushes which are designed for you to buff the product in until it is seamless. I don't have dimples by the way and my face is naturally much rounder than this. Those 'dips' are totally manufactured using Rae Morris' technique of shading and scooping upwards to contour. Looking at this picture, this is considered a 'light' contour application for me. I definitely can go for a much more defined look using the #2. It is at this point that I also think that I left the house that day with only one eyebrow fully filled in. Damn.
I have only one criticism of the #1 and #2 brushes. The handles are too short. I have small child-like hands and they barely fit in my hands so I imagine others will find them too short as well. It also means that holding the handle at a point further from the brush head to exert less pressure is a more challenging task. The brushes feel a little light in the hand in comparison to the other face brushes because they lack a metal ferrule.
The brush head of the #2 Mini Kabuki is small and I've just checked the new price of the vegan haired brush which is retailing for AUD$95. I'm certain there's been a price hike since the First Edition. The question is, would I pay $95 for the new one? Probably not. Would I pay $95 for the old goat haired one? The most reluctant and slowly extracted 'yes' escapes my lips. I wouldn't buy a second one at that price point though.
Brush 6: Deluxe Pro Blender
"This is the brush you should use to perfect your eye shadow – the ultimate eye blending (finishing) brush. Also can be used as a contouring and shading brush, preferably with powder based products."
LOL. It's supposed to be an eyeshadow brush. I know I don't have a lot of lid space but whose eyes are this big? They should apply to become the next animated Disney princess. Candidates are required to have bug eyes, rounded faces, an upbringing characterised by questionable parenting techniques and a willingness to live in inaccessible towers, castles or islands girt by sea.
There's a video on the Rae Morris website showing how to use this brush, as with the majority of her brushes but I'm going to say that the average makeup user doesn't have nearly as much skill nor patience to exert the level of control and precision of a career professional on their own faces. I certainly don't.
The #6 is the only Rae Morris brush I own which is made of black sokoho goat hair. The hairs are softer than other black dyed sokoho haired brushes I own from other brands but this brush is very thick and dense. It has a high degree of resistance and will not splay out at all unless firm pressure is applied.
The Deluxe Pro Blender is the same size as some of my paddle shaped setting brushes. The hair length is slightly shorter than the squirrel haired Wayne Goss Air Brush with twice as much density. The Rae Morris #6 is on par in size as the Koyudo BP025 grey squirrel paddle brush but is much much firmer in comparison. I prefer the squirrel haired brushes because they can splay out with minimal pressure and manoeuvre around the contours of the face.
"Runway Tip: The perfect ‘all-day’ brush for powdering small areas like the nose corners and the middle of the forehead."
Brush #6 is the newest brush to my collection and probably my least favourite. It is best for powdering flat areas like the forehead with patting and dabbing motions with the flat side of the brush but it will deliver a concentrated amount of powder to the area unless you tap off most of the product. This brush is also good for a very sharp contour using the tips of the brush because of how little it splays. Its thick density creates a rigidity in the structure so if you want to create sharp Victoria Beckham-esque cheekbones, go for this one. Nothing will overtake the #2 Mini Kabuki for me though.
L to R: Wayne Goss Air Brush, Rae Morris #6 Deluxe Pro Blender, Koyudo BP025
The Eyeshadow Brushes:
I salute you if you've been reading the whole way and not just scrolling through the pictures. I only have four more brushes to go so I'll try to keep it short.
L to R: #7 Deluxe Point Shader, #8 Medium Point Shader, #9.1 Pencil Point Shader, #11.1 Small Oval Shader
Brush 7: Deluxe Point Shader
"It can be used to do a full eye shading (from lash line to brow), but with gentle pressure the pointed end can be used to create finer detail and create the perfect eye shadow socket."
The First Edition Jishaku version of this brush was made with grey squirrel hair. It's gloriously soft and luxurious to use. This eyeshadow brush is a large crease brush with very long hairs. It comes to a very exaggerated tapered tip, so much so that my best friend asked if I was practising my Chinese calligraphy when she saw this brush. The shape is highly reminiscent of the calligraphy brushes used in traditional Asian script writing.
I like to use this mostly to lay down a wash of a light base colour over my eye. Although the length of the hairs would usually mean this is too big to be used on my limited lid space, the tapered tip of this means I can apply minimal pressure and still get a soft blend to diffuse the very edge of my eyeshadow to remove that harsh line between the skin and where eyeshadow begins. I don't get the most neat application if I'm not careful with this brush so this one is more suitable for someone with a lot of lid space.
Brush 8: Medium Point Shader
"Perfect for all types of eye shadow – great for use on the eyelid. Also perfect for creating sockets – just a great all-round blending eye brush."
Mine is another grey squirrel brush. Again, it's oh, so soft but the #8 has a surprising stiffness to it because of its high density and shorter hair length. This is the most used eyeshadow brush out of those I own in my Rae Morris collection. While the #7 is a very floppy brush, the #8 is firm so it's capable of delivering precision to the outer corner of the eye when you want to deepen a colour and it's also the perfect brush for blending or faking a crease above the natural crease which those with hooded eyes or monolids will often do.
L to R: Eihodo WP S-6, Rae Morris #8, Hakuhodo J5529, Sonia G Mini Booster, Rephr 14, Hakuhodo J146, Wayne Goss 04, Rae Morris #7, Wayne Goss 03, Hakuhodo J5522
I'd usually never consider a squirrel-hair brush a workhorse but this is one. I prefer this brush to my Hakuhodo J5529 or J146 when I'm working with intensely pigmented powders because the fine point gives me even more control when working on my heavily hooded eyes. It picks up a moderate amount of powder product despite being squirrel and is geared towards those who want to slowly add colour intensity. It blends when you apply more pressure to it which is the genius of having the #7 and #8 eyeshadow brushes so tapered. The only downside is that I can't use this with cream eyeshadows which comprise the majority of my eyeshadow collection.
L to R: Rae Morris #7, Hakuhodo J5522, Hakuhodo B242, Koyomo Pink Pearl Shadow Brush, Hakuhodo J146, Rae Morris #8, Hakuhodo J5529, Eihodo WP S-6.
Brush 9.1: Pencil Point Shader
"You can also use this brush for any fine detail work – it can be used with both powder shadows and crème based products. I personally love it for smudging liner or colour that’s super close to the lash line."
I don't own many brushes like the #9.1 because these tiny rounded pencil brushes are so hard to come by. This is the finest pencil brush that I own. The others are all too large or too firm. Morris said that it was extremely hard to make this brush because she wanted a mix of softness, precision and an ability to keep its shape. I think she's achieved it with this brush. It is a very flexible and soft brush that perfectly applies and smudges eyeshadow along the upper lashline. I have a lot of sag in my hooded eyelids and this brush smoothly glides along the top without any skipping. This is the perfect brush for those who don't like eyeliner pens and would prefer to use a dark shadow along the lashline or for pushing colour close to the roots of the lashes.
L to R: Eihodo S-6 (grey squirrel), Zoeva 223 Petite Eye Blender (synthetic), Rae Morris #9.1, Rephr 03, Real Techniques Detail Brush (synthetic)
Brush 11.1: Small Oval Shadow
"Designed as a smaller more narrow version of the #11 Medium Oval Shadow, think of this brush as being in between a point and a rounded oval."
L to R: Rae Morris #11.1, Koyudo BP033, Wayne Goss 06, Sonia G Worker Pro, Hakuhodo J5523, Rephr 01, Chikuhodo T-7, Bisyodo Alba B, Koyomo Pearl Pink Flat Shadow Brush
The First Edition was also squirrel-haired so it feels smooth and soft. Due to the hair length and density, it's reasonably flexible with not a lot of floppiness despite its material. The #11.1 is perfectly sized for sweeping eyeshadow over the mobile lid.
The closest squirrel equivalent available is the Wayne Goss 06 but if you're looking for a goat hair equivalent, the Sonia G Worker Pro is close in density and flexibility. The Rae Morris 11.1 has less density than a Hakuhodo J5523 and a fraction more than the Chikuhodo T-7 which are both goat hair brushes.
L to R: Rephr 01, Hakuhodo J5523, Rae Morris #11.1, Chikuhodo T-7, Bisyodo Alba B, Hakuhodo J242, Rephr 02
Jishaku: Second Edition Brushes
We're finally here at the new brushes. Nearly all of the brushes in the Second Edition Jishaku range are now made of a vegan synthetic haired product called micro crystal fibre (MCF) which claims to mimic hakutotsuho and grey squirrel hair.
"[MCF] features a unique crystalised structure that perfectly mimics the cuticle structure of natural fibres, enhancing product pick up and evenly applying and blending liquid, crème and powder formulations seamlessly."
I've seen them in store and quite frankly, I'm not impressed. The white haired brushes are very very soft and plush but they felt sticky and had so much drag on my hands. Could this just be a dirty display? It's in one of the most highly trafficked areas in all of Sydney so yes, this might not be the most wonderful representation of these brushes. The concealer brush on the right looks like it's been used as a lip brush.
I'll concede that I could be basing my assessment on dirty brushes that I've never used on my face. Everything is superglued to the Rae Frame to prevent theft so it's difficult to gauge how they would perform without being able to hold the brushes properly. I'm happy to be proven wrong if these are the best thing ever and someone who owns both the First and Second Editions comes up with a convincing review.
Some of the shapes of the Second Edition brushes very much align with the First Edition brushes in my collection. The eyeshadow brush shapes are almost exactly the same as the ones I've featured in this post. The black vegan fibres used on the eyeshadow brushes which replace the grey squirrel are soft but they don't have the silkiness of the grey squirrel hairs used in the First Edition. Also, they're not straight fibres. I don't know whether these have warped from being constantly battered on display or whether they're designed to be crinkly haired to pick up product. If you look at them up close, many of the individual hairs along the outer perimeter are slightly crimped like when you fry your own hair with the curling iron.
Here's where things get a bit sticky. Pun intended. I wrote a love letter to the First Edition #1 Deluxe Kabuki, the #2 Mini Kabuki and the #27 Mini Radiance brushes. I have been using the #2 brush every time I do my makeup. I know them well. The ones pictured below are not the same. They don't seem to have the same density, they have more of a rounded shape and they're much softer with very little snap back. I said you could audibly hear the flexibility of the #1 and #2. This is not the case with these vegan bristles. These white haired brushes are plush and so very soft. They feel like running your hand over a really thick and dense long-haired rug.
I believe the large #28 Radiance Brush is still made from natural hairs and the black flat shader brushes seemed to also be made from goat as well. The #4 Square Kabuki brush on display felt similar to my First Edition #6 which is made from sokoho hairs.
Conclusion
We have a lot to dissect here. This post has come out longer than some of my university papers.
The positives are obvious. I like nearly every Rae Morris brush I own. Some of them are HG items. These First Edition Jishaku brushes are wonderful and I'm kicking myself for not picking up more.
Rae Morris is an expert who understands the function of brushes and how people can tailor the tool to suit their needs.
The shapes of many of the brushes are unique and difficult to find on the market.
The maple cherry handles are luxurious. They're sturdy and lightweight at the same time.
The magnetic function is really cool and useful. It drastically increases the ease of grabbing a brush and slapping it back when I've finished my makeup application. I now carry a little resentment in needing to fumble through my containers for other brushes.
My criticisms:
No information on brush length, hair length or ferrule diametre is made available on the Rae Morris website or on any of the retailers who sell the brushes. As far as I'm aware, the only place to see them in person is in Mecca, an Australian retailer. This makes buying online a nightmare and very few people want to take the risk given their high price point.
The handles on the kabuki brushes are a tad short. Their bulbous form minimises the amount of straight handle length for the user to apply product. The #2 could probably also do with a larger or stronger magnet. It tends to fall over if you bump it slightly whereas all the other face brushes will remain upright until they are purposefully removed.
More information needs to be given about the new Micro Crystal Fibre hairs that claim to mimic natural hair. It's a confusing bit of language that is oxymoronic when you say that it's vegan hakutotsuho.
The price is even more eye-watering now that these brushes are no longer made from real natural goat and grey squirrel. Rae Morris doesn't owe us any explanation but Sonia G wrote a blog post about why her brushes were priced accordingly, why her Sky Eye Set was being sold at a higher price point and explained why Wayne Goss synthetic haired brushes were so expensive. A more detailed explanation about the MCF technology might really help consumers understand why these Second Edition ones are more expensive than natural fibred brushes, especially if patented materials are being used. Of course, on the flip side, Rae Morris doesn't need to justify her prices. I said that you pay for Lisa Eldridge's expertise when you buy her lipsticks and the same is true here. Rae Morris brushes show the makeup artist's long years of expertise in their shape and construction. No one (but me) balks an eye at Pat McGrath's prices and those brushes are cheap mass produced machine-made synthetics.
I'm perfectly happy with my First Edition Jishaku range brushes. Again, I haven't used these Second Edition Jishaku brushes on my face. I'm highly reluctant to buy any of these because of both the price increase makes them a risky purchase in the event I don't like them and because to the hand, they don't feel the same as the ones in my collection. It is possible that I'm wrong about the performance of these brushes as I'm speculating on touch alone. They've only been out on the market for less than a year at the time that I'm posting this so I'm eagerly keeping an eye out for any reviews.