Zoeva #229 eye Finish Brush review & dupes

Zoeva #229 Eye Finish brush is probably my least favourite out of the Zoeva brushes I've tried. 

#229 is a duo fibre that is advertised as a crease brush or the one that you use for the final blend of your shadows. The concept was good and you can never have enough of such brushes in your collection, so I got it.

Of course, it is a very good brush in terms of packaging, design, craftsmanship, not shedding etc., but this can be repeated over and over again about all Zoeva brushes. So what made me dislike this brush so much? 

Well, the thing is that instead using the soft and fluffy synthetic bristles that most companies use for their blending brushes, the manufacturer decided to pick the sturdier and more prickly ones that are used for stippling brushes. What feels soft and nice on your cheeks does not feel the same on your lids, which are a very sensitive and delicate area. This is an ultra fine stippling brush, not a proper blending brush at all.

Not only is it hard and prickly, but it simply doesn't do its job well enough. Those white bristles are no good for applying any powder product as powders don't cling to them very well. As  for using it to blend and diffuse eyeshadows, apart from the unpleasant experience of being poked with something sharp and stiff, this brush simply doesn't work. The bristles are stiff and pointy, which means that they don't bend and it's hard to  swirl the brush in circular motions. 

What I want to say is that with a bit of time and effort you can make this brush work for you. I discovered that when you place this brush almost  horizontally on your lid and move it like a windscreen wiper without applying any pressure, barely touching the skin, it does actually blend, but there are so many other brushes that are perfect at blending without any effort, training, trial and error practice that the question arises do I really need Zoeva #229?

Luckily, I was able to find an alternative use for it. Since this brush is made of the same fibres as face brushes, I strarted using it to highlight and contour and I must admit that it does its job perfectly applying these two kinds of products onto targeted areas.

I have also been able to find a perfect dupe for Zoeva #229, which is the Real Techniques Duo-fiber Eye Brush. The only diffence lies in the handle, which in case of the Real Techniques one is a white metal tube with a rubberised bottom. If you're interested in getting this particular brush, I suggest you pick the Zoeva one as the Duo-fiber Eye Brush comes in a limited edition set, which is still available in numerous websites.

Disclaimer: I bought the product myself for my personal use and I am not affiliated with any company. I am not paid to do this review and everything I said here is my genuine opinion.