Review: Nars Botan Brush

You know that feeling where you save the best for last?  I'm not sure if this is the same thing, but it's like I'm waiting for something that seems special enough to break these out.  Finally, for my birthday party last week, I decided to let myself purchase one single brush: the NARS Botan.

If you've ever worried about your powder looking cakey, or -- a more relevant, modern worry -- that your HD powder will flash white in photographs, worry no more.  I've been playing with the E.L.F. HD powder lately and while I've read some reviews that it can cast a weird, ghostly paleness when subjected to flash photography.

I hadn't tested this theory (weirdly enough, I'm not a photo person), but there'd been a few times when I'd applied the powder and felt that it had paled me up a little.  On my birthday, I used the Botan brush to blend it out and the powder disappeared into all the invisible goodness it was supposed to!  I even used it with that Victoria's Secret technique I mentioned in this post where I blended my powder and bronzer together, and the results were SEAMLESS.

Again, not a photo person, so I don't actually have any photos from that night to prove to you how beautiful it was, but watch for it in an upcoming tutorial/video!  I will, however, bombard you with photos of the actual brush.

A few details...



Price:  Astronomical.  The whole set I believe went for $235 CAD, but according to Sephora's site, the Botan brush retails for $75 USD on its own.  I do believe I heard that the price difference for these brushes can be up to/over $30 though, so....take that as you will.

Bristles:  If you're looking for a soft, kitten-paw brush, this isn't it.  In fact, I believe TOD commented that it felt like a carpet.  It's softer than a carpet, but it's a densely packed brush with lots of bristles sticking straight up, so you're not going to get that same, soft stroke that you'd get from a floppier brush.

Aesthetics:  Some people complain about the matte handles on NARS brushes, but I love the way it looks.  Kind of a bitch to clean, but it's SO pretty when it's clean.  I have a matte addiction though -- once, I saw a matte black Ferrari, I almost wanted it to hit me so I could look at it for longer without being creepy.

Usability:  This brush is giant.  As in...giant.  Think of a tennis ball.  Giant.  I don't see too many people using this for anything other than applying and blending in powder.  You might be able to use it as a body brush, but  I can't really comment too much on that as the only contouring I do on my body is eating pasta.


Verdict:  Do you absolutely need this brush in your life?  At the cost of a round of antibiotics, probably not. But if you have tried everything else with your could-be-construed-as-racist whiteface HD flash or feel like indulging your inner spending problem, go for it.