Tarte Swirl Power Contour & Bronzer Brush

I bought this Tarte Swirl Power Contour & Bronzer Brush about three months ago and I'm still learning all that I can do with it. Obviously, the nice people at Tarte designed it for sculpting the fave with bronzer or contour, but this is a power tool that can do more than that, and just like my other much-beloved Tarte brush, I find myself reaching for it again and again.

Tarte Swirl Power Contour & Bronzer Brush is a synthetic, cruelty-free brush with a beautiful and sturdy bamboo handle. The thick head of synthetic fibers make it suitable for both powder and cream products (though generally I do the same with most goat brushes if I find their shape to be what I'm looking for. The Hakuhodo gods will forgive me). The first impression this Tarte brush makes is the similarity to classic Japanese narrow Itabake brushes. But Itabake is usually made of goat hair and is flatter, where you can see that the Tarte has a fuller head of hair, making it superior at blending.

My NARS Ita is very old and of the original incarnation: scratchy and kind of questionable. Hakuhodo makes these goat hair brushes in a variety of sizes and an unparalleled quality. They're obviously different than the Tarte and I love and use all of mine. 

Blending contour powder or cream is a serious business, because you want to avoid the tale-telling line of shame. You also want to blend your bronzer (or contour) into the hairline in a seamless manner and achieve a diffused effect. This is the brush for it. As for me, I love using Itabake-style brushes for blending foundation, and this is a spectacular option for that, as the brush is wonderfully soft. It's also great for finishing the face, making sure there's no accumulation of powder anywhere and that my blush is where it's supposed to be (speaking of which, give it a try for blending a cream blush).

My Tarte Swirl Power Contour & Bronzer Brush lost some hairs the first time I washed it pre-use, but has been stable ever since. Cream blushes require a face oil cleanser to remove the stain, and the same goes for some liquid foundations. Powders wash off like fairy dust.

Bottom Line: get it.

Tarte Swirl Power Contour & Bronzer Brush ($34, made in China) is avaialble from Ulta, Sephora, and tartecosmetics.com.