No7 Blend & Contour brush

A blending brush is an essential to any eyeshade lover. A good one will beautifully buff out, smoothly blend eye shadow and quickly apply a wash of colour in a pinch. The Mac 217 is a prime example, the cult favourite blending brush, but at £18, it isn’t for everyone.

My blending brush of choice is the No7 Blend & Contour brush. Now I don’t own the 217 so can’t give a comparison but I can let you know why I love it.
The bristles are lovely and soft and tapered to give a slight dome to the top. It picks up colour well and works well at applying colour and blending it in one move. It’s equally useful to blend our any colour you pack on with a flatter and more dense brush (especially if it’s clean).
I remember the first once or twice I washed this brush I think that it shed a few bristles, but since then it’s been wonderful. It hasn’t thinned out at all and is good as new after every wash. I find occasionally if my eyes are particularly sensitive and I’m using it roughly it can be a little scratchy.
All in all it’s a daily staple for me, and easily performs the task of several brushes at once – applying shadow and blending. It works best with powder but also does a good job at applying and blending cream or liquid shadow (although you will need to wash it after use as heavier formulas weigh down the bristles).
Perhaps in the future a 217 may sit in my price range but for not I am completely content with my No7 offering. You can pick it up for £7.25 from Boots, or £4.25 with a No7 voucher!