Shopping for discounted beauty products at TJ Maxx as always been hit or miss but now it seems like more and more high-end brands are shipping their unwanted or unsold goods to TJ Maxx shelves. As of lately, I’ve been stumbling upon some hidden gems. These oval brushes were a huge trend in the beauty world probably around a year ago or so. Now, you see knockoffs everywhere and I’ve always wondered if they were worth the hype? Well let’s find out together and see if this TJ Maxx oval brush set is a hit or miss!
I believe Artis was the first brand to come out with oval brushes like these. See one of their brushes here at $67 …! They were very high-end and expensive. Of course, now you can buy knockoffs for a fraction of cost (and sometimes the quality). I’ve seen these sets so many times but just never took the plunge. Usually I stick to what I know and don’t like to test out “gimmicky” items.
However, this set was gifted to me for my birthday so couldn’t ask for a better win-win! I can put them to the test without coughing up the money. You know TJ Maxx…they rarely have 2 of anything so I’m sure you can’t find this exact set there anymore. But there is a 100% chance you can find one almost exactly like it either in store or on Amazon!
I don’t know the actual retail price of this 10 piece set. It was on clearance for $22 based on the sticker on the back when it fell into my hands. It comes with 10 oval brushes in varying sizes. See names of each below
Recommended uses for each:
- Oval XL – foundation, bronzing or effects powder, setting powder
- Oval L – cheek blush and contour, foundation, bronzing or effects powder, setting powder
- Oval M – cheek blush and contour, foundation, bronzing or effects powder, setting powder, eye shadow color, concealer
- Oval S – cheek blush and contour, foundation, setting powder, eye shadow color, concealer
- Oval XS – lip color or finish, eye shadow color, concealer
- Linear L – eye shadow, eye liner, cheek blush and contour, concealer
- Linear M – eye shadow color, brow color, eye liner, concealer
- Linear S – eye shadow color, brow color, eye liner
- Circle M – lip color or finish, eye shadow color, concealer
- Circle S – lip color or finish, eye shadow color, brow color, concealer
As you can see, the uses are very repetitive. Of course, those are the “recommended” uses for each but really you can do what you want! Overall, I was pleasantly surprised at how my makeup turned out after using these. I’m die hard loyal to my beauty sponge and brushes so honestly my hopes weren’t really high when trying these oval brushes out. To my surprise, my makeup didn’t turn out as bad as I thought it would. I really had low expectations going into this haha.
Do I think the whole set is worth the money and practical – no! Are there a few hidden gems that could work – yes! My overall impression of these oval brushes is mediocre. They are best when used with liquid face products. Each head so dense and packed with a ton of bristles. These features are best for liquids.
I used the Oval L to blend out my foundation and it was ok. The finish wasn’t bad and there weren’t brush strokes which I really liked. However, brushes don’t pick up any excess product like a beauty sponge would so I didn’t feel like my base makeup had as flawless of a finish then it would of had I used a sponge. Every time I used it for foundation, there were certain places on my face that looked a little cakey.
I used Oval S/XS to blend out concealer. I definitely didn’t get as good of a result blending out concealer as I would have with a sponge. Instead of using circular motions and swiping motions like I did when blending out the foundation, I basically had to tap and pat the brush up and down to blend out the concealer and ensure I didn’t have any harsh lines.
I tried cream contouring also using Oval S and it did a pretty good job at blending out my contour. Sometimes with the density of the brush though, I felt like I could be wiping away foundation as I was trying to blend out products on top. The brushes are SUPER soft which is great but the density is just hard to work with sometimes.
When trying to use powders like blush, bronzer, setting powder and highlighter, things went downhill. I wouldn’t recommend these brushes at all for powder products. The density just doesn’t work with powders. You need something more flexible and movable that can blend. It felt like I was just patting on powder with these brushes because I couldn’t swipe or brush on the powder.
I did attempt using eyebrow powder for my brows with the Linear S and it was a nightmare. After that, I decided not to try eyeshadow or lips with any of the brushes. They just lack precision and control with areas of the face like this and I don’t think they will give you good results. Stick to eyeshadow brushes, eyebrow brushes/spoolies and lip color wands and applicators.
My finial verdict on these oval brushes: MISS! For only semi-liking oneish brush out of the set, it’s not worth the money. They aren’t practical and I prefer results from other tools and brushes in my collection much better! I most likely won’t be reaching for these again. There’s absolutely nothing wrong with the product, brand or quality and actually I think they are an exceptional value. But if I just don’t like the purpose of the product and can’t make it work for me and my routine, I’m going to pass.
Hope my review was helpful! Are there any other TJ Maxx hidden gems that are worth scouting out next time I go? Let me know what I should be looking for on my next trip 🙂
Also check out my latest fall-inspirited posts talking about 9 drugstore products to add to your fall beauty routine and 11 affordable berry shades at the drugstore!
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