Sample.

EnVisión Cosmetics Infrared Brush Trio and Grapefruit Flower Cleanse

I posted these products on Instagram a few months ago but I really wanted to do a more in-depth review since they’re a new brand and word of mouth is everything. Also I have to mention how proud I am of my friends, @makeupby_alo and @riplyofficial for doing the damn thing and turning their dreams into reality. In the interest of full disclosure, I always like to mention any potential biases that I might have but tbh I think that I’m harder on my friends. Critique helps us to improve and shouldn’t be taken personally. I’m reviewing the products, not the people. Now that we got that outta the way…

If you follow Alondra and Riply on their social media platforms then you’ve probably noticed a few things that they have in common. They’re very outspoken and honest to a fault. Also they both have tough (and slightly intimidating) exteriors but in reality, they’re total sweethearts that would give someone in need the shirt off of their own back. Lastly they both have very high standards so they aren’t going to put their name on something unless it’s perfect.

Confession time- so many of my followers are passionate about ending animal testing and animal cruelty in the beauty industry. Their passion has inspired me to make a lot of little changes over the past few years. I’m not 100% cruelty free and I’m sure as shit not vegan but I am making a real effort to be more conscientious about my purchases. Not only because animal testing is barbaric but also because I don’t want to disappoint the people that support me. That being said, my biggest hurdle is brushes (followed by skincare). I love natural fiber brushes. There. I said it. I just want to put my fingers in my ears and say lala la la these squirrel hairs were humanely sourced at the magical free range squirrel refuge in Japan. La la la. Squirrels love to be brushed. La la. But in my heart, I know damn well that there’s no professional squirrel wrangler/stylist chasing those little motherfuckers around with a tiny hair brush and cuticle scissors. Despite what Wayne Goss would have you think… I’d pay good money to see him brush a squirrel.

The EnVisión brushes are vegan and made with ‘blue squirrel-esque’ fibers. Hmmmm… I didn’t like the sound of that. I mean I definitely expected their brushes to be good… but not comparable to the real thing. Welp ladies and gentlemen… I was wrong. I’ve been using the brushes for several months now and they’re bomb. I’d never guess that they were synthetic. And no cute little squirrels had to get their tails loped off so that my eyeshadow can look sickening. In just the past year, I feel like brush makers have been taking major strides with the quality and performance of their synthetic fibers. I’m not going to say that I’ll never buy another goat hair brush but moving forward I’m going to be more open to synthetic brushes.

The brushes are currently sold out but they’re being restocked any day now. Since the brushes aren’t up on the website right now, I’m not sure about the individual pricing. I think that the Infrared Trio (all 3 brushes) was $75 but they’ve also been doing a lot of little sales where they knock off 10% or throw in free shipping.

In addition to brushes, they also have several types of goats milk brush cleanser. I’ve been using their Grapefruit Flower Cleanse religiously. It smells absolutely incredible but more importantly the formula is fantastic too. In addition to the goats milk, it’s also formulated with Tea Tree oil (for its anti-bacterial properties) and a number of emollients (coconut oil etc) that leave your brushes clean and conditioned! $35 is a lot of money for brush soap. You can buy baby shampoo or a bar of black African soap for a few bucks. This is more of a ‘treat yo’ self’ or luxury item type of purchase. It’s worth it to me because I’ve spent a small fortune on my brush collection and I want to protect my investment.

The formula is moisturizing and gentle but effective enough to remove stubborn cream products and stains from bright eyeshadows or liquid lipsticks. It also rinses clean without any residue. And it smells so damn good. Washing my brushes has basically become an aromatherapy experience for me. Also it’s going to last you a long time. I’ve been using the soap for a few months and I’ve barely made a dent. And I wash a LOT of brushes. I do my own makeup, of course, and I also freelance on the weekends plus I do all of my swatches with brushes. This is a product that I will re-purchase and I’m curious to try the other scents.

Now for the fun part… let’s talk about these brushes! Here’s what their website has to say:

INFRARED SERIES

High-quality and cruelty-free; our faux Blue Squirrel bristles have a premium feel. The tip of each individual strand has been refined to replicate the aesthetic of the finest natural hair. Introducing our newly updated pro length handles, they now feature brush names and come permanently stamped with our striking logo.

Our brushes have been carefully designed to give you optimal performance and precision during any application. The versatility of each brush, as well as the innovative unique triangle shaped ferrule on select styles, will truly redefine the way you do makeup.

As far as design, the brushes are sleek and clearly well made. I’m not sure what material the handles are but they’ve got a nice weight to them. I like the contrast of the brightly colored handles and the black ferrules. They also did a really nice job with the presentation. They have custom EnVisión mailers and the brushes come wrapped in protective sleeves.

The little Riply and Alo sticker is such a cute, personalized touch!

Brush 01: The Grand Shader

This is such a smartly designed shader brush! It’s a good sized brush so it’ll quickly cover a large surface area (like your entire eyelid) but the bristles are short, allowing for max control. It’s a great brush for setting eye primer, highlighting the brow bone or for packing color all over the lid. It’s super soft but also firm enough to apply cream products like eye primers or concealer. She’s a multitasker!

Brush 02: The Classic Crease Brush

I love blending brushes! And I can tell how much thought went in to this design. It’s fluffy enough to apply your transition color (I also like to use it as my ‘clean’ blending brush) but it’s firm enough to function as a packing brush as well. And since it’s tapered to fine point, you can use the tip of the brush to define the crease or to smoke out the lower lash line. You could feasibly do a decent eye look using just this one brush. Pretty impressive.

The Classic Crease and XL Diffuser Brush both have this really cool triangle shape.

Brush 03 XL Diffuser Brush

Last but not least zee XL Diffuser Brush! The tapered shape makes it perfect for setting the undereye. And it’s so soft that it feels like the gentle caress of an angel’s wing on your cheek. Wait. What? Sorry guys… I haven’t been sleeping well so I can’t be held responsible for the bizarre shit that I’m saying. Anyway. It’s also a great size and shape for applying highlighter, blush, bronzer, even contour. Show off.

Final thoughts:

In the past few months, I’ve used these brushes dozens of times. I’ve washed them at least 10 times and they’re just as soft now as they were on the day that I received them. They’ve also maintained their shapes and haven’t shed a single hair. Ordinarily I’d say that $75 is a lot of money for three synthetic brushes and I’d be right. But these are high-end brushes that are made in the US. They’re not comparable to some morphe, made in China bullshit that they picked out of catalog and slapped their name on *coughs jaclyn hill cough*. A ton of thought went in to the design and execution of each brush and if they’re cared for properly, it’s a set that could serve you well for years. Also we can sleep well knowing that no animals had to lose their lives or body parts so that we can look pretty. Like with the brush soap, I’d consider the brushes to be luxury items but imo they’re worth every penny.

Normally this is the part when I offer some constructive criticism… I’m kind of at loss here. Going in to the review I was thinking that the brushes were a bit overpriced but I feel differently after using them. So yeah… I’ve truly got nothing but good things to say about both the brushes and the cleanser… which is actually a little weird for me as I’m a troll by nature. I think that this was an excellent first launch and I can’t wait to see more from EnVisión!