Eco Tools Recycled Aluminum Retractable Kabuki Brush

So let's be honest.  Most makeup brushes are either cheap and junky or ridiculously expensive.  This kabuki brush from EcoTools is really reasonable in price and it's served me really well so far. 

So in terms of the brush itself...the bristles are made from Taklon which is synthetic and thus cruelty free.  That's one point for EcoTools.  The bristles aren't too stiff, move nicely across one's face, but don't get bent out of shape easily.  They're also quite soft.  So going from my one-year old foundation brush to this one was honestly quite a joy. 

The other hugely awesome thing about this brush is the casing.  It's made from recycled aluminum (and in terms of energy efficiency, recycling scrap aluminum requires only 5% of the energy used to make new aluminum...so another point).  But!  One of my favorite things is the usability.  The fact that the brush is retractable (and has a little top to cover the brush) is really handy.  It makes me feel way better about traveling with the brush, because it will stay clean and the bristles won't get messed up over time.

The packaging itself is a reusable pouch.  From a post-purchase stand point, this isn't really necessary given that the brush itself is in a handy case...but it's nice that the packaging is made to be reused.  Being super nit picky, it's a little hard to get the brush out of the pouch the first time.  You can't really pull it out because the brush end is facing up.  So before you try getting it out, know that it's easiest to scoot the brush up from the bottom (kind of like squeezing out toothpaste).

Now...in terms of long term durability, time will tell.  But thus far, I'm really pleased with it and I'm pretty keen to try out some other Eco Tools brushes.