I rarely use the brushes that come with makeup. In fact, they rarely come with brushes to begin with. Blush will come with a pad or eye shadow will come with a sponge-tip applicator. Rather than deal with what it comes with, I use my own brushes.

But even brushes bought separately aren’t all created equally. Some are much better than others.

To tackle this idea, I decided to try TheBalm Mini Kabuki Brush. It’s a travel-sized round brush by a company that normally specializes in makeup (in fact, I couldn’t even find this brush, or any, on their company website.)

Does the brush work well? Is it worth the money? Let’s find out.

How well does it work?

The Mini Kabuki brush has stiff, somewhat-soft bristles. They aren’t as soft was what I’m used to for a higher end makeup brush.

Based on the size, I would typically use the Mini Kabuki for applying blush. Since the bristles are so stiff, it’s good at applying noticeable blush. If you want your blush highly blended and delicate though, you may want to look for a softer brush.

The Mini Kabuki brush works even better for translucent powder or powdered foundation. The smaller brush head gets around your eyes well.

Unfortunately, some of the bristles fall out during application. For instance, adding blush to a recent look, I had about 6 bristles fall out of the brush and onto my face.

Does it travel well?

The Mini Kabuki brush was designed specifically for travel. It stands at just under 2 inches with the bristles at around 1 inch. It comes with a plastic tube that you can store your brush in when you throw it into your makeup bag.

To get a good idea just how small TheBalm Mini Kabuki Brush is, check out the picture at the beginning of the review. I put it next to an American quarter to show the size.

As long as you know that the brush is small and aren’t expecting something bigger, you shouldn’t be disappointed.

The Final Verdict

TheBalm Mini Kabuki Brush isn’t perfect. Bristles fall out and it isn’t as soft as you would expect. Still, it applies blush and facial powder well enough and fits nicely in a makeup bag. I also need to consider the price, $12, and how that’s a little high for this level of quality. With all of these factors, I give TheBalm Mini Kabuki Brush a:

C+

You can pick up TheBalm Mini Kabuki Brush online or in stores at Sephora for $12.