I originally bought one that was scratchy, but then replaced it with a new one and it was soft. i like using it for outer crease detail work as my eyes are smaller, along with the intended purpose of smudging. Ecotools has some quality control issues. Thats the only thing that is frustrating.

I like this brush but its not my most favourite out of my kit. I don't really use it for what it is intended for, because its too thick really and just ends up making my eye up look a hot mess if its used for smudging. However when used like a pencil brush its pretty good. By which I mean I used it to create a 'v' shape on the outer corner of my eye, then take a fluffy blending brush and blend it right out and it looks really good. Probably doesn't sound too good when written out but it looks okay I promise! But yeah, I would rate this as an average brush because it doesn't exactly do what its meant too and also the sharpener isn't that great on it either. But if you're in the market for a cheap pencil brush then its okay for doing that.

For some reason, this brush ends up removing eye makeup rather than smudging it. For my eyes, the brush is also a little too big to get a really nice smudged look. Also, the sharpener at the end isn't very good.

It basically sits in the back of my makeup drawer and I never reach for it :(

Eh. Ecotools' brushes are usually pretty good, but I hate the unnecessary sharpener on the end of this. Isn't a pencil sharpener a thing that people usually have anyway? Why put it on the end of a brush to make it bulky and awkward to use? If they had included it separately, it would be better. I like the brush okay, but I still prefer my Sephora smudge brush for smudging eyeliner. Probably wouldn't buy another one of these.

This is a decent pencil brush if you're looking for something affordable. It has a small dome shaped tip which is great for smudging eyeliner and placing colour into the outer corner of your eyelid if you want to define that area. The bristles are held together firmly so smudging can be easily achieved. At the end of the brush is a sharpener which is designed for pencils (eyeliner, lipliner etc..). I personally find it useless, but it does come with a "catcher" to collect all the shavings before you empty it. I find the design a little bulky, and would rather have it not included at the other end of this brush. Overall, I would recommend it.

Product's Claims - True or False?
1) Creates smudged line for soft, smoky eye: True
2) Convenient sharpener on the end: False
3) Soft bristles: False


Packaging:
The brush comes in a simple zip-loc pouch, although for a brand that tries to utilize "green" as a feature it seems a little impractical to use plastic packaging. I have no issues getting into the packaging, and it has all the info you need on it and can work well for travel if you want to place the brush in its original pouch.


Design:
This smudging brush is dual-ended, with the bristles on one end and a pencil sharpener on the other end. I see no real point to the sharpener but I don't find it to be cumbersome or bothersome in any way. The bristles of the brush are made of nylon which are cut to a tapered point. The handle is a light bamboo with an aluminium ferule, and the brush overall fits nicely in my hand while using it. The bristles are fairly dense.


Performance:
The brush actually works wonderfully, like all of my other EcoTools brushes, but it has two major faults: 1) the bristles are tapered in a way that feels very uncomfortable on the skin when used to smudge liner, 2) the sharpener just plain doesn't work at all. The first time I used the brush I used it to smudge on some eyeshadow to my upper lash line, and had no issues with it in terms of it being scratchy or uncomfortable. It created a nice soft blended line, which was what I wanted - and could have achieved it with a normal angled brush as well but this was faster due to not having to blend it nearly as much. I tried it today to smudge a pencil liner and it did scratch my skin. After testing it out more I noticed it does this wherever I use it for smudging purposes. Which is clearly not ideal since it's designed to smudge. I doubt it's the bristles themselves that are poorly made but simply the cut of this brush isn't suited to my skin, which is quite reactive. But the smudging that this brush provides is excellent - soft but not disappeared, and it does the job quickly. The sharpener, which I did not intend on using but tested out for review purposes, simply didn't do anything, as I don't think my eyeliner even fit in it properly. This doesn't bother me because I wouldn't have used it even if I did like the bristles, but some people might want to be able to use it for convenience or in a hurry.


Bang for Your Buck:
The brush cost around $7CAD. EcoTools seems to have great quality and longevity to their brushes so this is definitely a reasonable price if it works for the buyer.


Final Thoughts:
It's a shame I didn't listen to the few reviews here, as they were right. It's a great brand but this one just happens to be a dud for me, and I will be exchanging it for something else. It works great in terms of giving me the results I want but I am not willing to put up with irritation from the bristles just to get easier smudging. I would still recommend to others to check out if skin sensitivity is not a huge concern.
* Overall Rating: 3/5
* Price: 1/5
* Packaging Quality: 3/5
* Repurchase: No

This brush would be amazing but it has a pencil sharpener on the end.It makes the brush bulky and much harder to use.
Other than the sharpener,this is a nice pencil brush.I know that its not it purpose but because it has a point works great as a pencil brush

This is new to the Ecotools line. I am normally a fan of these brushes because they are cheap, soft, and never shed. Unfortunately this one isn't like the others I have. The bristles feel a bit scratchy. The design of this brush is also really stupid. Why on earth would anyone need an eyeliner sharpener at the end of a brush?! It makes the handle too bulky and awkward. Out of curiosity I tried the sharpener and my Urban Decay 24/7 liner got stuck in it (at the tip---the pencil wasn't too big). This brush does smudge eyeliner and eyeshadow effectively but for the reasons mentioned above I don't recommend it.

The new smudge eyeliner brush does the job. For a fine line, use the tip of the brush across your upper lashes. For a soft smokey look, use the side of the top to blend liner or smudge the shadow across the lash line,. It has a built in pencil sharpener and you can remove the cap and discard the shaving as needed. It's a great tool with a the perfect size bamboo handle...