OH I love this brush! It give the lightest, flawless application of powder!
When I first got this brush, firstly it was a lot flatter then I thought (I just plucked this right off the bargain bin at a discount cosmetic reatiler, didn't even think or inspect before purchase!) And it wasn't as dense.
I think the flatness of this brush fans out the product on your face, and the sparse bristle only picks up what is need, no more, no less.
The bristles are forever soft, just like all my other Stila brushes, no bleeding or shedding(at least mine didn't).
I notice with this brush, though I gave it 5/5 lippies because it applied mineral/powder foundation effortlessly and flawless, however when I use this with a powder blush and I wanted to blend my blush out, this brush proves to disappoint in that aspect. It wont blend as well since the bristles are slightly sparse. Just my opinion, but I still love this brush anyways!
At only $15AUD in a bargain bin, I should have grab one more!

I have had this brush for 13 years which sounds crazy! I do not use it everyday but, it has held up amazingly well. The brush is extremely soft and is great for also applying brozner and blush because it gives a nice subtle and well blended finish. Even if I use a kabuki brush to apply my mineral foundation or use a blush brush, I always will always grab this brush to blend, smooth and soften any powder make-up I have applied before I go out the door. The only cons are that is does shed so a couple hairs may end up on your face and it's on the pricey side.

Purchased this brush and received it today after researching all the reviews and seeing it listed on ebay. It's really puppy soft bristles. I can only tolerate squirrel hair for powder brush as even the white goat hair or "squirrel sub" will feel scratchy and itchy on my face (i.e. sephora platinum). I have to wash it and use it to see how it withstands constant use. The bristles do look flat and not as fluffy as I expected. but I think it will work into a full body after some time. A 5 star product along with the chantecaille and la prairie squirrel brushes I have (they are among the top quality together with trish mcevoy, which I couldn't afford yet.)

Ive just got this brush and i really like it.
I like my face brushes to be flat as i tend to use them on their side rather than the top of the head if that make sense. This is a really nice and soft brush although i havent had to wash it yet. I dont really like the look or feel of powder on my skin but usually put a very thin veil over my t zone to set m foundation and this is exactly what thei brush allows me to do

This is the one brush I can't do without. I use this to apply loose powder, and it's important that the powder goes on evenly in a thin layer. This brush applies powder really beautifully without the powder looking cakey or patchy on the face. I find this brush very forgiving in that even if you swipe the powder with this brush such that a big patch of powder is picked up, the brush can still blend out the powder on the face really nicely. I love how soft this brush is, especially after it's washed and conditioned, and it's a joy to use this on my face every morning. It's a very expensive brush, and I'm glad that I picked this up for around US$35 from strawberrynet a while ago. It does shed slightly but not enough for me to be bothered.

This the best brush ever for BLUSH! When I bought this brush, I didn't know what to expect, because nothing can add up to my Smashbox #1 brush for powder application. I got this brush and tried it, and I thought it was okay for powder. My blush brush was dirty, so I used this for blush instead and WOW. I don't use anything for blush except this brush. It's fantastic!
Edit on 05/14/10: I don't have much use for this brush and find that there are other brushes better for blush. Plus, when I wash it, it bleeds black dye. This brush has been added to my stash of unused brushes.

I agree that this brush is lovely and soft. The texture when applying powder is really nice BUT it sheds like crazy! I have used this every day for six months and I STILL have to pick brush hairs from my make up every time!!! The shedding outweighs the softness for me and it has put me off Stila brushes altogether.

I have the long handle version & I love this brush!!!! It is so soft!!!! I have had little to no shedding. I love the shape of this brush. It is perfect for applying powder under the eye because of the shape. I have tried numerous powder brushes. This is definitely my favorite! Other brushes have felt really harsh on my face or have shed like crazy. Not the case with this brush. My last visit to MAC, the MUA suggested lightly applying my mineral powder over my face just to set the foundation instead of buffing it in...and I must say this brush is perfect for that. I am so glad that I discovered Stila! This brush is a bit pricey but worth every penny. Luckily I purchased it while Sephora was having a 20% off sale. continued >>

I LOVE this brush! I use this everyday to apply my loose powder! I've had this brush for many many years and I will never use another brush, it's worth every penny. It is extremely soft and gentle on the face. It's a bummer that they only carry Stila at Sephora now....they use to carry it at Nordstrom and it was so convenient! Regardless, I LOVE this brush!

I finally caved and bought this brush. No regrets; the brush is extremely soft and gentle on the skin. I feel that most other powder brushes are a little scratchy and tend to brush bits of my makeup off, but as a finishing powder I'd like to dust or pat a light layer of powder on top of my makeup in order to set it - & it doesn't blend out my foundation. This brush DOES NOT scratch or prick at all. =)

When I first bought it, it was kind of condense into it's packaging state. Yet still soft. But now after a while of use, it's fluffed out to it's full potential without losing it's softness.

However on a negative note, it's really pricey & the handle is too long, i keep hitting my mirror with it when I get too close. lol continued >>

I have to agree with others that this brush is really soft, and it can double up as a blush brush (as seen in 30 Going on 13), but its too big as a blush brush.Nevertheless, its great as a powder brush!!!!

I have had this brush for several years and it is the only one I use for powder, loose or pressed. It has held up fantastically (as one would expect) to frequent use/washing. This is like a dream on my face, and I hate when I have to use anything else (like the bronzer brush I use for my meteorites).

I have the #24 brush as well, and one side is like a smaller version of the #8, which works well for travel, but I wish I had the short handled #8 so I could take it instead.

Fantastic brush! Perfect powder application (it's also great for applying powder under the eyes due to it's unique shape). It's expensive but i consider it an investment. Highly recommended!

Good for light powder application. The bristles are so soft and I have had little to no shedding. I have already washed this brush and the shape was perfectly maintained. I love this brush. I was used to using a heavier hand when applying powder and was not used to the way you just sweep the powder on with this one but it does work really well.

I bought this for only AUD$43 on Strawberry Net as opposed to the whoppingingly appalling $110 on MECCA.
This is so soft. Beautiful, I will update when I use it to apply powder, but I am so impressed with how soft this is.

A divinely soft and beautiful quality brush I thought that the #8 brush was the be all and end of all of powder brushes, but after trying other Stila powder brushes (notably #31 and #24) it has been demoted. Stila says the pointy end is ideal for putting powder under your eyes, but the brush is just a little too big for that (the size of the #24 head, which is a smaller version of this, is much more manageable). I found after washing it was hard to get it back to its original shape, but it never shed.

I have mixed feelings about this brush. It is certainly one of the softest powder brushes I've ever used. On the negative side, it is very thin for a powder brush and does not offer the greatest control. This is definitely most appropriate for those who want a very sheer application of powder. For the price it's not as good as it could be.

wow soooo soft! the softest I have...most brushes are scratchy to me but the first time I held this baby in my arms I couldn't stop touching it...pure luxury! I have the long handle so I feel so glamourous when using this hehe..all my other brushes are short handled so I feel like I'm using the "queen" one when I use this one :D

*PIC* Fantastic brush! I had been lemminggggg this for agessss and finally broke down and ordered it when i saw it was only 28.50 euros on strawberrynet as opposed the 50 euro price tag it retails for here in Greece. It truly does feel like MINK on your skin. I love the shape of it and i love using it to apply my blush, it's soooooo soft and silky, some other brushes have a very slight tendency to "tug" at my skin like my beloved mac #187 but this just glides over my skin making the finished look look extremely polished. As for applying powder or bronzer, i would prefer it to be plumper and more dense, because you can't use the surface with this one, so you have to sweep it in motion, but because this brush is such perfect quality i also use it for powder and bronzer when i'm not lazy too "sweep" :) Hands down the best brush i have ever used so far.
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Simply the best - the ferrari of brushes. Divine to use, gossamer soft and applies product like a dream. Do yourself a favour and grab one of these brushes.