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If you're in the process, as I am, of switching to non-animal hair makeup brushes, you may be wondering what these brushes are like. Here is a review to get you started.

From ColorBrushes.com: "Round Handle" is a plush, luxurious, huge soft brush that comes in pink or white. Perfect for blush or loose powder. It's about 2 inches wide at the top.

From AfterglowCosmetics.com: I use their "Blush Brush" as a mineral makeup application brush. It's soft, but stiff enough to get the makeup on evenly and flawlessly. It's also a perfect blush brush, of course, but you'll want to wash it between blush colors and foundation colors. It's about 1 ¼ inches wide.

Afterglow's "Oval Eyeshadow Brush" is a medium-soft tapered brush, approximately 5/16 inches wide. Good for detailed eye shadow work.

Loew-Cornell's Fan Brush #7200 is perfect for whisking off extra loose powder, or if you need to apply a tiny amount of setting powder in a small area, such as under your eye. Available at hobby shops or artist supply stores.

Also by Loew-Cornell is a flat, ¾ inch brush, which I love for spot concealing and under eye concealers. It comes in an angled version, too.

Laura Mercier's Crème Cheek Color brush is tapered, about ¾ inch wide, and I use it for liquid foundation application. If you use cream blush, it would be prefect for that, too. (Available at department stores. Not all of Laura M.'s brushes are vegan, so be sure to ask what each brush is made of. As long as it's nylon, Taklon, or 100% synthetic, you're ok.)

Urban Decay has a "Blender Brush" in their "Good Karma" collection that I found at Sephora. Soft, thick, and tapered, it measures ½ inch wide. I am actually using it for eye shadow application. I love all their "Good Karma" brushes.

Jane Iredale has a concealer brush I love, called "Camouflage 10." It's my best under-eye brush. Go to JaneIredale.com to find retail outlets. Not all of Jane Iredale's brushes are vegan, so be careful.

Aveda makes fabulous brushes, and you can find them in most malls, some beauty stores, or for purchase online. I use their Flax Sticks TM #12 Fine Eye Liner Brush, which is flat topped and measures 5/16 inches wide, and also their Flax SticksTM Eye Color Brush #3, which is the same size but tapered. There are 2 more eye color brushes in smaller widths.

Sevi makes an excellent mineral makeup application brush called "Vegan Flat Top Foundation Brush." It's about 1 ½ inches wide across the top. It gets the mineral makeup on quickly and evenly, and is great if you need full coverage.

If you want to browse and feel your brushes before you buy, Aveda and Urban Decay are the best commercial outlets. If you go to the artist supply store, be careful about the labeling, because they carry animal hair, part animal hair/part synthetic, and 100% synthetic brushes.

For a complete listing of vegan brush companies, you're welcome at my site, http://www.mymakeupmirror.com/VeganBrushes.html

Some companies are starting to claim that their animal hair brushes are cruelty-free. This is dangerous territory for animal lovers, because the term "cruelty-free" is subjective and mainly used by marketing departments. Also dangerous: companies that claim no animal was killed in the making of the brush. That may be true, but it gives us no idea about the conditions the animal must live in. You can't be sure a brush is cruelty-free unless it's 100% vegan.