TJ Maxx Artis Brush Dupes! (get the look for less)

So, you know those hella expensive Artis paddle brushes that were making the YouTube/Instagram rounds this time last year? The ones that my favorite GlamLifeGuru still uses in most videos? Yeah, today we're talking about the TJ Maxx dupes for those!

While I trust Tati implicitly, I kind of kept telling myself that they were complete and utter hogwash... y'know, as I do with most of the startlingly pretty things that I can't currently afford! #gradstudentbudget 

As I do pretty often in my search for dupe-age, I headed to TJ Maxx with some gal pals!

I ended up grabbing three different sizes from three different brands to really give myself a range of brushes to try! From left to right, the Cailyn O! Wow Brush, the my ibeauty tool Mermaid (what, why?)  Face Brush, and the Creme Shop contour x concealer brush.

I picked the O! Wow brush from Cailyn for it's tear drop shaped head and super soft bristles (yep, I was that person who opened up the box) It's also a really sturdy plastic, with a kind of unusual cone-shaped handle.  I don't really notice how weird the cone is when the brush is in use, due to my awe over the blend-ability. The shaped brush-head fits so well and blends the under eye and around the nose flawlessly!

I grabbed the my ibeauty tool Mermaid Face brush because it was the biggest one on the stand! I'm never not confused at the marketing- literally, why mermaids? and marble? together???- but the brush itself is crazy soft and will blend out foundation in 0.2 seconds flat, while also feeling super nice on the skin! The only problems I have with this is that the neck feels very flimsy and the chrome finish isn't the highest quality (making me worry about chips and driving me insane over finger prints).

I also picked up the smaller contour x concealer brush from the Creme Shop! I am seriously obsessed with their Peppermint Mocha acne-clearing sheet mask- seriously, it's magic- so I decided to try out some of their other products, starting with this brush! Unlike the other two, this one has two separate pieces for the handle and head. I wish they'd gone the other route- while the individual pieces feel steady, the connection between the two squeaks a bit, which makes me nervous. It's also not quiiite as soft as the other two, but I can overlook that for how well it applies makeup!

These are all going to be featured in an upcoming TJ Maxx haul video and first impressions on my YouTube channel! Be sure to keep an eye out on youtube.com/smilingrid for some really amazing brush application, setting powder, bronzer andddd more!