By Terry Eye Modeling Brush Stencil 2

I love unique brushes and unusual shapes in makeup tools. But it would do me good to remember that sometimes the fact that no one else makes a certain makeup brush might be due to the fact it's kind of useless. Case in point: By Terry Eye Modeling Brush Stencil 2.

By Terry Eye Modeling Brush Stencil 2 is a cute brush with a very small round and flat head. The handle is elegantly long and slim, the head is tiny and it's described as meant for precise crease work and intensifying eyebrows. In reality, the small head fits into the depth of the crease but in my case (I have a deep crease) that's not the only part of the brush that goes in: the metallic ferrule also joins the action and I feel it. It's unpleasant. The brush hair is soft and nice, but having the ferrule in my crease is a weird stabby sensation.

As for using the Modeling Brush on eyebrows, I wouldn't recommend it either. It's too big and flat for that. Even when you're trying to fill in serious gaps you don't want the result to look too heavy or painted. The whole point of using an eyebrow brush is to get that feathered natural look- to make the eyebrow powder or gel you're using appear as part of the hair. The modeling brush gives me clownish results.

Since this is a small and precise brush I tried using it for smudging and smoking the lash line, but while it's not horrible, the hair is too floppy for smudging and the ferrule gets in the way here, too, if you're working on the lower lashes. It's also not precise enough for this task.

Bottom Line: perhaps one day I'll find a use for this brush.

By Terry Eye Modeling Brush Stencil 2 ($45, ridiculously and grossly overpriced. I'm glad I got it on clearance) is available from Barneys and Space NK.

Photos by Buffy and me.

By Terry Eye Sculpting Brush

Some of you might remember that I've been on a quest to find the perfect replacement for an old and beloved Sephora angled contour brush (now discontinued). I used to have two, one has survived but it's far from its glory days, and I'm not  talking about the peeling paint on the handle- that's actually an honor badge for a makeup brush.

Generally speaking, I love angled contour brush because of the various ways one can use them. This shape is also great for the larger brushes I use in a windshield wiper motion on the brow bone, such as the one from Sisley or NARS #16- neither one is a true contour brush despite their names, but they're fabulous for larger areas and I've included them in my comparison photos so you get idea of the size.  The closest I got to my desired brush until a couple of months ago was Paula Dorf Eye Contour brush. It's a wonderful brush that I use often, but it was never The One, and now I understand why. Paula Dorf's brush is a bit smaller than the Sephora one and not as dense. It's also softer and more precise, but it lacks a little in density, making it a favorite for a quick eye look with a soft-textured eye shadow in a medium to neutral color.

Enter By Terry Eye Sculpting brush (also labeled as Angled #1). This is a medium sized angled contour brush, super soft and very dense. The hair is a little longer than Sephora's, about the same width. It's definitely bigger than Paula's but significantly smaller than the other ones. The handle is sturdy and gives the feel of a serious tool. I especially love the density, the way the hair picks the right amount of color, distributes it evenly and requires fewer brush strokes for the same effect than the Paula Dorf brush.

When I bought my first By Terry brush it was still widely available. Since then it looks like the brushes (or at least some of them) are being phased out. On the bright side, Space NK has them on sale for 50%  (now $27.50, an excellent price for such a great and very well-made brush). I'm not sure what's the situation at other By Terry counters (such as Barneys) but I'd suggest you visit  or call them. I have a couple other By Terry brushes, but this is by far my favorite.

All photos are mine.