Reddit reviews EcoTools Retractable Kabuki Travel Foundation Brush for Blush, Bronzer, & Powder

Arko without question is the best idea for travel. cut the stick down if you want to be even more convenient. I've used the ecotools retractable kabuki several times now and although it isn't a shave brush, it does a reasonable job and dries quickly.

I used it last summer on several days when I was out in the sun all day long. It works really well for me. I carry the compact with me and this retractable brush and reapply every hour or so. My skin is very pale and burns easily and throughout the entire summer I only got very slightly burnt once and that was only because I forgot to reapply.

EDIT: Forgot a word.

I'm still organizing it, but my "kit" includes:

• DSLR Camera, prime lenses, camera bag
  
  
• Wooden yard stick (Scale bar and setting depth of field)
  
  
• IR remote control for camera (more steady camera triggering)
  
  
• Tripod on casters for faster shot setups
  
  
• Athlete's foot spray ($1 each at the dollar store)
  
  
• Developer's spray / Dulling spray
  
  
• temporary/removable rubberized paint (basecoat before spraying perm. paint) example
  
  
• Multi-colored textured spray paint Example
  
  
• Powder duster for applying inexpensive dust to objects. I haven't perfected this process. It's messy and the powder can change appearance between camera shots and spoil your entire photoshoot. I'd still like to figure out a better way because flour, baking soda, baby powder, and other dusty substances are far cheaper than spraypaint and athlete's foot spray.
  
  
• retractable kabuki brush for applying powder. I'm still experimenting with this, but it's a standard item included with the NextEngine 3D Scanner and they recommend applying talc powder to a lanolin base.
  
  
• Smart phone with lightmeter app, depth-of-field calculator app
  
  
• "Muslin" quick-clamps to drape a bedsheet behind object to diffuse lighting
  
  
• log book for optimal camera settings (dry erase board is faster for me)
  
  
• dry erase board for snapping a pic of my settings
  
  
• stickers for registration marks. I have only tried ordinary circular stickers without the computer generated encoded targets and have so far been disappointed with the results.
  
  There's probably more, but that's all I can think of for now.
  
  FUTURE ITEMS:
  
  
• $10 Lazy susan turntable from Ikea
  
  
• CNC controlled camera gantry for automated image capturing
  
  
• Field monitor for easier camera focusing. It's much harder on the small camera display.
  
  
• WiFi enabled camera or a WiFi enabled SD memory card
  
  
• A light tent - preferably with an entire setup with variable LED lighting from reddit user /u/Iontrades_
  
  https://www.kickstarter.com/projects/iontrades/lite-studio-all-in-one-photo-studio-and-3d-scanner
  
  
• Green screen backdrop for experimenting with the automask feature in 3DF Zephyr software. I may also experiment with other backdrop colors, threadcounts, and thicknesses to optimize contrast (between the workpiece and backdrop) and optimize lighting.
  
  
• Experimental mixture of white baby powder, black pepper, and acetone to make it stick together. I haven't tried this yet, but I'm hoping that the acetone would help it stick to the workpiece and quickly evaporate.

I love love love my [ecotools retractable kabuki] (http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B001MX89Y8/ref=wms_ohs_product?ie=UTF8&psc=1). It's sooo soft and it glides powder onto my face really well.

The Wiki has a ton of useful information, it's what I went off of before taking the plunge about a month ago.

There are some great kits that are also available in the sidebar, sorted by price range, but personalized kits will take a little longer to understand and build up. I'm still on all of my first everything (save for blades) so I'm taking my time with everything. I personally used the Van Der Hagen Deluxe Shave Set because I found it at Target for $20. The brush is apparently terrible, but I've not had an issue with it's shedding just yet and someone earlier was saying they lost theirs and miss it terribly.

I'm not quite sure if this is the one regularly linked, but the EcoTools Kabuki is a regularly recommended brush from /u/LeisureGuy, who has some fantastic advice to be given out.

Going around doing some reading on this sub and the wiki will help you get a lot of the information that you'll need in order to actually put your kit together. There are several videos on YouTube (geofatboy and mantis are the popular ones) that show you how to lather, how to shave, how to maintain your razor, and how to change out blades, anything really.

I also use a generic Lord razor currently, it's a good price for a decent razor, something to consider, there is a less expensive one available, but the reviews are mixed on it.

I haven't used the Escali shaving brush, but I've heard lousy things about it. The brush sheds, and it irritates the skin. Escali uses black badger, and the only black badger brush I've ever used lathered great but stung my face. Consider getting an Omega boar brush, which can be had for like ten bucks. Boar brushes feel coarse at first, but they soften up as the bristles split at the ends. The brush also smells like hairy pig until the break-in phase is over. Alternatively, you could get an Ecotools Kabuki brush, which is made from bamboo and is considered to be a good starter brush.

If you want a cheaper alternative to the kit you have, you can go to Maggard Razors. They have their own brand of razors that seems to be based in part on the Edwin Jagger line. I can't speak to the quality of their razors (I use an Edwin Jagger and I like it a lot), but everyone who buys one seems to like it. You can get a kit with a razor, brush, shave soap, and alum for $40-50, and you can pick and choose your own blade sampler as well. The owners of the website are also frequent posters, and you can shoot /u/kcbeemo a message if you have a question about a product.

I have. The first kabuki brush I tried was a wonderful goat-hair kabuki. It did not work as a shaving brush: too dense. And I tried the Ecotools travel kabuki, which also did not work so well---and again, density was the problem. Though people complain that the regular Ecotools is not terribly dense, I think that could be the secret of its lathering power.