You don’t have to be a millionaire to buy good makeup! Even if you swear by cheap makeup, you may want to venture out of the drug store every so often. But it can be hard to spend a day’s paycheck (or more) on a beauty product. So what’s a girl who wants good quality, reasonably priced makeup to do?

No need to worry. Zoeva cosmetics boasts high-end-quality makeup products and tools, at low (not quite drug-store, but pretty decent) prices. For all those who want to look beautiful without having to spend too much – this one’s for you!

Zoeva Cosmetics Company Background & History Explained

Zoe Boikou started her company, Zoeva Cosmetics, from her living room in 2008. Frustrated that she was not able to find any quality makeup brushes for low prices where she was living in Germany, she ordered 10 brushes from a Canadian company to test. Satisfied with how well the brushes worked, Boikou sold them on eBay for a profit. They went like hotcakes – and that’s when she realized that there was a huge demand for quality brushes at budget prices.

Initially, she founded her company and worked alone from her home. But as known YouTubers discovered her products and gave them positive reviews, her customer base grew in leaps and bounds. ‘Zoeva‘ is formed from Boikou’s first name “Zoe”, which means “life” in Greek, and “Eva”, meaning “first”. The company now sells around 100 000 brushes every month, and its products are sold across the world.

Zoeva Cosmetics Makeup Products Overview

Although they are especially known for their brushes, Zoeva produces all kinds of makeup products and tools, including palettes for your face and eyes.

Zoeva Brushes Explained

It’s not for nothing that Zoeva started out with brushes, and is now a popular cosmetic brand sold worldwide. Zoeva has many brushes, sold both individually and in sets. Their brushes work as well or better than high-end brands like MAC. Only, Zoeva brushes are far less expensive!

Whether you are after a small, four-piece travel brush set, all the way to thirty-piece brush sets, Zoeva brushes are all super-soft, pick up a decent amount of product, and blend and apply makeup beautifully.

Rose Golden. Treat yourself to our handcrafted and timeless, Rose Golden Luxury Set Vol. 2 brushes. #ZOEVA #ZOEVARoseGoldenVol2 #makeupbrushes #makeupbrushset https://t.co/0gMxXnB9KW pic.twitter.com/MY2PIhuQk8

— ZOEVA Cosmetics (@ZoevaCosmetics) May 8, 2018

Zoeva offers fully vegan brush sets, as well as individual vegan brushes. The brushes are all weighted nicely and mostly have wooden handles with shiny gold, silver or rose gold ferrules. There is virtually any brush you could need for any kind of makeup application. All, of course, with their trademark quality and classy packaging.

Zoeva Brushes Breakdown And Review

For a more ‘fun’ look, you might want to try the Zoeva Pink Elements Complete Eye Set. It comes with 12 brushes that can be used to apply your eye makeup, all sporting hot pink handles with a perfectly contrasting dark brown case. The bristles themselves are a mixture of brown, ivory, and two-tone black and white, completing the cheerful theme of this set.

A personal favorite of mine is the Zoeva Rose Golden Luxury Set Vol. 3, an eight-piece brush set. The handles are all completely rose gold medal, instead of the classic wooden-handled, metal-ferruled Zoeva brush look. It doesn’t have every brush, but it definitely has the most important ones for foundation, powder, contouring, and eyes. The packaging is the traditional Zoeva faux leather clutch, in a dark brown color, with a rose gold zip and lettering on the clutch.

Zoeva brushes are known for their superior quality and feel. You can wash them without any concerns for shedding and can use them for both your cream and powder products due to their blend of natural and synthetic hairs (besides for their vegan brushes). At first glance, the prices might seem a bit steep, but if you work it out per brush, the prices are decent considering the quality. Using good quality brushes is not just a nice suggestion. It can completely change the way your entire makeover looks. Many people believe that you can use the cheapest makeup, but if you have quality brushes, you can make yourself look spectacular. With Zoeva brushes, you are guaranteed to get the best out of the makeup you are using and look your prettiest self.

Zoeva Rose Golden Complete Eye Brush Set Review

There are two versions of the Zoeva Rose Golden Complete Eye set. If you own both, you definitely love eye makeup (or at least eye makeup brushes). And you’re definitely set for all your eye brush needs.

The original Rose Golden Complete Eye Set comes in a dark brown faux leather case with a rose gold zipper and lettering. The brushes themselves have dark handles with rose gold ferrules.

The set comes with 12 brushes that can be used to create any eye look. Some of the brushes include the 142 Concealer Buffer Brush – for buffing all over your lid and for contouring under your eyes, the 224 Luxe Defined Crease Brush – for precision in applying shadow to your crease, the 226 Smudger Brush – perfect for smudging out your eyeliner on your lower lash line for smoky eyes, and the 317 Wing Liner Brush – super thin; great for gel liner and for creating that perfect cat eye look. And that’s just to name a few.

Zoeva Rose Golden Complete Eye Set Volume 2 Review

Applying eyeshadow with Zoeva brushes.

The Rose Golden Complete Eye Set Volume 2 has a bit of overlap, but there are different brushes as well. Volume 2 comes in a gorgeous pearly rose gold case and the brushes have light pink handles with rose gold ferrules.

Some of the brushes included in this set are the 322 Brow Line Brush, which is also in the original Rose Golden Eye Set – an angled brush perfect for filling in, extending and defining your brows, the 228 Luxe Crease Brush, which again is also in the original Rose Golden Eye set – this brush has a pointed tip, and the bristles are a bit denser, making it good for more precise application and for adding color to the inner or outer corners of your eye, and the 310 Spot Liner Brush – this is an interesting one, because the bristles are dense and short so it’s great for liner, but it doesn’t look like your average liner brush. I feel like there are more bristles on it than on a regular liner brush.

Both Volumes 1 and 2 are perfect for creating all your favorite eye looks from start to finish. The original set is probably better for liner as there are two liner brushes, whereas Volume 2 only has one-liner brush. Volume 2 however, has more brushes that are bigger, making it a better set for buffing and applying shadow all over your lids. Both sets have soft, fluffy bristles and Zoeva’s trademark good quality. Definitely worth the price!

Zoeva Naturally Yours Eye Shadow Palette Review

A glimpse at the Zoeva Naturally Yours Eyeshadow Palette.

The Zoeva Naturally Yours Eyeshadow Palette is one of those must-have palettes because of its versatility. You can create practically every eye look with these ten beautiful shades. The shades are all nude or earthy tones, and there are 5 shimmers/metallic shades and 5 matte shades.

You can use the lighter, more natural colors for your everyday look (there are also a few that would work well as transition or base colors). The darker shades are perfect for the night – especially the shade Timeless Chic, which is a matte black shade for a killer smoky eye.

The shades are all extremely pigmented and long-wearing, and they swatch beautifully. They are easy to blend and contain Vitamin E, which is healthy for your skin. If you’re looking to save money but don’t want to compromise on quality, I’d recommend that you give this palette a try. For only $26.50 USD, it’s a small price to pay when compared with other high-end companies. Your makeup will look great every day – and every night as well!

Zoeva Lip Products Review

You won’t know your lips with Zoeva’s lipsticks!

You might think you have enough lipsticks in your makeup collection. Still, treat yourself to a Zoeva Luxe lipstick or a Zoeva liquid lipstick – you’ll thank me later. At $11.80 or $12.80 USD for a lipstick, you don’t have to think too hard. Especially considering the superior quality of Zoeva’s products!

As you probably deduced from its name, Zoeva Luxe Cream lipsticks are super creamy and are extremely pigmented. Trust me, you only want one layer with these things. They’ll last you a few hours and will leave a stain once the color has faded.

The Luxe Matte lipsticks are similarly packaged to the Luxe Creams, though the lipstick shape is different and the case is a darker silver than the Cream lipstick cases. The Luxe Matte Lipsticks have a more matte finish, as opposed to the slightly glossy finish of the Creams.

If you’re a fan of liquid lipsticks, Zoeva’s Pure Lacquer or Pure Velour lines might be just what you’re after. Pure Lacquer lipsticks have a glossy finish, while Pure Velour lipsticks have a more matte finish. Both are very long-wearing, creamy, and come in 8 shades. That’s a decent range, although I do hope they expand it soon! When they do wear off, they don’t crumble, which is a common annoyance with liquid lipsticks. These, however, come off gradually and leave a nice stain.

Zoeva Tools Review

Anything you might need to apply/store your makeup is offered by Zoeva. Whether your need is a makeup case (big or small), a brush holder, a mirror – or even a bangle to match your makeup clutch, they have it!

There’s the Brush Clutch (in small and large) – a black, faux leather case, perfect for housing your brushes. Alternatively, you can try the brush belt, which looks kind of like a briefcase but only for your makeup brushes.

If you’re the kind who likes to display your brushes in a clear holder on your vanity, you can opt for a Zoeva Brush Holder or a Zoeva Classic Brush Holder. The Brush Holder was created specifically for the Rose Gold range, and if you have a Zoeva Rose Gold Brush set, it would look gorgeous in this coordinating holder. Otherwise, the Classic Brush Holder is a large, four-compartment brush holder that makes for simple use. Its walls are clear so it’s easy to locate the brush you’re looking for.

One of the worst parts about applying makeup on-the-go is lack of a proper mirror. You’re just about dancing trying to get a good angle in the rearview mirror. You’re struggling to hold your phone and fix up your makeup using the screen at the same time….sounds familiar?

That’s why Zoeva’s travel-size makeup mirror is perfect for you! It has a stand, so your hands are free to apply the gloss you didn’t have time to throw on this morning. And you don’t have to use it only when traveling, either. Since it has wings, you can apply your makeup at home and be able to see how you’re doing from all sides.

If you have way too much makeup, you’re going to need a place to store it all. Zoeva has the perfect solution: a three-zippered makeup bag, with pockets for all your makeup and hair products/ tools. It’s a classy black colour, and makes for a professional and organised way to hold your cosmetic items. Plus, it’s purposely made of faux leather, so you can easily wipe it down if you accidentally drop your mascara wand. Beautiful and practical, too!

Is Zoeva Cruelty Free? Does Zoeva Test On Animals? Vegan?

That’s always the question, isn’t it? Well, fear not – Zoeva is 100% cruelty-free, and boasts an extensive range of vegan-friendly products. Their brushes that do use animal hair are made of goat hair, which is obtained without any harm or pain to the goats.

Conclusion

Confession: while I was in the middle of writing this review, I went online and bought myself a set of Zoeva brushes (even though it’s questionable whether or not I needed them). For the quality and price, it’s hard to have enough self-control to convince yourself that you don’t need them!

They have the luxurious feel and appearance of being high-end but are easier to save up for. Zoeva is a relatively new company that may not be as well-known as some of the high-end brands. But if you give them a chance, I can assure you that you won’t be disappointed.