I purchased this along with the limited edition powder blush, Little Rusty. Little Rusty is a deep red, a burgundy shade. This color has surprisingly good pigmentation, and the sales associate recommended this brush to me, saying the trick is to apply it gently and softly with a long-bristled brush. It's true: if you use a stiff brush with dense bristles, the blush will be too thick and you'll end up looking like a cockatiel. Even now, Little Rusty is difficult to use, and it's the most difficult of all the blushes I own. The long bristles allow you to apply the blush without applying too much pressure. So far, I've only used this brush with Little Rusty, but I think it's also great for applying a soft blush. It's made in Japan, and the bristles are probably animal-like. Having a blush brush with long, fluffy bristles is also handy. I recommend trying it for thick, difficult-to-use blushes.