Great for kids pretend toy. I bought these as a gift for my friend's daughter. She loves to pretend to do her makeup with mommy in the morning but tends to ruin Mom's brushes. Now she has her own set and couldn't be happier (and neither could Mom). She loves all the colors and the tactile feel of the mermaid scales. Her daughter is 2 going on 3. I have a feeling she will be using these for years to come, both on herself and later her dolls. Sorry can't say much as to whether they are good for actual makeup application though.