I am so glad that I purchased my makeup brush(es) from Laura Mercier because the quality makes all the difference in the world in the finished outcome. This is true in whatever you are doing and I have found that Laura's brushes to be an excellent value. The brush applies the products evenly, cleans up well, holds its shape after cleaning without loosing hairs.
I am super picky about a brush for creams and this is perfect-nice a short for great concrol, hand tapered on the side to pick up plenty of product, and most importantly, not too floppy. I have three in my kit!
Using the brush really does make a difference. I used to use my fingers to apply Crème Cheek Colour and that was fine but the brush does makes it much easier to apply. It feels great too!
There are cheaper brushes out there but sometimes the brush hairs fall out and others don't give an even application. This one is a bit pricey but it does deliver.