dependent for existence, occurrence, character, etc., on something not yet certain; conditional (often followed by on or upon): Our plans are contingent on the weather. 2. liable to happen or not; uncertain; possible: They had to plan for contingent expenses.
But they don't do a worse job, either. Sure, expensive bristle brushes allow you to spread the varnish out smoothly, but so does a forty nine cent foam brush. So it makes sense to use the lowest-tech, least expensive tool to do the job.
An oval wash brush has a very rounded appearance and looks very similar to a makeup brush. It is used exclusively for watercolour painting and has the function of laying in large areas of colour or water. Natural fibers include sable and squirrel. Synthetics emulate the feel of extra soft sable and squirrel hair.