Okay finally. Sorry this took so long to post. Anyways, Onto my brush review.
This is pretty general about ELF brushes. The $1 dollar line is not so great in my opinion. The eye brushes are okay but I find the face ones to be scratchy. The brushes are poorly made and all of mine had fallen apart on me after a few months. If you're lucky it's fixable and if not it's in the trash. Mine always seemed to have a crazy case of shedding which was never a good thing and always annoying and like I said, I trashed them all. Over all recommendation is that if it's all you can afford to begin with MAYBE you should get them but keep reading. I have a point.
Also one thing to never spend more than a dollar on is:

I prefer double ended ones but maybe I'm just lazy. When people buy these from Mac I'm just like ???.

Okay so onward to the Studio line. These brushes are $3 dollars each(And the 'buki is $6) and my true recommendation for beginners. Yes it's $30 for a starting set, but compare it to other brands it is the best bang for your buck with the most variety. Also ELF is ALWAYS having sales. In fact I got my set for 2.50 with a $20 purchase or something like that. So always keep a look out for that.

As I said the set is good for beginners and has everything a beginner should need and then some.(Most people aren't crazy for Fan Brushes when starting out it seems.)

These are much softer than the $1 dollar line, But they seem to have the same quality control issues. I had some of my bristles not just falling but just chunks of my blush brush falling out. I contacted ELF about it and they never replied via email nor Facebook. Since then I'm a bit apprehensive to buy from them. Nothing kills me more than bad customer service.

Regardless, they do the job. I have no problems with these and I still use some of these. Do I pick them over my Real Techniques? Occasionally due to the larger variety but if it's essentially the same brush than I pick my Real Techniques brushes.(They are softer and I have had no issues with quality)

As for how this line compares to the Mineral or the new Gem line. I'm not able to tell you. Honestly I feel like the Gem line might just be the same quality but in a cuter brush. As for the mineral I hear it's good for mineral make-up which I have a on and off relationship with. If I ever make the purchase of those brushes I will compare them in that review.

As always these are my own opinions for things purchased with my own cash.

You can find ELF products here.
Got a Redcard with Target? Get ELF from Target, 5% off and free shipping! 
Elf is also available in store at certain stores. I have found them at dollar stores, Target and K-mart. It depends on the store to be honest. Whenever I do see them though I get all excited and buy something.