Brushes 101

A lot of you have asked me to do a post on brushes and here it is!

Before I get started, I just want to clarify that the brushes shown in these pictures are my own and they are from various brands. I haven't stated the brands or the brush numbers on purpose because I dont want you to think that THIS exact brush is the one I'm saying you should have - these images are just to give you an idea, you can buy something similiar from where ever you please!

I'd be more than happy to make brand specific recommendations so if you want something in particular, leave a comment below and I'll get back to you!

Face Brushes

The one face brush that I feel no woman should be without is the basic, fluffy, rounded face brush. Depending on the size of your face, you can get a medium or large sized one. This brush is a major multi-tasker so you can use it to apply all manners of powders - loose and pressed. That covers foundation, setting powder, bronzer, highlighter, blush (if used carefully!) and mineral powders as well. Make sure to choose a nice fluffy one that has a rounded edge - that way you'll have no harsh, unblended lines on your face!

And ofcourse, it must be super super soft - you want to powder your face, not exfoliate it! Generally, brushes with natural hair are very soft, but some synethetic brushes can be surprisingly soft as well.

This is a typical rounded face brush...



This is a similiar one, just as fluffy but slightly flatter - thats ok, too. This has a slightly more tapered finish to it, which can be helpful in powdering the nose, jawline, around your eyes, etc.

For liquid/cream primer, foundation, highlighter or blush, you'll need a brush with synthetic bristles - natural hair brushes tend to just get very clumpy and yucky with liquid/cream products! Featured below is a typical flat synthetic bristled brush - look for one with a rounded edge like this one. These tend to give a nice sheer finish as well. Poorer quality synthetic brushes often leave streaks on the face, as a result of the bristles clumping together. To avoid this, get as soft and dense a brush as possible.

Blush is possibly one of the hardest makeup products to apply - it takes ages to perfect the technique of applying blush at just the right spot but when you do, it makes ALL the difference. I'm talking about taking ten years off your face right there. Ofcourse, to do this properly you'll need a good blush brush.

Blush brushes are generally of two types - rounded like this one...

Or angled like this one...

It's not the case that one is better than the other - honestly, it is just a matter of personal preference. I've asked so many makeup artists and this was the response I always got. Personally, I like using the angled blush brush better just because I feel it sits more comfortably on my cheekbone. Regardless of which one you use, you want to make sure its reasonbly dense and very soft. It should be stiff, but not too much - if its too flexible you'll end up with blush all over your face, if it's too stiff you'll end up with a harsh line of pink which will take you FOREVER to blend out.

(Btw, you can also use your blush brushes for bronzer, highlighter, contouring - get creative!)

The last in the series of face brushes is the concealer brush! Because concealers/correctors are either liquid or cream finish, its most advisable to use synthetic fibre brushes. You can use either a round-ended concealer brush or a square-ended concealer brush - both are shown below. These can cover up dark circles, redness around the nose, darkness around the mouth and any zits or pimples that need to be banished!

Eye Brushes

The most basic eye brush is the eyeshadow application brush; like the one in the picture below, this should be a FLAT, very densely packed brush. This is because you will use this brush to APPLY the eyeshadow, not to blend it. A flat, dense brush will pick up lots of colour without losing any in the bristles (as cheaper brushes often do) and deposit it right on the lid without any fall-out. I would highly recommend that you get a natural hair eyeshadow brush, they are just far more superior than synthetic ones. Here's what it should look like...

And ofcourse once you've got the eyeshadow on you'll need to blend! Hence, a blending brush! Now this brush should be the opposite of the eyeshadow application brush - longer bristles (to allow for more flexibility of movement), not as densely packed bristles and a rounded, fluffy appearance. The softer and fluffier the brush, the easier it will be to blend colors into each other, into the crease, whatever you need. Pictured below is a very good example of what a blending brush should look like...

No - this isn't an eyeshadow application brush again! But it is a mini version of it! I like calling this the Smudger Brush because thats exactly what I use it for - sometimes if I apply eyeshadow on my lower lash line, I use this to blend it out. If I'm doing a very complicated look with many colors and I cant use a huge blending brush, I use this one for more precision-blending. Use it to blend powders, pencils, kohls, whatever! VERY HANDY!

I'm in love with this next brush. This is an angled eyeliner brush and it makes eyelining SO easy. I use it with my gel eyeliner and I get a perfect line everytime! Because its angled, it gives you really good control over the movement - ofcourse you can use a flat ended version of this too but I just prefer this so much more. Its completely flat and very tightly packed with bristles, extremely stiff too. Oh and I use this with my eyebrow powder too!

This is the same rounded concealer brush as the one featured above - again its a great multi tasker so you can use it for concealer, primer, cream eyeshadow, what-have-you.

This is a brow and lash comb. Again, another brush that is ESSENTIAL, in my view. I would never spend more than two pounds on this brush - just get it from the drugstore! Use the sythetic bristles to comb out your eyebrows and keep them look well-groomed and the plastic side to seperate your lashes post-mascara! Because lets face it, any mascara that adds a decent amount of volume and thickness to your lashes WILL clump - I've just resigned myself to seperating right after!

Brush Care

Occasionally, you will find the odd inexpensive brand of makeup brushes that will leave your heart filled with endless joy. But for the most part, good makeup brushes can be quite expensive. So think of them as an investment - because they are. Good quality makeup brushes, if properly cared for, can last for up to TEN YEARS. Here's how...

1. Spot clean your brushes after EVERY use. What's spot cleaning? Grab a cotton pad, throw some brush cleaner on it, work your brush back and forth on it (repeat if necessary) till your brush is clean and then reshape the brush and lay it flat to dry.

2. Dont lay your brushes flat to dry on a towel or cloth, that's going to leave them with a funny smell. I usually lay them carefully at the edge of a table so that just the bristles are off the edge.

3. Once a week, deep clean your brushes. Take them all to your bathroom sink, put a pea sized amount of your REGULAR SHAMPOO in the palm of your hand, wet the bristles of the brush by running them under tap water and work it in circles in the shampoo till all the gunk is out. Rinse well. Squeeze out extra water. Reshape. Lay flat to dry.

4. When running your brush under water, ALWAYS hold it so that the bristles are facing down... this way you wont get water inside the wooden area of the brush which can loosen the glue which holds the bristles together and completely wreck the brush.

5. Some people prefer using baby shampoo for deep cleaning because it keeps the brushes softer - I just use my regular shampoo because... I couldn't be bothered, I guess? And my brushes seem fine. So its all good. Just dont use anything to wash your brushes that you wouldnt use on your own hair!

I'm more than happy to answer any questions you have - just leave a comment below!

x