Beauty How-To: Makeup Brushes

Although this may sound confusing at first, a makeup kit should never consist of makeup alone. If you’re after the best possible application and results from your cosmetics, it’s just about vital to be packing a few of the most basic makeup brushes. These brushes are targeted to specific areas of your face to create a desired effect and make putting your face on infinitely easier. This article will run you through your most necessary brushes, the best of the best, plus some handy tips to get the most out of them.

There are five brushes that could be considered ‘essentials’ due to frequency of use. That said, there are many others that are just as useful but not as frequently used. The first of these is,

1. The hard angle brush. This brush is used for applying gel eyeliner and shaping eyebrows and is necessary to get that perfect – and at times difficult – cat wing eye and arched brow. Without it you risk losing a more defined look.

2. Another essential brush targeted at eyes is the bristled eyeshadow brush. Made for general eyelid coverage, the bristled brush is great because it works well with all kinds of eyeshadows. In particular it is the perfect partner for loose dust powders as the pigments cling to the bristles before being applied to your eyes, stopping any annoying flyaways on your face.

3. Whether you pencil them in or go au naturel, your brows still need to be put in their place. An eyebrow brush stops any potential Dr Spock moments and also comes in handy when wanting to trim any longer brow hairs – simply use the brush to hold it in place and snip. Most eyebrow brushes come with an eyelash comb attached as well, preventing any mascara clumping while you’re at it.

4. A blush brush is great for all seasons. Use it on the apples of your cheeks for a rosy glow during the colder months or sweep bronzer over your cheekbones as the mercury rises. A blush brush is shaped specifically to contour the shape of your cheeks and cheekbones ensuring the best results, so if you use blush or bronzer there’s no excuse not to invest.

5. Perhaps the most important of all is the kabuki brush. A kabuki is used primarily for blending and smoothing, meaning you don’t have to worry about cake face after you’re done. A tool for bringing everything together, the kabuki brush is essential if you want a more unified and polished look from your application.

It should go without saying that, if you do want to get the most out of your brushes, they deserve a little TLC (especially if they are a higher quality brand). The first and foremost important thing to do to ensure brush longevity is regular cleaning. Ideally a brush should be cleaned every couple of days, or once a week at a stretch. Using a liquid hand soap or shampoo on your hands, run the brush under warm water, avoiding getting the handle or ferrule (the metal part the bristles are attached to) wet. Run your hands along the brush from the ferrule to the tip and repeat this until the water runs clear – but be warned, you may be shocked to see all the excess that comes out of your brush! Once cleaned, lay the brush flat on a towel and allow to dry, taking care to reshape the bristles so they don’t splay out. The exception to this rule is the kabuki brush, which should be left to dry standing up.
It is also worth investing in a brush roll to protect your brushes when not in use. Nobody wants to use a makeup brush that’s been rolling around in a makeup box full of excess product and other brushes. A brush roll will ensure your brushes are safe in storage and staying in the best possible condition.

The best brushes that are readily and easily available can be online found at M.A.C, Benefit Cosmetics, Hub Makeup or Strawberry Net. M.A.C and Hub also stock their products in concept stores that can be located via their websites, while Benefit can be found in the makeup section of deparment stores.

Image: makeup-spot.blogspot.com