Brushes Un-complicated (My Most Used Brushes/Brushes Starter Kit)
15.7.13
I remember when I was just getting into makeup. One of the things I heard the most was, "throw away the crap applicators that come with your eyeshadow/blush," if you throw that away, what do you have left to apply? And when I started venturing into the world of brushes, I was overwhelmed by the sheer amount. And because I was stupid and didn't do my proper research, I was convinced by the sales at MAC, more than once, to shell out on brushes I've never really touched afterwards.
Lesson? Do your research beforehand and it can save you a lot of money.
Today, I'm going to help you guys with that and share with you some of my most used brushes.
Face & Cheeks
Sigma F80
Is there anyone out there that has tried using the F80 to apply foundation and not fell in love with it? Please let me know if you guys exist because I swear by this brush. Of all the foundation brushes I've tried, this one works best. It can stipple foundation on for a higher coverage, or buff out the product to get a sheerer finish. This is also a life saver when I've overloaded on blush. I just take it and buff out the product and not 30 seconds later and I go from clown to human.
Bobbi Brown Powder Brush
This is my most expensive brush, and honestly, it's quite overpriced. But I still use it all the time, simply because it's the only powder brush I have.
Now, don't get me wrong. It's a great brush, and I love how it has a tapered end so I can get under my eyes or around my nose. But for starters, it's incredibly overpriced. It's very high quality but I paid 1800NTD ($60) for this brush and it's more scratchy than I would like the bristles to be. Plus, it has a slight goat smell that took me forever to wash away.
I still really like this brush and probably won't be specifically purchasing another powder brush in the near future, but if I could go back 8 months and done my research before then, I probably would be hesitant to purchase this.
Sonia Kashuk Dual Fibre Brush
I remember searching high and low for a good stippling brush because it seemed like everyone was talking about using a dual fibre brush to apply their foundation. I was smarter when I got this as I did my research before being talked into spending 1800NTD (app $60) on the MAC stippling brush.
I tried using it with my foundation but hated how it looked. So it was on the back burner for quite a while until I started using this for blush/bronzers. I love using it with incredibly pigmented blushes, like my Tarte ones, as it doesn't overload on product and the soft bristles are able to blend the edges beautifully.
Eco Tools Blush Brush
No surprise that I use this for blush. I also like to use it for bronzer and contouring, as it's quite flat and fits snuggly under my cheekbones. The bristles of the brush are incredibly soft that I'm hesitant to call them bristles. I mean, when you think of bristles, you think they're going to be bristly and spiky...right?
Another thing I love about the EcoTools brushes is their handles are made from recycled bamboo and there's that organic feeling to it when you see it in your makeup collection.
The only thing I don't like about this brush is the dark colored bristles. You're not able to see how much product you actually picked up on the brush and more often than not, it causes me to overload on my blush. It's not something I can't fix, it's just kinda annoying.
The only thing I don't like about this brush is the dark colored bristles. You're not able to see how much product you actually picked up on the brush and more often than not, it causes me to overload on my blush. It's not something I can't fix, it's just kinda annoying.
Bobbi Brown Blending Brush
Don't let the name fool you - this sucks as a blending brush. The bristles are way too long and the head is too poofy to properly blend. At least I had trouble blending my eyeshadow with this brush. But I love using this brush for concealer and setting. It's large, fluffy and incredibly soft. It blends out concealer smoothly and the tapered end makes it easy to reach around the nose and under the eyes to set the concealer without disrupting the product.
Ecotools Angled Brush
I love using this brush to fill in my eyebrows. It's the only brush I've tried for that purpose so I don't know how it compares to other angled brushes, but since I have this and it works like a gem, I don't think I'll be venturing into the world of angled brushes soon.
MAC 217
It's the HG of all eyeshadow brushes! This brush is the reason I started feeling more confident about using eyeshadow, it's the only brush I use for eyeshadow most days! It's soft, it's small enough to use for the crease but big enough to blend. I use it for everything, I think I should just get a second one.
The bristles get dirty pretty easy, as you can see from the photo above (I really should've washed the brushes before snapping the photos...), but it's surprisingly easy to clean. If you're new to applying eyeshadow and not sure which brushes to buy, then get this one and one is all you need!
MAC 224
This is my favorite brush to line my eyes with - either with gel liner or eyeshadow. It's actually the brush that's helped me gain confidence with using a gel liner. The flat, stiff bristles helps you control the line better. I know some people like using pencil brushes with their liner, but because they're usually thin, it takes me forever to finish the line and most times, the line won't be perfect. But because this brush is wider than a pencil brush, you get more coverage area with this brush, and the line is drawn quicker and in less strokes.
Spoolie
This is just a random spoolie I got free from a makeup counter. I know that there are brands out there that sell spoolie brushes, but personally, I don't think there's much difference. You can even just clean an old mascara wand. Other than combing through my brows, I use this mostly to declump my eyelashes. My eyelashes tend to bundle together if coated with too much mascara and I really don't like the chunky look, so I comb through my eyelashes after putting on mascara and this really helps separate my lashes to give them the feathery look.
These are brushes that I almost always use and basically the only brushes I need to complete a full face makeup. I hope that this helped some of you find your way through the complicated maze of brushes!
What are some of your favorite/most used brushes?
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