Brushes - "Brusha Brusha Brusha"

Brushes are an important tool when applying makeup but there are so many different types out there. It's just really hard to know which brushes do what. Which are the brushes that we really need and which ones are just nice to have?

With this post I want to share the brushes that I like to use and what I use them for but also brushes that I would like to add to my collection. 

Brands that I like to use are MAC especially for eye makeup and Real Techniques. Prices of brushes range from the affordable to the very expensive and I like to mix and match mine. Though in an ideal world I would have a beautiful set of Charlotte Tilbury or Trish McEvoy ones.

Makeup Brushes

Foundation - I don't tend to use a brush to apply my foundation. I just haven't got on with them. Lots of makeup artists do use them though and say they give you a more flawless finish. They do give more coverage and I like this from my foundation especially around my nose and chin area, so I may invest in this Bobbi Brown Brush.

Concealer - Again, I don't tend to use a brush for my concealer.  I like to use my ring finger to apply it or I use the applicator they come with. You can use an eye shadow brush to apply concealer to your under eye area or around the nose. There are though specific concealer brushes such as this one from Top Shop.  Concealer brushes are narrow and tend to have a tapered edge.

Blusher - As regular readers of my blog, you will know how much I love my blusher. I love to use a big, fluffy brush to apply it but I have been reading that really I should be using a more medium sized brush which is full and round. So I have just purchased the Real Techniques Blusher Brush . I will let you know what I think about it. When applying any powder products such as blusher or bronzer I like to give the brush a little tap first to get rid of any excess product that might be on the brush.

Bronzer - I need to invest in a new bronzer brush as the one I currently use isn't the right shape. An angled one will help you to apply the product under the cheekbones without streaking. The one I would love is this Charlotte Tilbury one but at £60 I do think this is a bit excessive for a bronzer brush when there are many more affordable ones on the market.

Contouring - Here you want a soft brush with an angled edge (these are often good for applying bronzer too) such as this MAC one.

Highlighting - I always apply my highlighter with my fingers as I like to use a liquid highlighter rather than a powder one but if you are a fan of a powder highlighter or like to apply liquid with a brush, a good one would be the Zoeva Luxe Highlighter Brush.

Powder - A meduim sized brush such as this one by Real Techniques is best for powder as it will let you apply the powder to the areas of the face you want to, rather than all over the face. I sometimes apply mine with my Louise Young Fan Brush or use this brush to make sure all my blusher and bronzer is well blended and not streaky.

Eyebrow - Instead of using a pencil to apply colour to my brows I like to use a brush and I like to use a thin brush like this MAC one. Then I brush my brows through with a Spoolie brush afterwards brushing the hairs up to make it look as natural as possible.

Eye shadow - I would always use a brush for my eye shadow unless its a cream (though I would still blend this out with a brush) as they go on better and a brush enables you to be more precise. My absolute favourite brush for applying eye shadow is the MAC 217 Brush. It is the perfect size and applies the product so well. I also recommend having a clean 217 brush when applying your eye shadow as it is the perfect brush for blending.  A definite must buy.

Eyeliner - A thin brush with short stiff bristles is perfect for applying any gel eyeliners or  a thin line of eye shadow. I use this MAC 266 Brush and this is also the one I use for my eyebrows too.

Lips - Being quite lazy I don't really use a lip brush. I tend to apply my lipstick straight from the bullet or use the gloss applicator. However, when applying a red or dark lip a lip liner is good as it helps you be more precise.  A good one to try would be this Clinique Lip Brush  or a budget buy would be this one from H&M.

There are so many other brushes out there that you can have, such as stippling and buffing brushes, smudger brushes and crease brushes to name but a few. I am sure I should be using them! If any of you do use a brush that I haven't mentioned let me know what it is and why it's good. I could always do with an excuse for buying a brush!

You can always buy make up sets. Real Techniques do this one or at the more luxury end Bobbi Brown do this one.

Washing brushes

One of my 2015 Beauty and Skincare resolutions was to wash my make up brushes more regularly. I am aiming for every Sunday night. This hasn't happened so far so maybe once a month might be more realistic!  I wash my brushes with a gentle soap or baby shampoo with warm water. I keep cleaning them until no more colour comes out of my brushes.  You can buy specific brush cleaning products, MAC and Boots both do one.  Make sure you dry your brushes lying flat. I lie mine on a towel on the bathroom floor, my husband often asks why are my brushes sunbathing! Dry them flat and not upright otherwise moisture can collect in the bristles and loosen them.

Who knew there were so many brushes out there and so many uses for them.  I hope this post has helped a bit.

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