Brushes Part I: Essentials

HELLO!

Brushes are the single most important thing to any makeup artist.

A good set of brushes opens up a whole new world of opportunities and abilities-

EVERYONE needs at least a few good brushes.

They are pricey, but if you are going to spend, always spend on good brushes.

They can make even cheap, bad makeup look amazing.

For convenience sake, this post will be divided into 4 parts:

Essentials, Face, Eyes, and Lips

So what are the essentials for everyday?

A good eye shadow brush, blush brush, and foundation brush:

Eye Shadow

A large, domed, densely fibered brush makes sweeping on eyeshadow simple

and can be used for a sheer wash of product,

or to build up for more concentrated color.

Sonia Kashuk

Blush

A medium sized, domed, fluffy brush for buildable, even application

Ben Nye RB3

Foundation

A large brush makes fast and blended application a breeze,

and can be used for cream or liquid foundation.

Louise Young LY02

If you like powdered mineral foundations (which I personally hate)

A kabuki brush is your best bet for buffing product into the skin

Bare Escentuals

<3

Claire

(read on for part II!)

Brushes Part IV: Lips and Tips

Lips are pretty straight forward,

but having a good lip brush enables you to create different shapes

and helps with precise application of darker colors

small, flat domed brushes

Ben Nye DB8

MAC 316

TADA!

Those are my favorite brushes!

A few tips:

* Find brushes that work for YOU

*If you can find a cheaper dupe for a more expensive version, go for it!

*Don't limit yourself to only using one brush for one thing. Do what works.

* Clean your brushes once a week with lukewarm water and mild soap and let them dry overnight on a towel.

(if you use them on other people, clean between each use)

* An economical alternative to brush by brush buying, you can look into buying a set.

just make sure to look at the individual brushes they contain

to ensure that you are getting your value and your preferences.

*if you are hesitant to use animal products, there is a large variety of synthetic brushes of the same shape that are readily available.

There is no need to own every single one of these brushes,

but these are my picks for a wide variety of options and possibilities.

Don't hesitate to ask questions in the comments,

and as always,

Stay lovely!

<3

Claire

(click on links below for short cuts)

Part I: Essentials

Part II: Face

Part III: Eyes