So this brush is used for...?
- rpattani
- Mar 5, 2021
- 5 min read
Okay, so you've got the makeup, but you're wondering how to apply it? With a plethora of makeup brushes and tools available, it can be overwhelming and hard to understand which brushes you actually need.
Fear not!
Read on for my Humble guide to basic makeup brushes.
*I've included links to my fave brushes as well as a cheeky discount on certain brushes*
Are makeup brushes required?
Yes, its true, some makeup products can be applied with your hands.
The warmth from your fingers help certain products melt and blend into the skin far better than brushes.
Cream blush, lip stains and glitter eye shadow are some of the makeup products better applied with hands. You get great colour pay off when applying glitter shadows with fingers compared to when applied with brushes.
However, for everything else, brushes will elevate your makeup game!
Ready! Let's diiiive!
FACE
Foundation - flat topped & dense!
As the name suggests, foundation is the base for your makeup. It can either make or break your entire makeup look. So when it comes to application, you want to ensure you use a brush that will help you achieve a flawless, streak free base.
Instead of the traditional flat foundation brushes which can sometimes make foundation look streaky, flat topped, dense foundation brushes are my go to. They help to achieve a more flawless finish as they allow the product to melt and blend into the skin helping it look like skin!
Sponges are another personal fave because they're so versatile! Normally used damp, sponges can be used to apply concealer, blend cream contour, help prep lids for eye makeup and more!
I love how flawless foundation looks when it's been applied with one of these bad boys.
Here are some amazing foundation brushes and sponges:
Powder - large and fluffy
Powder brushes generally have a larger head and are fluffy. They allow for the powder product to be distributed evenly to the entire face without disturbing the foundation underneath.
These types of brushes can be used to apply powder product to large areas of the face such as:
Powder foundation
Setting powder
Here are my powder brush faves!
Small Powder Brush
A small powder brush is a gem for your makeup bag!
These babies can either resemble a larger fluffier eye shadow brush or are round and tapered.
They can be used to brighten the under eye area as well helping to seal and mattify those super shiny areas!
If you feel like your concealer hasn't done enough to hide those Prada eye bags, use a small powder brush to apply either powder foundation (a shade or two lighter than your foundation shade), or a peach toned powder if you have tanned-medium skin tone. This little trick really helps to brighten the under eye area!
You can also use the same concept to pack translucent powder to those shiny areas of the skin helping them stay matte for longer.
Some of my absolute faves!
Contour & Blush:
Angled & Fluffy (powder contour & blush)
Angled/Straight & Dense (cream contour)
Honestly speaking, I use this brush for a whole load of things as well as power contour such as, blusher and highlighter. I love how versatile this brush is! Let me explain.
The angle allows the brush to hug and sculpt the contours of the face and because of this, it works with contour, blush and highlighter products amazingly well!
Cream Contour
Cream contour is used to take your contour to the next level! It places more emphasis on the contour and further sculpts the face.
It can be thicker and darker than foundation. Because of this, dense angled/straight brushes allow for a precise application of the product as well as a precise blend keeping the product in the areas intended.
These brushes vary in size. Larger brushes help target larger areas of the face whereas smaller brushes can be used to contour smaller areas such as nose, eyes and lips.
In all honesty, you can use eye shadow brushes for the smaller areas.
Again, cream contour is something you apply sparingly as you want to achieve a natural sculpt. A well blended contour will have people thinking you were born with amazing bone structure!
Here are some great brushes for cream contour!
Powder Contour
In contrast to cream contour brushes, powder contour brushes are angled and fluffy. The fluffy head allows for subtle and even distribution of the product helping add dimension to the face, achieving a natural overall contour.
These brushes can also be used to apply highlighter if you want your skin to glow without it looking obvious.
I love using this brush for blusher as apposed to traditional blush brushes. Traditional blush brushes tend to overload your face with blush and have you resembling Ronald McDonald!
Angled brushes facilitate precise and subtle application of the product and allow the product to blend with the natural contours of the face without looking garish.
Remember, when it comes to blush, a little goes a long way!
EYES
Let's not overcomplicate things. You don't need 101 different eye makeup brushes.
Here are my main go tos.
Shadow brush
A shadow brush is used to apply a wash of colour to the lids. They are usually flat and wide as they cover a larger area and allow for a wash of colour on the lid.
Crease Brush
Contour the eyes with a crease brush. This brush is long. fluffy and tapered, designed to hug the natural contour of the eyes - the crease. The tapered, fluffy design promises a seamless application allowing the product to diffuse into the crease, giving your eyes natural depth and dimension.
Use a "window wiper" motion when applying colour to the crease with a crease brush. Apply product sparingly and build to the desired intensity.
Smudge Brush
Usually short, with rounded edges and densly packed brush hairs, a smudge brush helps to precisely apply bursts of colour as well as smudge shadow and liners.
They work wonders at smudging kohl pencil and will elevate a smokey eye.
Angled definer brush
Want razor sharp wings and perfectly defined brows? Well this brush has got your back girl! Angled definer brushes are a double whammy as they can be used for eyes and brows! They help you achieve a perfect winged liner as well as feathery, well groomed brows!
Wings or no wings, this baby will really help line and, as the name suggests, define your eyes!
I personally keep two of these in my kits, one for liner and one for brows.
Always brush and tidy your eyebrows with a spoolie before appying product.
Here are some great ones:
These basic beauties are your makeup kit staples.
Let's keep it real, unless your a professional makeup artist, you don't need much more than this.
These brushes are versatile and remember, the above is a guide only! See which brushes work better for you, have fun with it and comment below if you have any questions or feedback.
Wow your co-workers, family and friends on that next Zoom call!
You got this !
Thanks for reading!
The Humble Artist - Rajshree
*20% discount with code LFTFHUMBLEARTIST
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