The Only Makeup Brushes You Need and How To Use Them

Makeup brushes are crucial to get a airbrushed natural look, especially if you are not very experienced with doing your own makeup. While most famous makeup artists prefer using their fingers to get the right look, a few brushes certainly make the task easier.

But you don’t need to buy a thousand brushes to get the perfect look. While there are a number of makeup brush sets available with 17, 18 or 20 brushes most of them are useless. If you own them you must be aware of this.

Only a few brushes can help you create even the most difficult looks including contouring, dramatic eyes, etc.

1. Foundation Brush

Most people use their fingers to apply foundation. If you are using a liquid foundation using your fingers or a beauty blender sponge seems reasonable. But if you have a mineral or powder-based foundation using a brush is the sensible thing to do.

A foundation brush is typically a thick dense brush which can be shaped flat, round, angled or dome-shaped. The main purpose of a foundation brush is to facilitate the smooth application of your base or foundation onto the skin. Creating a flawless base is the key to good makeup, a wrong brush can make you appear cakey and washed over.

If you prefer applying even liquid foundations with brushes try using a tapered foundation brush. Tapered foundation brushes are usually flat and less full, with a gentle taper. To use your brush with liquid foundation dip it in water and squeeze out the excess water. The water left in the brush ensures an even coat of your foundation and keeps the brush from absorbing any of the foundation.

To avoid any visible lines always use the brush in a circular motion to apply the foundation. Start from the centre of your face (cheeks and T-zone) and blend your foundation outward towards your jawline and hairline.

Also Read: How And Why To Use A Beauty Blender Sponge

2. Concealer Brush

Concealers are an important part of any makeup routine. Whether you have to cover dark circles or any other spots on your face concealer comes to the rescue. Using fingers to apply concealer may result in some inaccessible areas such a the corners of nose left out.

Using a concealer brush helps you target small specific areas which need to be covered. A concealer brush is a small, round brush which lightens dark areas or helps correct trouble spots. So, it is essential that you just dab or pat the concealer using a brush on the troubled area. After the area has been covered, blend out the edges while being careful not to wipe away the rest of the concealer.

3. Blush/Bronzer/Powder Brush

There are different brushes available for bush, bronzer and powder application but the fact is you don’t need different brushes for the three. The brushes are quite similar and you can use a single brush for either purpose.

Pick up a brush with long, fluffy bristles and a dome shape to evenly diffuse your powder pigments. The fluffier the brush, the less product it will use. The main purpose of powder brush is to gently dust loose powder products across your face.

To use, dip the brush into the powdered product and swirl in circles or sweeping strokes until you achieve even coverage. Powder brushes are well-suited for giving a natural blush to your cheeks. If you like the light natural pink cheek look and not the dramatic, deep-hued look, don’t go for a separate blush brush.

To apply any product, start from the centre of your face and then blend outwards.

Also Read: The Face Shop Real Nature Sheet Masks Review

4. Contour Brush

Contouring can make your face look slimmer and you can have a more defined jawline and face structure. The contour brush has slanted bristles (do not buy flat contour brushes) which make it easier to blend the contour powder beneath the cheekbones. Choose the shape and bristles of your brush depending on the look you prefer, use a brush with blunt bristles and a sharp edge for a sharp contour or one with softer slanted shape for a subtle contoured look.

Swirl the brush into the contour powder, tap off a little bit to remove the excess powder. Now, map your face, pout and glide the brush to apply the contour below your cheekbones, next reload the brush sweep under your jawline and along your hairline as well.

Now, its time to do some serious blending, good blending will lead to a natural look. Use a powder brush to blend.

5. Highlighter or Fan Brush

You can use any brush with long bristles to act as a highlighter brush, the ideal choices would be a fan brush or any other long tapered brush. The advantage of using a fan brush is that you can even use it brush away any powder makeup mistakes such as with eyeshadows or to blend dark lines.

A fan brush is obviously shaped like a fan. For applying highlighter, gently buff the highlighter and tap off the excess. Apply the highlighter onto your cheekbones or anywhere else where light naturally hits your face using a sweeping motion.

Use it to diffuse the highlighter if you applied too much.

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6. Eyeshadow Brushes

So, as the name indicates this brush is used to apply eyeshadow. The main requirement of any eyeshadow brush is that it can pick up a generous amount of the product and the fallout is minimum.

Generally, an eyeshadow brush is flat, rounded at the tip, and dense. This brush is generally used to apply a good amount of colour to your eyelids. However, to blend in the different colours you need a tapered soft brush called the eyeshadow blending brush.

Gently rub eyeshadow brush over the colour and gently press over your eyelids. Now, swirl the brush around the edges to cover the eyelid. Use the blending brush in a windshield wiper motion to diffuse the eyeshadow.

7. Eyebrow Brush

This one is the easiest to identify. The eyebrow brush is double ended with a flat angled brush on one end and a comb on the other. Use the bristled end of the brush to fill in any gaps in your brows with eyebrow powder, then run the comb through your brows to soften them.

Also Read: Your Guide To The J-Beauty Trend

8. Lipstick Brush

Use a thin pointed brush to get perfectly lined lips. You can even do away with lip liners if you use a lipstick brush to line your lips before applying the lip shade. Lip liner brushes give you a much more precise and sharper lipstick application than the lip colour tube can ever give you.

The most difficult task if you own makeup brushes is not to use them but to keep them clean. Since, these brushes come directly in contact with your face, lips, and eyes it's crucial that you keep them clean to avoid any bacterial infection. Make sure that you clean your brushes after every use with any gentle cleanser. If you are using the same brush for multiple purposes such as the powder brush, (for applying blush and other powder products) clean it in between each step.

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