What girl doesn’t dream of beautiful and competent makeup? Modern means allow the fair sex to look every day as if you had just visited a professional makeup artist. Our arsenal includes not only various cosmetic sets, but also those irreplaceable tools with which you can correct your appearance.
Of course, first of all, these are makeup brushes. But today there are so many of them that you can very easily get confused in such a choice. Firstly, you need to decide the question of which brush is for what; makeup, first of all, is about accuracy of execution; secondly, what brushes are best to buy.
With this tool you can apply makeup to your face very easily and, most importantly, professionally. Let's look at the basic makeup brushes that you can use at home.
Any makeup begins with cleansing the face and applying foundation. You can read in detail about the procedure for applying makeup in the article “”. There are quite a few brushes for this purpose. But the main question is what length of pile to prefer. Many makeup artists agree that a brush with short, but voluminous bristles is the best for applying foundation. Applying foundation with your fingers, as our mothers did in Soviet times, is no longer recommended today. You will not achieve the evenness of tone with your hands that you get after using a special brush. How to use it, you will find everything in the same post.
foundation brushFor those who don't know, concealer is a camouflage product designed to eliminate fine wrinkles and other blemishes such as pimples and scars. Typically, it is applied under the eyes to hide dark circles. Agree that the skin around the eyes is very thin and it is especially difficult to apply cream to it. Using a brush with a tapered tip, you can easily achieve the desired result.
Work on evening out the complexion is not yet finished. The final touch is done with powder, which helps hide the shine from foundation and even out the tone even more. You don’t really want your work with concealer creams to go down the drain. And this can happen if you use the sponge that comes with the powder. To apply it, you need to press lightly on the skin in jerky movements, and this can harm your foundation. The powder brush does not require such movements, with its help you can very easily draw along the main lines and quickly finish the work on the skin tone.
For the eyes, you should choose brushes with dense and short bristles. With an eyeshadow applicator you are unlikely to apply them very evenly. But the eyeshadow brush is ideal for such purposes. Moreover, such a brush is very cheap. If you want to enhance the color of the eyeshadow, simply wet the brush with water and apply the eyeshadow to your eyelids as usual.
Very often, eye makeup is based on several shades at once. While we are applying the shadows, the transition between different colors is very noticeable. This cannot be allowed. A shading brush will help correct the situation. It is intended precisely for such purposes.
Blush should also only be applied with a brush. A fluffy brush with long bristles is the most classic solution. If you use flat brushes, which again come with blush, then you can get the color of an infantryman or an Indian preparing for battle. Don't skimp on your makeup, buy this brush.
Now you know which brush is for what, your makeup should turn out very natural and attractive. The quality of your makeup brushes can also affect the end result. Let's consider this question as well.
Makeup brushes come in natural and artificial varieties. Of course, if your budget allows, it is best to choose brushes made from sable, squirrel, kolinsky, pony or cat hair. They are more durable, apply makeup well, and are elastic.
Artificial instruments cannot always boast of these properties. As a rule, the artificial tip is soft and the hairs bend quickly when pressed. It also happens that such brushes scratch the skin or leave grooves when applying powder, foundation or lipstick.
The handle of the brush itself is also important. It happens that it breaks either in the middle or at the very pile. As a rule, this happens with artificial instruments. In addition, the pile must be firmly attached to the handle. Check the mount before purchasing a brush. If it is not of high quality, then the hairs will fly out very quickly.
For more “advanced” representatives of the fair sex who dream of mastering all the intricacies of makeup, we offer a brief description of all makeup brushes. Which brush is used for what in makeup will be described below the photo under the corresponding numbers.
1. Brush for applying powder;
2.Brush for applying blush, including roll-on blush;
3.Brush for brushing dry particles from the face after applying foundation and blush;
4.An oblique brush for applying blush;
5. Brush for contour correction;
6.Brush for shading shadows;
7.Brush for correction of nasolabial areas;
8.Brush for foundation;
9. Brush for loose powder;
10. A brush for applying shadows over large areas; as a rule, light shadows are applied under the eyebrows;
11.Brush for blending shadows along the eyelid;
12.Brush for shading shadows;
13.Brush for applying lipstick and balms;
14.Brush for shading shadows;
15.Brush for shading eyeliner;
16.Brush for softening eyeliner;
17.Blending brush;
18.Brush for applying concealer under the eyes;
19.Brush for eyebrow correction;
20. Comb brush for shaping eyebrows;
21. Sponge brush for applying shadows, including liquid ones;
22. Brush-comb for eyebrows.
This is the arsenal of tools that various manufacturers offer us for creating beautiful makeup. For home use, the kit we reviewed in detail today is quite suitable. If you want to perfect your look, then there are other makeup brushes at your service. Good luck.
The choice of makeup brushes must be approached carefully and thoroughly. You shouldn’t save money, because high-quality professional brushes will serve you for a long time. They are easy to use, apply makeup perfectly, which will certainly be reflected in the makeup itself. A high-quality brush should be hand-made, pleasant to the touch and soft at the cut; this factor directly affects the quality of shading. As for the pile itself, it is either natural or synthetic.
The first one is for all crumbly, dry textures: powder, blush, shadows. It comes from kolinka, pony, sable, and squirrel wool. It should be elastic when pressed and not crawl along the hand. Synthetic bristles are better suited for creamy, oily textures - foundations, concealers and correctors, lipsticks, cream blushes and powders. It absorbs less of the material itself and will consume less. It is important that the quality of the brush remains at a high level.
Another important point is brush hygiene. There are a variety of products: special shampoos, quick-drying antibacterial liquids with a high degree of purification, or you can use your usual soap and shampoo. When using the cleaner, dip the brush into it, remove it and blot it with a napkin. The liquid evaporates quickly and the brush remains dry and clean. If you take soap or shampoo, you need to wash it under running warm water, thoroughly rinsing the product from the brush, but you should do this carefully and carefully. Brushes should be thoroughly dried. To do this, they must be spread out and under no circumstances piled up. Give the original shape to the pile.
They need to dry naturally; you should not leave them on a heating device or use a hair dryer, otherwise the shelf life of the brush will be reduced. It is advisable to place them on a napkin or towel. The pile must be lowered down, so water will not accumulate at the attachment point and the shelf life will increase. To do this, place something under the tip of the brush, then the bristles will be below the base, or dry vertically. The main condition is hygiene must be regular! Brushes should be stored in a special case or vertically in a stand.
Top brands of professional makeup brushes - Mac, Make up forever, Bobbi Brown, Hakuhodo, Sigma, etc.
For mineral cosmetics - Ecotools, Era professional, Jeans, Mac, these brushes are also suitable for regular cosmetics.
1. One of the most common foundation brushes among professional makeup artists is the Mac 130. A short barrel brush, fluffy with a combination of bristles. Consists of light synthetic and dark natural bristles. Gives fairly easy, quick application of foundations and creamy textures. The result is a thin but dense layer with perfect shading. There are many analogues. This brush is also called duofiber due to double pile.
2. Flat, rounded or pointed brush for perfectly even coverage without streaks or spots. When choosing, you must definitely look at how it is cut; the cut should be pleasant and soft to the touch, and fade away at the very end. Synthetic or combined. Apply foundation from the center of the face.
The largest, most voluminous, fluffy and cuddly in the set. Must be made from natural materials. Don't forget that once you've put powder on your brush, you need to shake off the excess by tapping the tip of the brush on the edge of the jar.
1. Very wide, rounded, with a thick and fluffy tip. A soft, perfectly even application of powder in the thinnest layer, ideally lays on top of the foundation and sets makeup.
2. Kabuki brush - stuffed, with a short handle. Applies powder more densely and blends blush and bronzer perfectly. Its size allows you to carry it with you. The only thing is that to work on more hard-to-reach places on the face you will need an additional small brush.
Similar to a powder brush, but smaller. They come in different shapes - round, beveled. The ideal one is a natural, softly cut brush that is not “pressed” at the base of the bristles, i.e. has a rounded shape. It will give a softer application and blending, the blush will look more natural. Pony pile gives a brighter finish, while squirrel pile is lighter and less intense.
These brushes will help make your face more gracefully oval, outline contours, create clear, beautiful cheekbones, a straight nose, and remove a double chin. There is a wide variety of brushes, they are mostly natural, elastic, and well filled.
1. Short pile, very padded. Will help highlight cheekbones, forehead, chin. Perfectly shades the boundaries and transitions of cream correctors.
2. Angled tip, compressed at the base, for dry correction. With its help, it is easiest to emphasize the cheekbones. Allows you to work with three surfaces: wide side, narrow bevel or tip.
3. Highlighter brush. Similar to a blush brush, but even smaller in size.
4. For nose correction. Small, angled, wonderfully works on the folds of the nose.
In order to remove dark circles under the eyes, pimples, blemishes.
1. A small synthetic flat brush with a slightly pointed tip or evenly cut. With its help, it is easy to carefully apply the concealer and shade the border of the concealer or corrector. You can read why you need concealer.
2. For more precise application of the corrector.
1. To draw eyebrows. Small, hard and dense, beveled brush. She can carefully draw the shape of the eyebrows using dry or gel shadows and shade the pencil. Elastic bristles make clearer lines and perfectly drive pigment into the skin.
2. Brush for combing eyebrows before drawing them.
For eye makeup brushes, carefully select the brush size, bristles and shape, as these parameters affect the quality of pigment application. The larger the area you need to fill with color, the larger the brush size you need to take. The length of the hair affects the accuracy of application and shading. The shorter, the more accurately the brush will lie and the smaller the area of shading. For a more saturated color, use a denser brush. Each shade requires a separate brush so that the colors do not mix and spoil the entire makeup. If possible, use only natural eye brushes, as this is the most sensitive and delicate place on the face.
1. For the main background application of shadows on the moving eyelid - a wide, medium-sized brush, rounded oval, flat and dense. Evenly fills the space of the eyelid and significantly saves time. The pile evenly drives in the pigment, and thanks to its length, the shadows fit perfectly. Apply with light movements in one direction. Speakers are best.
2. To work out the folds of the moving eyelid. Use different brushes, depending on personal preference. For example, an angled brush or a round one with a thick tuft, dense at the base and elastic at the end.
3. For pencil technique and pencil shading. A synthetic brush, flat in the shape of a spatula, copes better with this. She is the best at retracting and pulling out the pencil.
4. Oval pencil brush. Dense, made from short hair for dry or wet eyeliner. For drawing the lash line, shading pencil, eye shadow and eyeliner, creating a smokey eye effect or adding a color accent. With dry eyeliner, the line is softer and thicker. By blending the pencil, the line of the eyeliner will be more natural, soft and will last longer.
5. For gel or liquid eyeliner. It can be beveled, evenly cut or thin. Allows you to precisely work out the arrow. It is better to use synthetic, it absorbs less product.
6. For shading shadows. Cone-shaped, lush. Remarkably smoothes out the boundaries of shadow application, resulting in smooth transitions from color to color. Pony hair is best for shading.
7. The fan brush is designed to remove crumbled eye shadow and other crumbly products - powder, blush. It removes them easily and does not smear all over your face.
Small synthetic brushes, hard, with angled bristles. With their help you can achieve a perfectly smooth lip contour. Lipstick is applied more carefully and precisely. Using makeup brushes will help your lipstick last much longer because the bristles work the color evenly into the skin. For lip contour, a thinner brush with a sharp tip is better. For filling, use a larger size for even coverage.
Brushes are essential components of a woman’s cosmetics bag and a makeup artist’s case. In cosmetics stores you can see a lot of brushes that differ from each other in shape, size, material of manufacture, and price. They are sold individually and in sets of 6, 12 and even 20 pieces. For beginner makeup artists and young girls who are just starting to get acquainted with makeup, choosing brushes is not an easy task. We have prepared for you an interesting and useful review (encyclopedia?) for each type of cosmetic brush. After reading this article to the end, you will know:
what brushes are needed for makeup;
which ones you can do without;
what principles should you use to choose a brush?
the best makeup brushes – what kind of bristles should they have;
what is the difference between cheap brushes and expensive ones?
how to use them correctly.
Makeup can be done even if there is not a single brush in your arsenal. Use your fingertips to apply foundation, eye shadow and blush. But such a make-up is unlikely to look decent, because one of the main rules of make-up is careful shading. It is perhaps completely impossible to make blurred contours with a fingertip. If your goal is to learn how to apply makeup correctly, quickly and easily, you will have to get brushes.
The shape, length and width, material, level of elasticity or fluffiness of the brush have a direct connection with its purpose. It’s not for nothing that the foundation brush has synthetic, densely collected bristles; often - flat shape. Due to these qualities, it allows you to conveniently apply the cream to your face and distribute it evenly. 
As we just explained, foundation brushes are made from synthetic bristles, but why not natural bristles? The fact is that natural hair has scales (similar to human hair), which retain part of the cream. This means that when you transfer the foundation to your face, it will lie with “gap”. Synthetic bristles are more elastic than natural bristles. In addition, the bristles are in close contact with each other, which gives the brush even more elasticity. All these properties do not allow the liquid texture to linger on the brush. Using a special brush, the cream is applied and distributed perfectly, resulting in an even complexion without “gaps” or excess product on the skin. 
A more convenient brush has been created for thick foundations. It resembles a kabuki (which will be discussed later), the top of which has been cut off. It's called flat top. This brush is also made of artificial fibers pressed tightly together. 
Another base brush, which appeared on sale not so long ago, is made in the form of a brush. Its advantage over other types is its comfortable handle. 
Creamy correctors mask acne, post-acne, and dark circles under the eyes. When applying them to small defects, precision is important, which will be ensured by a special brush - small, flat, tapered at the tip. A concealer brush designed just to cover the under-eye area looks twice as big.
Advice: it is better to choose a smaller brush, as it can be used to carefully paint over small pimples and bruises. With a large brush it is difficult to cover minor imperfections with concealer unnoticed. 
Loose and compact powders are best applied with a fluffy brush with natural bristles - they will not damage the already applied foundation and concealer and will provide light coverage and hold.
Inexpensive powder brushes (which you should avoid) are also fluffy, but they are made from synthetic fiber, which can ruin the creamy texture. The brush is hard, which makes it not very pleasant to touch your face with. Another “minus” of them is the inability to evenly cover the face with powder (there may be too much powder in one area, and not at all in another). 
Professional powder brushes are large, fluffy, soft and pleasant to the touch. They can be small (travel options); with a rounded or smooth tip. A popular type of powder brush is the Kabuki. It is very thick and has a short base. This brush is recommended for using mineral makeup. 
Is it possible to get by with a sponge (or puff), which is included in the set with powder? A sponge will not provide light, uniform coverage. To create high-quality makeup, it is better to use a brush. The sponge is intended for local powdering of the face in those areas where oily shine has appeared (when it is not possible to powder with a brush).
You can try to blend dry blush with a powder brush. It’s easier for beginners to do this with a special blush brush. The ideal solution is fluffy, natural long pile, slightly beveled. The brush does an excellent job not only of blending blush, but also of darkening cheekbones with bronzer. Professionals prefer kabuki blushes with a beveled or rounded tip. 
Blush is often sold complete with a compact brush. Due to its flat shape, it is quite difficult to carefully and evenly apply the product to the cheeks. This brush is only needed to touch up your makeup throughout the day.
The flowless brush is like a smaller version of a simple powder brush. It is flat, fluffy, with a rounded cut. Advanced makeup artists use it to work out cheekbones and temples with a dry bronzing agent. Flowless also does a good job of powdering and creating blush. 
A fan brush made of natural bristles will provide very precise and delicate coverage of brightening or shimmering highlighter (dry) above the cheekbones, under the eyebrows, along the bridge of the nose, above the lips. It is often used to brush off pollen from eye shadows from the skin. What material should the “fan” be made of? Natural bristles are desirable, but if you do not plan to use highlighter often, then you can buy an inexpensive synthetic fan brush for testing. 
To transfer shadows to the eyelid, it is customary to use a special brush - small, flat, made of natural material. The pile can be very short or long, and its tip can be smooth, rounded, or beveled. Not all eye makeup needs for one person. If you are not a beginner makeup artist and are choosing a brush for yourself, start from the size and shape of your eyelids: if the brush is too long, the shadows will crumble when applied. 
Blending brushes for eye makeup will help smooth out the boundaries of shade transitions. Without such a brush it will not be possible to beautifully decorate the eyelids with shadows even in simple daytime makeup, and even more so in a smokey eye.
The brush should have long bristles; natural, round and slightly fluffy. The denser the hairs are packed, the easier it is to eliminate the boundaries of the applied shadows.
There are many shapes and sizes of shading brushes: with an oblique cut, sparse bristles, barely rounded, etc. When purchasing, consider the shape of the eyelids, as well as the eye makeup techniques of interest. For beginners, we advise you to buy a universal shading brush Sigma E25 or MAC 217 (they are very similar): 
For experienced makeup artists, Sigma has developed the E40 brush, which can be used to create finishing touches after careful shading. Photo: 
Barrel-shaped brushes, densely packed with bristles, are designed for drawing and blending shadows in the crease of the eyelid. 
For drawing arrows with liquid eyeliner and shadows, 2 types of brushes are common:
1. Cone-shaped, thin, with tightly fitting fibers.
2. A small and very flat brush with an oblique cut.
Material: artificial. 
When decorating eyebrows with shadows, use the same brush that draws arrows (brush number 2, which we wrote about above). The thinner the brush, the more natural the drawn eyebrow hairs will look.
Brushes with small plastic teeth or flat bristles are great for combing and styling unruly eyebrows. 
You can carefully apply lipstick and gloss to your lips using a flat, small synthetic bristle brush. For small lips, a small brush with a pointed outline is suitable. It takes a long time to cover large lips with it, so wider brushes with longer bristles are sold. 
So, what makeup brushes should definitely be bought by every girl who uses cosmetics:
flat foundation brush;
small concealer brush;
fluffy powder brush;
angled brush for blush and bronzer;
flat brush for applying shadows;
brush for shading shadows;
flat and angled brush for eyeliner contouring and eyebrow shaping;
small flat brush for lipstick and gloss.
It is not advisable to buy a kit if you are not a professional. High quality brush sets are expensive, and most of them will not be useful in the first stages of creativity. In cheap sets, all brushes are made of synthetics and will not last long. The best thing for a student is to buy several basic brushes from trusted companies. Over time, you can expand the collection, buying only those models that are necessary. MAC and Sigma makeup brushes are the best according to MUAs and beauty bloggers. The brands EcoTools, Real Techniques, Zoeva, Everyday Minerals have positive reviews. 
We have already analyzed in detail which pile is better - natural or synthetic. To find your way around a cosmetic store, remember:
natural bristles – for dry textures (eye shadow, powder, blush, bronzer);
synthetic bristles – for liquid textures (foundation, concealer, eyeliner, lipstick).
But natural brushes vary depending on the fur used in production. So, the best brushes for eye makeup are made from sable, marten, kolonka, pony, and squirrel bristles. The smooth, soft fur of these animals does not stretch or injure the thin skin of the eyelids.
Now you know which makeup brushes you need to buy, and which ones you can save money on.
Video about what brushes every girl should have:
The perfect makeup can transform the face of any woman and turn her from Cinderella into a Princess. Roughly or carelessly applied makeup can ruin even a pretty face, turning it into an unattractive mask. In applying makeup, skill and accuracy are of primary importance, but the quality of the cosmetics and the tools used also play an important role. Tools for applying cosmetics will be discussed further.
Professional makeup artists apply makeup using special brushes. Their use allows you to achieve smooth transitions, sharp accents, perfectly shaded borders and clear lines. To achieve good results, brushes must be used and selected correctly. You can find many different types of tools on the counters. They differ in sizes, shapes, materials and quality. Many people are faced with the question of how to choose makeup brushes from a huge assortment, so as not to regret the money spent later.
Different materials can be used to make brushes. Their bristles are made of natural or synthetic bristles, handles are made of plastic, wood and metal. Most women think that the best makeup brushes are those made from natural materials. This is wrong. Products made from squirrel and pony are good, but they are not recommended for applying liquid products, such as foundation or concealer. Their lint absorbs such cosmetics, so it is difficult to wash and quickly becomes unusable. Natural makeup brushes are best used for dry products, such as loose eyeshadow or powder. Synthetic products are suitable for any type of cosmetics; they can be used to create the perfect tone or apply liquid shadows; in addition, they last longer, do not absorb paint and retain fat. When choosing them, you should pay attention to quality.
A small, beveled brush is good for drawing small details of the face, making corrections. For example, . It can be used to blend shadows.
An angled blush brush is great for shaping your cheekbones.
A medium round brush is used to apply blush or dry concealer to the temples and cheekbones.
A large, fluffy, soft round brush is designed for powder. The larger the size of the product, the smoother the product will lie.
Use a fan-shaped brush to remove excess powder, eye shadow or blush. Without smearing, it eliminates crumbled particles of products.
The small, rounded, flat brush is ideal for applying concealer. Applying and blending the product is more convenient than using your fingers.
A thin brush with adjacent bristles is used to draw arrows and eyeliner.
A flat, rounded brush with short bristles is used to apply shadows to the moving eyelid and outer corners of the eyes.
Tapered, angled brushes are great for creating smooth transitions between eyeshadow colors. They smooth out the edges, shade and apply products. With their help, you can highlight the crease of the eyelid with dark shadows.
