year 2011, and all kinds of brushes are available for all our needs. before, all they use in makeup was sponges: face sponge for foundation and eyeshadow applicator sponges for our eyes. but when i went to sephora i saw a whole area just for face brushes. wow!
i have only a few brushes, because i bought them only for what i need, or when they look so cute (hello urban decay).
first from the left is e.l.f. foundation brush, it is now 2 years old but it still looks and feel the same as the day i bought it. and it is cheap! i got it from watson's for $2 maybe...
i use it with
benefit's foundation faker coz it leaves a light finish and doesn't use too much product. the sponge makes a nice finish, too, maybe medium coverage, but it soaks up the product and you end up using twice the amount you need. it is also perfect to use under my eye area, the tapered end is just the right size.
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| and it is perfect in getting the products left on the corners! |
the next one is a blusher brush from the body shop, i got it only recently but i have been wanting it for years.
it feels soft when you brush it on the apples of your cheeks, makes you want to put your blush every now and then, but it takes practice for me to brush on the right areas coz i was used to a big blusher brush, not a flat one like this. but i am using it everyday to get familiar with it, and it goes well with my current blushes.
next is also a newbie: bare escentuals heavenly face brush. it is a super soft flat-top kabuki brush with a very fat body :)
now this is the brush for buffing! i love to swirl it on b.e. mineral foundation but i love it more when i buff it on my face coz it feels very soft, and it is a breeze to use mineral veil with it.
then we have my very first face brush (2009): the bare escentuals flawless face brush for
b.e. mineral makeup (4th from the left). it is perfect for mineral makeup coz the bristles gets the powder tucked inside and distributes it evenly to your face, though it reminds me of walis tambo :)
but it feels soft, especially when newly washed. this brush glides through my face when im using it for mineral veil, and it is wide enough to give a nice finish. i can use it for b.e. foundation, mineral veil and b.e. radiance but not for other products, especially compact powders like stila illuminating powder or ponds face powder. the bristles gets hard and bent.
second from the last is a blush brush i got locally, it is a medium sized fluffy dome brush that i use with loreal nude brown blush because it is perfect for putting blush on the lower cheek area to contour.
and the last one is a square-sized flat brush i got locally, too, which i use only for highlighter powders.
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| perfect for highlighting the under-eye area |
and i have a kabuki brush from the body shop, a big dome brush with squat base:
it is awesomely soft, sometimes when i stare at my table i play with it coz it feels good to touch! i use this on compact powders coz the bristles are strong enough, but it doesn't take the products quickly, i have to swirl 3-4 times before i can buff it on my face.
i also have a few brushes for the eyes, i never used sponge applicators because they said it stresses your eyelids creating premature wrinkles.
for putting eyeshadows all over my lids i use either urban decay blender brush or smashbox blending brush. ud blender brush has a wider area so i use it if i want to put eyeshadow all over my lids, it is so easy to use and blending became a breeze when i use this one. while smashbox blending brush is good for that purpose too, i use it mainly to add a darker shade on the outer half of my eyelids (the size is perfect!), so it actually is, for my purpose, is more of a shader brush than a blending brush. these two are a must-have for me coz i use them everyday.
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| urban decay blender brush (top) and smashbox blending brush |
for blending purposes, ud blender brush wins, its soft bristles blend eyeshadows perfectly. i find that smashbox blending brush takes more time in blending and it stresses the eyelids a little bit.
then i have a small dome brush and a smudger brush, used occassionally for applying the darkest shades on the outer v of my eyes, or to smudge eyeliners (remove harsh lines), or to make a smokey effect.
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| small dome brush (top) and smudger brush |
but i can get away without the dome brush, i still cannot master it while the smudger brush is easier to control.
i also have two very thin angled flat eyeliner brush, to top one is slightly longer and softer, so i don't use it coz it's harder to control, while the bottom one is stiffer, so it is perfect for gel eyeliners and applying a thin line of eyeshadow on the lower eyelashes. from watsons :)
next we have two flat shadow brushes, that i rarely use coz ud blender brush is so efficient and multi-tasking, but other eyeshadows (especially on manly palette) tend to have a lot of fall offs when you apply with a blender brush, so these brushes are good to use when you want to apply those kinds of shadows by tapping them gently on your lids.
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| the third one is either a point concealer brush or a lip brush, i don't know :P |
last on my list is a fan brush, which is good for brushing fallen shadows on your cheeks, and extra shadows on your lids. i got it cheap on ebay but its not an essential part of my usual morning routine so its ok.
i don't have a crease brush because i cannot see my crease anyway (chinese eyes). and i only have one lip brush coz i use it only with my mykajy palette. i use my normal lipsticks as they are - straight from the bullet :)
so as they say, you don't need to have a lot of brushes, just the ones you need. and invest on good quality ones, because this is your face we are talking about. and good quality ones tend to last longer and feel better on your skin, too. you don't have to buy the high-end products, there are lots of brushes that are cheap and useful, like elf, smashbox, just search on ebay for trusted sellers and wait for a bargain-priced one :)
