The world of makeup is pretty exciting with endless opportunities. Once you master this brilliant art form, you can literally paint a new face every day. But enchanting as it may seem, decoding different makeup products and the tools they entail can be pretty daunting. Just head to the makeup aisle of your nearest mall and you’ll know what we are talking about. With literally a million products, tools and applicators to choose from, even a makeup pro would get confused. So we can feel your agony as a makeup beginner and hence, bring to you the ultimate guide to all you need to know about makeup brushes. Read on and jump start your debut to the wonderful world of makeup.
1. Foundation Brush
This one is a no-brainer. As the name suggests, you need this one to apply your foundation. Why do you need one when you can use a sponge or your fingers? Well, for starters applying foundation with a sponge can make your face appear cakey. A good foundation brush spreads and blends foundation on to your skin smoothly, given you an even and natural look.
2. Concealer Brush
Once you apply foundation, you gotta cover those tough to cover spots and blemishes. To do that you need a concealer and a concealer brush. Concealer brushes typically have flat bristles and a pointed tip which help in precise application and blending of the concealer. While applying a concealer with a brush, avoid moving the product around, but carefully pat the product onto the skin to conceal the area.
3. Stippling Brush
A good base makes all the difference while applying makeup. Look at any Bollywood starlet or the makeup goddess herself, Kim Kardashian, and you’d agree wholeheartedly. To achieve that airbrushed look, you’d need a stippling brush. The feathery ends of this brush feel ever so soft on your skin and help your foundation glide right into your skin, giving that flawless look you desire so much.
4. Angled Blush Brush
Want peachy pink cheeks? An angled blush brush can you help you achieve that. With its angular bristles, it picks up your favourite blush effortlessly and helps you apply blush with precision without making a mess.
5. Powder Brush
Compacts and loose powders are easy breezy, especially for days when you don’t have time to apply too much makeup. They also do a great job at setting and touching up your makeup. Switch to a powder brush from whatever applicator your compact came with, and you’d see a noticeable difference.
6. Angled Eye Liner Brush
Who doesn’t love a perfectly defined pair of eyes? But applying eyeliner can be pretty tricky, especially when you have unsteady hands. Use an angled eyeliner brush and swipe on your favourite liquid or gel liner with ease. You can also use this one to draw and define your brows.
7. Contouring Brush
Unless you’ve been living under a rock for past couple of years, you must have heard about the wonderful art of contouring, which as the name suggests, helps you contour and carve your face. While many people use a blush brush for contouring, a contour brush does a better job as it has firmer bristles than a blush brush and a more angled tip. This design helps you target the areas that you want to contour and shape.
8. Fan Brush
Once you have your shadows and contours set, you gotta highlight and you need a highlighting fan brush to do that. Besides looking pretty neat, its spread out bristles ensure that it picks up a small amount of the product. Going easy on highlighter is key, ‘cause if you apply too much of it, you’d end up looking too shiny.
9. An Eyeshadow brush
A fierce smokey eye will never go out of fashion, and to achieve that you must invest in a good eyeshadow brush. A good eyeshadow brush will lift an appropriate amount of the product and help you to apply it onto the eyelid with minimal fallout.
10. A Blending Brush
You can never blend enough when it comes to eye shadow. The more you blend, the more flawless is the end result. Avoid using your fingers to blend and choose a blending brush instead. A quality blending brush will help you soften out any harsh lines after you’ve applied your favourite eyeshadow.
11. Mascara Brush
Ok, so typically all mascara comes with a wand applicator which does a decent job. But if you want your lashes to stand out, invest in a mascara brush. This can work wonders for your lashes, adding just the right amount of volume to them.
12. Lip Brush
And finally, how can we ignore lips? Lipsticks and crayons are easy to use but the end results can lack definition. If you want precision and perfectly lined lips like you see on the cover of a fashion magazine, a good lip brush is a must.
So, now that you have the down low on the essential makeup brushes and what they are used for, go and buy them to transform yourself into the flawless diva you are meant to be.
