(Not so) Basic Essentials: Brushes (part 2)

This is the follow up post for all the ladies who LOVE makeup and are beyond the needs of someone who requires a basic brush set. This is for the ladies who glam it up with the WORKS. Think ALL OF THE contour, highlight, ALL OF THE COLOURS!!!


Face brushes:
* A powder brush:
This is a necessity for those who either do a lot of powdering or bronzing. You want something quite large so blending (especially for bronzing) is seamless. You don't want harsh lines, just the jealousy of those who think you've just gone on holiday!

* A fan brush:
For those who highlight, everyone needs one. It is perfect for all places. Cheekbones, down the nose, the cupids bow, above the eyebrow. You especially need this brush if you own The Balm's Mary Lou-Manizer. Any other brush is too much for Mary-Lou, that baby is INTENSE!! 

* A contour brush:
This is really for those who are really into their contouring (obviously). There are many choices and preferences out there so I think this is a trial for yourself thing. I've heard mixed reviews on the NARS Ita brush. Some like a fluffy, large angled brush. I have the MAC 109, however, I'm not much of a contourer unless I've got the time or a special occasion.
TOP TIP: Highlight first as this will naturally shadow you so you know the right place to apply your contour.

* A concealer brush:
This is just perfect for those who LOVE their bold lips. This is the perfect tool for cleaning up those lip mistakes that sometimes happen, or to clean up the edges on your brows. I personally don't actually use a concealer brush for under eyes as I find they don't blend out under eye concealer nicely. 

Eye brushes:
* A larger shader brush: 
I like to have a back up shader brush that is larger for any additional work I might wanna do involving packing on colour. 

* A small, synthetic shader brush:
This is perfect for creamy products like paint pots, or any stickier bases for priming the eyelids, and still keeping it all compact on the lid. My fave is the MAC 242. 

* A smudger brush:
This is a great brush for detail work and highlighting the inner corner and brow bone. 

BONUS JUST FOR FUN BRUSH:
* A mascara fan brush:
Save money on coloured mascaras by investing in one of these. You can use these with gel eyeliners to create a fun mascara (which are notorious for drying up quickly). 

Brush lines I Recommend:
MAC
Available: MAC stores, counters and online
RRP: from $37AUD

Zoeva
Available: beautybay.com
RRP: from $11.30AUD
Zoeva also do really affordable sets of brushes too, if you're looking to get a few at once.

Bdellium Tools
Available: bdelliumtools.com
RRP: from $9USD
Bdellium also do affordable sets of brushes. They also come in cool colours like pink, purple, yellow and green. 


Disclaimer: To be clear, all of these are "nice to haves", of course no one actually NEEDS anything more than the basics. Take from this what you will, but they are still very handy brushes to have, and brushes I reach for daily/ semi-daily. 

Red powder/ makeup brush photo created and taken by Love Lanner - lovelanner.com

Basic Essentials: Brushes (part 1)

Some people may think that brushes are an unnecessary expense when it comes to building your stash up, but to me they are a necessity. There are many reasons why you should invest in some decent brushes. Here are the top ones:

1: Better application.
You can achieve and do so much more with a few brushes. Have you ever tried to blend out eyeshadow with only your fingers, was it seamless? I'm guessing not. Would you build anything with no tools? Probably not; so therefore you can guess that your makeup is only going to look MUCH better with tools that fit the job. Especially if you want to go above your basic 1 eyeshadow and eyeliner look (or whatever your simple eye look involves).

2: Sanitation.
Like it or not, your fingers are a breeding ground for bacteria. Every time you put your fingers into your products (especially cream/ liquid), you're contaminating your products which will end up resulting in a much shorter life span for your product.

3: Product.
When you use brushes you actually use less product, especially with products like foundation, which fingers do absorb a lot more product. Think of how much you will actually save by using a brush, especially something like a duo fibre brush.

4. Longevity.
If you look after your brushes and clean them regularly, they should last you many, many years. They really are an investment and worth getting some decent ones that you can get longevity out of. 


These are a few of the essentials you'll need to get started:
Face brushes:
* A foundation brush:
I think this comes down to personal preference. I use a flat "paint brush" style, but duo fibre brushes are also good for seamless application and use the least amount of product. You could also try a beauty blender. They're also pretty good.

* A blush brush:
This is going to create a glow that you can build up (depending on the blush of course), and helps create a blended application, which is what you want. You can also use the tip edge to apply your cheek highlight too.

Eye brushes:
* A good dense shader brush:
This is a basic packing brush to pack on your eyeshadow. Mostly used for lid colour, you can use the edge to smoke out eyeshadow on your bottom lashline. There are many sizes to a shader brush, but for bare minimum I like the MAC 239 as it's the perfect size to get started and suitable for pretty much all jobs.

* A fluffy crease brush:
Again, these come in all shapes and sizes. You want something that's not super dense, long bristled or flimsy. A good crease brush makes blending out your crease eyeshadow so much easier and looks much more effortless. I LOVE MACs 217 brush. I have 2 of these and use them Every. Single. Day without fail. If I had to pick only one brush to use for the rest of my life, this would be the one. Some people also like to use these to buff out their concealer too. It's probably the most versatile brush.

* A pencil brush:
This is a handy brush to have for more detailed work, like under eye lining, a smokey eye, a cut crease, inner corner highlighting etc. Its pointed on the tip, so it gives you a lot more control than the other 2 previous eye brushes.

* An angled brush:
This is going to be your best friend if you love eyeliner and using gel eye liners. It's also a great eyebrow brush too. It's easy to work with and you retain control which is what you want when working with eyeliners.

Lip brushes:
I actually don't use a lip brush for anything. I own one but couldn't tell you the last time I used it. I do not think they're necessary. Just take your time with application, good lighting and a mirror and you'll be fine. Or use a lip liner.

Brush Cleaner:
You don't need anything fancy to clean your brushes, just a regular routine so you don't spread bacteria and to help extend their life span. I just use shampoo for a deep clean and for a quick "spot"clean, you can just use isopropyl alcohol which you can buy from most supermarkets. Just make sure you don't get water inside the ferrule (the metal bit of the brushes). 

Top tip:

* Something to also think about is the different type of hair you want in a brush. Most brushes are either natural (usually animal like pony, goat etc) or synthetic (fake) hair. Synthetic brushes are typically better for creamier products like gel liners, cream blushes etc. Natural hair is better for powder products. 

Brush lines I Recommend:
MAC
Available: MAC stores, counters and online
RRP: from $37AUD

Zoeva
Available: beautybay.com
RRP: from $11.30AUD
Zoeva also do really affordable sets of brushes too, if you're looking to get a few at once.

Bdellium Tools
Available: bdelliumtools.com
RRP: from $9USD
Bdellium also do affordable sets of brushes. They also come in cool colours like pink, purple, yellow and green. 


Blue powder/ makeup brush photo created and taken by Love Lanner - lovelanner.com