Make Up Basics #2 : Brushes

       A girl doesn’t need anyone who doesn’t need her
                                     - Marilyn Monroe 

Hello beautiful people. I thought you will not be interested to know about make up basics in detail but after tremendous response to the primer post I decided I will keep up the work and be as accurate as possible. Lets talk about make up brushes now

What is a Make up Brush?
Makeup brushes are the most important beauty tool, for makeup, that you could ever own. Make up brushes are your fool proof investment that will last you almost a life time with good care. 

Why should you use a Make up brush ?
Most of us use sponge to apply powder and Fingers to apply the rest. In that process we apply unwanted pressure on the skin which clogs pores on the skin causing breakouts. Brush controls the pressure and applies required product smoothly on skin.

Types of Make up Brushes.
There are natural and synthetic types of hair used in a make up brush.
Natural hair:  Hair from animals are sterilized and used in these brushes( Badger, squirrel, pony, goat kolinsky, weasel, sable, pahmi)

Synthetic brushes: Two most common synthetics used in makeup brushes today are Nylon and Taklon.

Natural hair make up brushes are best to use for powder consistency products

Synthetic make up brushes are best to use for liquid or gel consistency products.

What should you keep in mind before buying make up brushes?

1. Purpose:  Make up brushes are generally a little expensive so i would like you to be sure before buying a make up brush regarding its use. Make sure you will use it every time you apply make up.

2. Price: There are many brushes which are not very expensive. Research and then invest.

3. Requirement: You don't require every make up brush available in the market. If you are a simple foundation and powder girl then go ahead and buy just brushes that are required for those only. 

4. Quality: before investing in a good brush there are plenty of reviews available in the internet, read and know the positives and negatives.  Is better to be sure than sorry.

                     Basic make up brushes

Face brushes: 

Brushes used on face are foundation brush, concealer brush, powder brush, blush brush, contour brush and a highlighting brush.

As a beginner  you don't require all of them so here is a list of all the basic brushes. I will give you a mac number along with them so that all you mac fans can go ahead and purchase. 

Foundation brush:

You all know how important it is to choose an exact foundation shade for your skin type. It takes years to get that one right. You should also know that even though you have the perfect foundation you may look like a disaster if you don't know how to apply it properly. The best way to apply a foundation is using a brush. You can use a flat top kabuki brush or a normal foundation brush or a stippling brush.  I prefer both a flat top kabuki and a foundation brush. Technically it is better to use a synthetic brush for foundation(liquid) but I prefer natural brush. 
Flat top kabuki- Mac 130
Foundation brush- Mac 190 

Powder Brush:
Once you apply foundation you will soon know the requirement of setting it. Sweating lights and other things will wear down the foundation if it is not kept in place and this is achieved by powder. The best brush would be a large powder brush with natural hair. 
powder brush-Mac134

Blush brush:
Blush is also very important part of face make up. If applied correctly a blush can give a healthy flush to your cheeks. if you are using a cream blush i suggest go for a synthetic brush. If a powder blush go for a natural one. 
Blush brush- Mac 168

These are the three main brushes for face. If you know how to contour your face you can use the blush brush as your contour brush too. this is also helpful to use a highlighter.If you are using a concealer then you can dab your concealer using your fingers or any brush smaller in size would be helpful.

Eye Brushes:
Every one of us know eye make up is almost impossible with out brushes. I am not including eyeliner brush and a smudge brush in this as you know most of us have them with us as they come free along with eyeliners and pencils.

Eye shadow brush:
An eye shadow brush is used to to pat the colour on to the lid. It is genarally a flat brush in the sides and an oval shaped on the top. you can use a natural hair eye shadow brush for the eye since it is very efficient in picking up colour. you can opt for a synthetic brush if you are using a pot paint or a cream eyeshadow. 
 Mac-239

Blending brush:
This is the most important brush required for the eye make up. This is a fluffy brush required to blend the harsh edges of the eyeshadow. This will help you achieve the perfect look and helps you from looking like a clown. 
Mac-217
Mac 217 can also be used to apply highlighter and concealer

Pencil brush:
This is a precision brush used in may ways. You can use it to highlight the inner corners. This brush is also helpful in applying color to the lower lash line. You can smudge your eyeliner to achieve a smokey eye look with this. you can also apply color in your crease with this.  
Mac-219 

 Lip brushes:
You know the importance of a lip brush if you tried red lips. you can change the shape of your lips if you have right tools. 

Lip liner brush:
this brush is very thin and is really helpful to outline the lips and change the shape of the lips if required

Lip brush or lip filler brush:
 This brush is used to fill lipstick or to apply gloss on the lips
 
    

Love,
Mounika Roches