GUIDE TO BASIC MAKEUP BRUSHES

Hello all,

Today I thought I'd talk about brushes. I'm a firm believe that if you've got a good set of brushes your makeup will always be good, no matter how bad the quality of the makeup. A decent set of brushes will mean that you get the most out of you products. When I first started playing with makeup (throwback to blue eyeshadow and magazine lipsticks) I had no idea what brushes even did and thought that the lovely sponge applicator that came with the bright eyeshadows was the height of makeup quality.
So after many hours spent on youtube and various beauty blogs, I now have a pretty good idea of what brushes should be staples in your set and what they're used for.

You'll have to excuse the cleanliness of my brushes, they need washing. I recommend washing your brushes once every week, especially foundation and concealer to get rid of all the gross bactirea on them!

right: flat top face brush (amazon) left: real techniques buffing brush

The first brushes are buffing/blending brushes. These are best used for blending foundation onto the skin. These are especially good compared to a flat foundation brush because they are fatter topped and have more surface area, meaning they will blend the product out more thoroughly and avoid any harsh lines. (and we don't want a foundation line yikes!)
These two are my favourite because they're synthetic and sooo soft and do the job so well.

real techniques, miracle complexion sponge

Next up is my absolute fave! (it's not actually a brush but lets roll with it) This is a blending sponge, not one of those cosmetic wedges or the cheap ones it's a proper blending sponge, like the super fancy beady blender. There's nothing better in my opinion to blend out your foundation and concealer with. It leaves a super flawless and weightless finish. These sponges work by wetting them and bouncing them onto the skin to blend your foundation in, super easy! And this specific one is super inexpensive (like £5.99 and they last for ages)  The flat edge is perfect for applying all over your face and the pointed end is perfect for getting under the eyes and in all those nooks and crannies! - 110% life for this 'brush'

Ted Baker powder brush

Next up is a powder brush. I use this everyday to set my foundation and concealer and to get a nice matte finish. This brush is perfect for this as it's so big and so little and easy to hold you can swipe it around your face easily and be done in like 5 seconds.

real techniques: duo fibre contuor brush

Another face brush is blush! I think synthetic brushes are best for blush because they stop it from looking patchy and blend easier. This one is especially good because it's the perfect size to fit right on your cheeks and cheekbones to blend it back, meaning you can't apply too much, so you don't look like you've got a sweat on. (unless you like that look then you do you boo.)

Eco tools: tapered blush brush

Bronzer, my fave. This brush is perfect for bronzing and contouring, because it's the perfect size as it's not too big or small. The hairs go into like a rounded point, so they're all different length meaning you can get right in the hollows of your cheekbones. I tend to go crazy with my contour as well, so this brush is amazing as it's a medium density so it will blend as you apply the product, so you wont have muddy streaks on your face! 

seventeen cheeks brush

Finally for face is highlight. I use this brush for highlight because it's so fluffy and can apply lots (y'all know I wanna be a disco ball) as well as blend it at the same time so it's not streaky, and applies the product beautifully. Also it's quite thin so it's like a fatter fan brush, so it does the same job but applies more, so perfect for us glow-lovin people!

Morphe G17, sigma E25, ted baker lid 

So onto eyes. I would use these 3 brushes for every eye look - from simple to hard core smokey these will blend your shadows out gorgeously.
The first is a big blending brush, so you can blend a colour seamlessly into your crease and blend out any dark shadows. This Morphe one is also so soft and has a rounded tapered style, so it fits perfects in the crease for an overall bleand, which is perfect for every eye shape. In my opinion, this is THE MOST IMPORTANT brush ever, because unblended eyeshadow is a crime!
Next is a more precise blending brush, for deepening the crease or applying a shade to the outer colour. This brush is so gorgeous and the rounded end makes it's blending super powers amazing.
Finally, the all over lid. This brush is fluffy so it wont apply too much shadow to look streaky, but enough to cover the lid evenly. Also this brush is lovely to use for highlight as it's not too big or small.

Last but not least, eyebrows. This brush is amazing as it's duel-ended with a brush and spoolie.  If you use a powder or gel type of product for your eyebrows, this brush is perfect! The brush side is angled, so you can sculpt your brows out sooo strong it's unreal. It's great for this as it's so soft and applies the perfect amount of product, so you have perfectly shaded brows!
On the other end is the spoolie! Super important for your brows as you want them to be brushed out, and not this can also blend some of the product!

Overall these brushes manage to get me through every makeup look ever (or there abouts) Some of these brushes are high end, but good brushes mean good face days. However there are some amazing drugstore brushes such as real-techniques, which are affordable and work so well!
I hope you enjoyed this post and it helped you in some way, shape or form! Let me know on my instagram!

Thanks again!

Fern :)