Hi Lovelies!

Today I’m going to  launch a series about makeup brushes. For the next coming weeks I’ll be  telling you all there is to know about them. Starting with WHERE to start because the choices are endless when it comes to makeup in general. You definitely don’t need to start at a brand such as MAC, there are some great budget friendly options out there.

Most of the brushes I own are from a company named Crown Brush, one of the best kept secrets in the industry. For years they used to be only available at conventions such as The Makeup Show (that’s how I got mine) but nowadays they are available to everybody! These brushes are as good as MAC’s and half the price  and their range is very wide which makes this your best place to start when you are in makeup school for example. I highly recommend their Studio Pro Series for beginners.

The second best place to go to is Zoeva. This German company amazes me with their brushes. Price-quality here is amazing and they provide great dupes for MAC brushes. I’m in love with their rose golden range, wish list material!

Last but not least are the brushes by Samantha Chapman from Pixiwoo: Real techniques. Nothing but love for these brushes, love the feel, the design and again amazing quality for a budget friendly price.

There are a gazillion brands out there and it’s imposible to know them all but…. buying makeup brushes is like getting a tattoo: you keep wanting more! For all you out there who are new in this world you will not be disappointed if  you start with these choices I just presented for you.

The next thing you need to know is what material is best for what, going from soft to firm:

• Squirrel: Ultra soft bristle that provides a very natural wash of color. Great for contouring and blending heavy duty eyeshadows.
• Sable: very long lasting quality which comes in a variety of 3. Kolinsky Sable is amazingly soft and the highest quality of the 3. Red Sable is tight and firm which works great for liquids.  Plain Sable is very resilient and works great applying bronzers and defined layers of eyeshadow.
• Duo Fibre: Are those brushes with two color bristles, black and then white on top. Perfect for a lightweight application of powder or pigments, even foundation. You almost get an airbrushed finish.
• Capra/Goat hair: Very soft and luxurious feeling. Makes makeup application very easy and effortless. It provides a medium to full application. Great for powder makeup as it picks up the product very well and smoothly deposits it. Great for blending.
•  Badger: Very firm and soft at the same time. Great for mineral base products and precise brow application. Creates a natural and flawless application.
• Taklon: is your go to brush for creams and liquids. This synthetic fiber bristle does not absorb product.

You want to be taking good care of your precious brushes too. Here you can read some of my tips on how to do that.

I hope you enjoyed this first article about “brushes 101”. Next week you can read all about these bad boys Foundation Brushes

Love,

Tani