Brushes 101

I'm a strong believer in that, you need perfect tools to create a perfect job. I also believe that the brushes you use can really make or break a makeup look. You wouldn't expect a professional painter to come and decorate your house and not be equipped with the correct tools. In this blog post today I am going to be talking all about brushes, from the right ones for you to use to my favorite budget and high end picks.

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Lets start this off with the bare essentials, which ones you need for the different areas.

The first one I want to talk about is a foundation brush. Theses brushes can come in so many different shapes and sizes so it basically comes down to personal preference. I recommend trialling some different ones out first. Your choices are as follows; A traditional foundation brush is a flat brush and will give you more coverage. A buffing style brush will help you blend the product in, this will give you medium to full coverage and will make your makeup look flawless. Your next choice is a sponge, I personally prefer a sponge as it can work with any product as creams, powders, liquids etc. The sponge can give you a coverage, anywhere between sheer to maximum.

Next is a blush brush which is generally round and have super soft bristles so that it doesn't disturb the makeup thats already been applied. It also needs to be big enough to cover the apples of your cheeks. Real techniques Multitasking Brush is an excellent blusher brush.

Having a separate bronzer brush is important as you don't mix the colours even though they are almost identical.

If you are anything like me then you probably prefer filling in your brows with a powder, I like to do this with an angled eyeliner brush and the MAC 266 is excellent as it's quite dense so I can have complete control opposed to a fluffy one which would get the product everywhere.

For eyeshadows I like to use a fluffy brush so that I can avoid harsh lines however a fluffy brush doesn't always pack as much colour as I like, therefor I opt for a flat packing brush which is denser so it doesn't absorb the product.

Now that we have covered the basic brushes we now need to know how to clean them. This is the best way that I have found to cleaning my brushes. First I start by mixing olive oil and antibacterial liquid soap in a bowl, about a 50p sized amount of each cleans 10 brushes, and then I wet my brush in lukewarm water and the dip it in the mixture and swirl in the palm of my until the water runs clean. The oil really helps break the makeup down and the liquid soap helps really sanitise the brushes. I make sure my brushes are regularly cleaned as to avoid breakouts and allergic reactions.

My favorite budget brushes without doubt have to be the Real Techniques Brushes by Sam and Nic from Pixiwoo. I must say I am quite in love with Nics Picks. From the Higher End of the brush spectrum I do love the brushes from Bobbi Brown and MAC.