Make-up brushes

Ok, it's been a busy 2 weeks and I've been neglecting you - sorry! But now I'm back with a boring little blog about make-up brushes: which brushes you need, the best ones to use and the alternatives.

Which brushes?
1. Foundation brush
I tend not to use one of these because I prefer to blend my foundation and concealer with my fingers. Nonetheless, a few foundations do come with brushes attached (see below - YSL Perfect Touch, and Bourjois Brush Foundation) and they tend to be pretty good. I apply the foundation all over my face with the brush, and then use my fingers to blend it into hard-to-reach areas like my hairline and around my nose. If you do want to use a foundation brush, go for thickish, flat brush with a rounded tip. The flat side of the brush will ensure good coverage, and the rounded tip means you shouldn't get any hard lines if you haven't blended very well.

2. Blusher brush
A blusher brush should generally be quite big i.e. it covers a large area in one sweep. This ensures that you get a natural looking blush on your cheeks, and not just a big blob of colour on your cheeks! Although it's quite an 80s shape for blusher, I still sweep from the apple of my cheek up towards my brow bone. The difference is that my blush tends not to be so strong a colour that I get a neon stripe up my face! I find that applying the blush (or bronzer) this way really lifts my face and makes my cheekbones really stand out.
NOTE: Estelle at the Brits is an example of how not to rock this look!

3. Eyeshadow brushes
If you only buy one eyeshadow brush, make sure it's a great blending one. The best kind of eyeshadow on any age of face is a well-blended shadow, so go for a brush with a large, rounded end made up of bristles that aren't very close together. For a stronger colour, just keep layering the eyeshadow until the get the desired effect. As well as my blending brush, I also have a 'strong colour' brush which is the shape of those free applicators you get with most eyeshadows, but made of bristles instead of foam . With this I can apply a lot of colour in one go which is perfect for when I'm applying the base of a smoky eye. I even have a flat-ended brush that I use for applying eyelash glue to false lashes!


These are the basic brushes that you need. But which brand should you choose?
Shu Uemura without a doubt make the best brushes in the business, not to mention their famous eyelash curlers! Find them at www.spacenk.co.uk. Although these brushes are great, they are pricey. For a cheaper option try MAC, www.maccosmetics.co.uk and for a really great budget buy head to the Body Shop - www.thebodyshop.co.uk. All these brands make really good quality brushes, but remember to keep them in good shape by cleaning them every so often. Just add a little make-up remover to a bowl of warm water and work the excess make-up out of the bristles with your fingers.