Who knew there were so many make up brushes out there? Not only that but who knew each of them had an individual purpose. I had no idea. Whenever you buy those brush jars that have the seven or eight different brushes in them, I always thought they were for show. But 11-year veteran freelance makeup artist and hair stylist Robert Saenz wears a tool belt with more than 50 different make up brushes!! He suggests to consider how you plan to use the brush before selecting one.
Amy Ward, media make up stylist, says that quality, not quantity, is the rule. There are between six to ten top brushes that no one should be without. I have the top eight listed below:
1. Basic Shadow Brush - to apply color to your eyes.
2. Powder Brush - to apply loose foundations and bronzes
3. Concealer Brush - to apply cover up color around eyes or over blemishes
4. Lipstick Brush - to apply lipstick
5. Eyebrow Brush - to add color to your eyebrows
6. Blush Brush - to apply color and highlights to cheekbones
7. Fan Brush - to dust loose eye shadow off your face or to apply shimmer powder
8. Angled Brush - to apply contour eyeshadow
Like I mentioned before, these are only the top eight. There are many, many more brushes out there and each one has its own purpose. Does this mean that you have to get your own make up tool belt to keep track of your new brush collection? Not at all. That’s why most companies have created brush bags. You can purchase an entire set of brushes and it comes with a bag to keep everything organized.
These bags that you can purchase are made to be stylish and portable so that it won’t be inconvenient for you to carry it everywhere. Some of the bags unroll like a towel and have different slots for the brushes to be in. Other bags fold up resembling a purse or a wallet. Even others fold into a zipped area of a make up bag.
I find make up bags to sometimes be bulky and inconvenient. I have my make up carrier AND this bag filled with millions of brushes? Do I really need all of this? You may not necessarily need it, but it can all be useful if used properly. Get whatever is convenient for you. If you have a make up container, get a smaller brush bag that can fit inside of it. Or get the brush bag that has a make up bag attached and use that for your make up. You want putting on make up to be as convenient as possible. Don’t do anything to purposely make you dread this part of your routine.
Make up is not to hide behind. Make up is enhancing, to bring out natural beauty. Maybe even to hide small blemishes. Just because they have thousands of types of foundation or hundreds of brushes out there, it does not mean you have to go out and buy them all. Like Amy Ward said, quality, not quantity. Only buy what you need, what you use. Keep everything organized and neat. Take care of your make up and applicators and brushes to ensure that they will last a long time. Use make up sparingly and follow advice and tips given to you either by family or professionals. We not all look like models but we can certainly all feel like them from time to time.
