As you wander around the cosmetic counters at your favorite department store, do you find yourself wondering how all the makeup artists look so gorgeously airbrushed? Their secret isn’t only that they possess amazing artistic talent and years of practice; they know that the only way to immaculate makeup is the right makeup brushes.
If you only take one beauty tip seriously, take this one about using the right brushes, and you will be fabulously flawless well into your golden years.
The first step is to buy yourself a good quality set that fits your individual needs. The variation between quality, performance, and price is vast, so decide based on your lifestyle. If you are on a budget, there are some really great value sets that use both natural and synthetic fibers to make up the complete set.
Many people prefer natural hair for their brushes, but they require much more maintenance and frequent washing. Synthetic brushes can take more abuse, and don’t harbor bacteria as readily as real ones. Take this into consideration before opting to drop hundreds of dollars on exquisite squirrel hair brushes that you might ruin with careless use.
Once you have decided on the quality and fibers of your brushes, then it’s time to decide if you actually need an entire 15-piece set, or if you only need a few to get you through your beauty routine. Even the most experienced makeup gurus sometimes only use three or four brushes for their daily look.
If you wear foundation, bronzer, and blush, but prefer a quick sweep of mascara to a fully shadowed lid, then don’t waste your money on a set that includes eyeshadow brushes, and just purchase some good quality face brushes.
If the opposite is true, then skip the foundation brushes, and have one of those pristinely perfect sales girls at the counter show you which ones work best for your desired look. The most important ones to start with are a good dense contour brush, which is so versatile, it can be used for your base, crease, and highlighter; and a soft, but still dense crease brush, which is the only way to get that perfectly blended smokey eye.
If you are purchasing more than four brushes, it is far less expensive to buy a set, like the Professional Brush Set from Jane Iredale. Even if you don’t think you will use them all, with a little time and practice you might surprise yourself and become an expert yourself. Then, you never know, you could be the one who is being asked the secret to your perfect makeup.