Makeup Brushes | Makeup Artist Advice

Mar 2

Hello, and thank you for joining me! Today I will share some of my favourite makeup brushes, what I look for in a brush, and how I clean and care for them. If that sounds interesting, then keep on reading!

Foundation

Over the years, my style has changed, my tastes have changed, and my makeup brush preferences have also changed – my choice of foundation brushes has changed most of all! When I was still working as a freelance artist, I loved using the classic paintbrush style of foundation brushes; but now, I am all for easy application when I am only doing makeup on myself.

IT Cosmetics Heavenly Luxe Complexion Perfection Brush #7

I adore all of the IT Cosmetics brushes; however, this brush was my first and still my ultimate favourite! Not only can I buff and blend the foundation with this brush, but I can also use the smaller side of this brush to buff and apply concealer or cream eyeshadow. This makes this brush a staple in my daily beauty routine and a must-have for my travel kit.

ELF Precision Airbrush Blender

The ELF Precision Airbrush Blender is a newer addition to my collection, yet I love it so much. This brush has a very soft yet dense feel, much like the IT Cosmetics brushes do; however, unlike the IT Cosmetics brush, this brush is not double-sided. I adore the Precision Airbrush’s angled shape, which allows for a comfortable seamless blend around the jawline and neck.

Concealer

Japonesque Fluff Concealer Brush

I love this fluffy little concealer brush for blending out under-eye concealer, and I love that it diffuses products for a smoother look. This brush is terrific if you have signs of ageing under your eyes like I do and want to make them look as smooth as possible.

Real Techniques 402 Setting Brush (Everyday Essentials Set)

This brush is almost identical to the Japonesque Fluff Concealer brush, but it’s slightly larger. I love using this brush for concealer, along with precision powder placement, highlighting, and even cream contouring!

Real Techniques 311 Fine Liner Brush (Enhanced Eye Kit)

I love this brush for concealing blemishes! Think of this brush as a real-life Photoshop healing tool. While I adore this brush style, it can be more time-consuming to use; however, the result is perfect and well worth the effort.

Powder

La Mer The Powder Brush

This brush has to be one of the most expensive in my collection, but it might also be the softest brush I’ve ever owned! I love this large, plush brush to apply and buff each of my powder layers when I want an incredibly soft and diffused makeup look.

Sonia Kashuk Professional Large Powder Makeup Brush No. 100

This brush is almost identical to my beloved La Mer brush; however, it isn’t as soft. Despite it not being as smooth as my La Mer powder brush, it is still incredibly soft and wonderful to use.

Contour & Highlight

Charlotte Tilbury Powder & Sculpt Brush

This brush is incredibly soft, and it hugs the highs and lows of your face, which makes contouring and highlighting your face a breeze!

Wet N Wild Pro Tapered Highlight Brush

This brush is similar to the Charlotte Tilbury, but it’s slightly smaller – great if you want to be more detailed with your application.

Bronzer

MAC 150S Powder Brush

Another gorgeous workhorse brush in my collection! In my first makeup post, I sang this brush’s praises for how well it works with powder foundation; but for bronzer, it hugs the curves of your face for the most natural sun-kissed effect possible.

Real Techniques 400 Blush Brush (Everyday Essentials Set)

While this is called the Blush Brush, I don’t think I’ve ever used it for applying blush. In my opinion, it’s too large for blush, but for bronzer, its large, tapered shape is terrific for creating a realistic sun-kissed look.

Blush

IT Cosmetics Heavenly Luxe French Boutique Blush Brush #4

I love using this brush, whether I want a subtle flush or a jolt of statement colour! It’s so soft and a total joy to use!

Morphe X Jaclyn Hill JH08 Blush Brush

While this is very similar to the IT Cosmetics blush brush, it is smaller and not quite as soft. Nonetheless, it’s a beautiful brush that I love to have in my collection.

Eyeshadow – Lid

Real Techniques 308 Medium Shadow Brush (Enhanced Eye Set)

I love this brush for applying my base colour from the lash line to the brow bone or applying a soft shimmery shade to the eyelid.

Eyeshadow – Crease

Both of these brushes are wonderful for blending out contour colours around the eye, and either of these two brushes can be used by themselves to get the job done. However, I usually reach for the larger brush when I want a soft wash of colour through the crease of my eye. When I want a more dramatic shape to the look, I love having a smaller brush to detail the crease.

Large – Morphe M330 Blending Crease

Small – Morphe X Jaclyn Hill JH40 Precise Blender

Eyeshadow – Detailer

Morphe X Jaclyn Hill JH39 Inner Corner Highlight Brush

I love small brushes for adding depth to the eye or when I want to create a softer smoky eyeliner look.

Eyeshadow – Liner

Morphe X Jaclyn Hill JH43 Eyeliner Smudge Brush

The Eyeliner Smudge Brush is typical of a flat eyeliner brush. I love these brushes when using powder eyeshadow as a liner or using a pencil to manipulate the shape that I drew with a pencil.

Lash/Brow

Real Techniques 312 Lash Separator (Enhanced Eye Set)

I adore a metal lash comb for removing clumps from mascara because I love a natural, clump-free lash look.

Brush Cleaning

Whether you get them from the drugstore or a boutique, makeup brushes are an important, essential investment for our makeup routines; good brushes can last years and years with the right care.

I love using the Sephora X Vera Mona Colour Switch for whipping off powder colours and changing up colours when creating eye looks for my day-to-day cleaning.

I also use the Cinema Secrets brush cleaner for daily spot-cleaning between my applications. You don’t need to clean your brushes daily, but to prevent the spread of bacteria and other contaminants, I wash my brushes daily and then deep clean them weekly.

I use a trick I learned in art class for my weekly deep-cleaning, and I use the blue Dawn anti-bacterial dish soap along with a drop of olive or avocado oil. This mixture will help clean and condition my brush simultaneously, and this has kept many of my makeup brushes looking and feeling brand-new for the last ten-plus years.

After I wash my brush, I like to dry my brushes with the bristles facing down to keep their hair perfectly shaped and protected. I use a makeup brush drying rack – which holds the brushes upright while keeping the bristles off the counter – and makeup brush protectors – which keeps my brushes’ bristles protected and shaped to help them look and work their best.