How to Choose Professional Makeup Brushes?
The type of bristles you need depends on the medium you are working with. Natural bristles work best with powder products and synthetic bristles with oil based products. Powder works well for camera work, as it doesnt melt or shine. Therefore, most of the brushes in a media make-up artist's kit should be made with natural bristles. But with hundreds of brushes to choose from how do you know which are best?
Quality, not quantity, is the rule. A general guideline is to look
for high quality brushes created for a specific use. Most of the
brushes should be dense, with a silky texture and a tapered, rounded
shape. Here are my ten favorite brushes that no make-up artist should
be without.
Powder Brush
Don't be
tempted by huge, fat brushes. They actually defeat their intended
purpose, which is to apply powder to the face. They pick up too much
powder and drop it around. And they are too large to get into the
places that need the most powder. The ideal brush should be fairly flat
with rounded edges. Not only does this give the best all over
application, but it can be squeezed into areas where shine is
prevalent. In the case of powder brushes, bigger is definitely not
better.
Blush Brush
It is
extremely important that your blush brush not be too large or too
small. If it's too large, the area you cover will be too wide. If the
brush is too small, you will get a stripe. As with all the brushes, the
amount of product you use, and the angle and pressure you apply, will
greatly effect the success of the application.
Contour Brush
The
traditional contour brush with the flat head is not the best shape for
applying contour. It is too wide to contour the nose and the flat shape
makes stripes. You will get much better results with a smaller version
of the blush brush. That shape brush can be squeezed for narrow
application, or used as is for subtle contouring that doesn't leave
lines of demarcation.
Highlight Brush
Although
this brush is sometimes used on different areas of the face, its most
frequent use is under the eyes. In order to apply enough highlight
powder the brush should be slightly larger than an eye shadow brush.
You will get the best results if it is very dense and has a rounded tip.
Eyeshadow Brushes
You
will need two different types of eyeshadow brushes. One brush should
give a concentrated application around the rim of the eyes, for a smoky
effect. The second brush needs to give a soft, even application over
the entire eyelid, so it should be soft and rounded. With these two
brushes you can create a multitude of shadow effects.
Eyeliner Brush
When
cake eyeliner is needed, a tapered, fine tip brush gives a thin,
precise line. A thicker line can be achieved by applying more pressure.
This spreads the brush and widens the line.
Lip Brush
For
precise application in creating a smooth lipline you need a flat brush
with a straight end. How you angle the brush when applying lipstick is
just as important as a good quality brush.
Fantail Brush
No
make-up kit is complete without a removal brush. If a little powder
eyeshadow accidentally falls onto the cheekbone, you can remove it with
a fantail brush, using a light outward sweep. White goat's hair
bristles remove powder. Dark natural bristles are for application.
Eyebrow Brush
This
is the only nylon brush I recommend because the firm bristles separate
and shape the eyebrows. It is also essential when blending eyebrow
pencil.
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