Tools of the Trade
By Glinda
I think I’ve mentioned this before, but if you have makeup and you want to use it to its best advantage, then you’ve gotta have the right tools.
Sure, you can buy Bare Escentuals foundation, but if you don’t have one of the kabuki brushes, then forget about it.
Want to do a smokey eye? Well, then you will need a large shadow brush and a crease brush at the very minimum.
How about using eye shadow as an eyeliner? Helps a lot if you have an angled brush to apply it with.
I know that my personal go-to beauty tools are my regular kabuki brush, my large domed brush, my large shadow brush and crease brush, my large angled contour brush, and my eyelash curler and my eyelash separator.
Wow.
No wonder people who don’t use a lot of makeup find it intimidating.
And I don’t even consider myself to be someone who has a lot of tools and brushes.
What I do find is that it’s worth it to pay a bit for your tools, but you don’t have to go top of the line to get something decent that will last and not shed on your face every time you use it.
How about you? What are your indispensable tools?
November 9th, 2011 at 5:36 am
A brush for applying lipstick (a must for red shades); a foundation brush; an eyelash separator and a powder brush. I do use an eyelash curler on occasion but it’s never been a part of my routine. I use those brushes almost every time I put makeup on, and I always use a straight and angled liner, shadow, and crease brush if I do eye makeup, too. I like good quality brushes and I’ve found some good ones for eyes by e.l.f.
November 9th, 2011 at 12:05 pm
I slowly accumulated a pretty large selection of good brushes over the years, some of which are now close to 20 years old. Make the investment, clean them carefully, and they will last forever. I currently have a 2 color eyeshadow palette, and make a wide variety of looks, just by using different brushes, from natural to smokey. When used for foundation and powder, you’ll use less too, thus extending usage.
November 12th, 2011 at 9:55 am
I use the following, almost every time I apply makeup:
1: Concealer Brush
2: Foundation Brush
3: Blush Brush
4: Buff Brush
5: Full Eyeshadow brush
6: Crease brush
7: Eyeliner brush
8: Eyelash Comb/ eyebrow brush
9: Highlighter brush
I also have about 10 other brushes I use, depending on the look I am going for- a red lip definitely needs a lip brush, and my angle brush comes out for the smokey eye.
Even with using all these brushes I can do my face. from primer to mascara, in less than 10 minutes, everytime….
I will admit that the number of brushes increased when I started using Bare Minerals- but I have always advocated for the use of brushes for decent makeup. I have some higher end brushes that I have had for YEARS, but also a few Revlon & Maybeline brushes that I’ve had for a decade and on a recent trip when I forgot a brush and bought an e.l.f. brush for a buck, I was surprised at the quality. Take care of your brushes, and they will take care of you.
November 15th, 2011 at 3:10 am
I didn’t get into having makeup brushes until I started using Bare Escentuals. The blush brush is my favorite for having a shape that is perfectly suited to its use.
November 21st, 2011 at 5:04 pm
I love makeup brushes! I have ones from Sephora Pro, Sonia Kashuk, Ulta Pro and Sigma. I would have some from Mac but they are out of my budget! I think the most important thing is to clean them properly…If you treat your brushes right they will return the favor! I deep clean with baby shampoo and olive oil every two weeks and use a sanitizing brush cleaner after every use. Sanitizing them keeps old makeup and germs off of your face! Who wants that gunk on your face? Now I have these things called Brush Guard on order…They help shape and dry your brushes after washing…I’m really hopeful that they will work well 🙂