Makeup - Tips for makeup brushes (Bristle Types, Storage, Cleaning)

For my blog post on the different types of makeup brushes, click here. :)



BRISTLE TYPES

In general, there are different bristles for brushes. So, which one is the best to get?

Synthetic
Ideal for use with cream makeup.
It's cheap and hence affordable to replace.

Goat hair
Picks up powder easily and glides on easily too.
Goat's hair are the coarsest type of hair that is very common in makeup brushes.
Ideal for buffing and blending.

Pony hair
Ideal for use where dense colour is needed.
Ideal for use in blusher, contour and powder brushes.

Sable hair
Most durable type of brush.
Ideal for use in eyeshadow brushes as the bristles are resilient and doesn't loose the shape when you come to the corners.

So depending on which function you want your brush to have, you can choose the different type of bristles for the function. :)



STORAGE

1. Keep out of direct sunlight
Bristles wear down when exposed to direct sunlight overtime. To make sure you brushes last longer, avoid storing them in a place with direct sunlight. Also, sunlight can cause leftover products on your brushes to 'cake'.

2. Store extra (clean) brushes in a (clean) zip lock bag
You won't want germs to accumulate on brushes that you never/rarely use and when you finally decide to use them, spread the germs all over your face. Storing them in a clean, air tight zip lock bag keeps germs and bacteria away from your brushes.

3. Clean your brushes regularly before storing
It's alright to reuse brushes, but do not reuse them for too long a period before cleaning. As a general rule, I would recommend cleaning your brushes once per week.



CLEANING

If you aren't the type who wants to spend more money on a professional cleanser, all you need is a gentle soap, or baby shampoo.

Step 1: Dip the brush head into lukewarm water in a container or a cup
Step 2: Squeeze a small amount of cleanser or baby shampoo onto your palm (about a pea size) and work it into the brush
Step 3: Massage the bristles so that the soap will get through
Step 4: Rinse the brush tip in clean water, gently squeeze the brush head to remove the excess soap
Step 5: Pat the bristles dry with a clean towel and leave it over a table to dry. You may want to use a hair dryer for them to dry quicker. Do note that however do not on the heat too high as it might damage the bristles.

Makeup - Brushes 101

Here's a blog post dedicated to brushes.

I know quite a lot of girls out there use a few brushes for makeup, but many do not know which brushes is the 'correct' for certain applications. For a start, we shall look at a very general guide:

Concealer Brush
As the name suggest, it is used to apply concealer to cover up imperfections. Some people dubbed it as being more precise than the fingers.

Brush in photo: Bobbi Brown Concealer Brush from Sephora


Foundation Brush
This brush is normally used for a more precise way of blending to create a polished looked and full coverage. The flat, tapered brush head facilitates smoothing and blending over cheeks and forehead as well as smaller awkward facial zones such as eye sockets, inner corners of the eyes and the nose bridge.

Brush in photo: Bobbi Brown Foundation Brush from Sephora

Powder Brush

Can be used on both loose and pressed powders. It is used to give light but even coverage over the face and  it helps to set your foundation.

Brush in photo: COVER FX Powder Brush from Sephora

Eye Shadow Brush

As the name suggest, it is used to apply colour on the eyelids. It is also use to shade creases, highlight brow bone or line the edges. There are quite a few variations to this brush, and some have even dual sides

Brushes in photo: From left to right: 1) Hourglass Crease Brush from Sephora; 2)Sephora Classic Large Synthetic Eyeshadow Brush #25; 3)Classic All Over Shadow Brush - Small #22 

Smudge Brush
Used to blend out shadow and pencil lines and to soften hard lines. Often use to create a smoky eye effect.

Brush in photo: Sephora Classic Smudge Brush #14

Angled Eyeliner Brush

Mostly used to create the cat-eye effect with the eyeliner. Also used apply colour to the waterline.

Brush in photo: Sephora Classic Angled Liner/Eyeliner Brush #15


Eyebrow Brush (Angled)
Used to fill in the brows. It places filler pigment in the brow area, blends into brows and softens pencil line in the brow area, setting and shaping. The angled head gives more precision. Sometimes, the angled eyeliner brush doubles up for this purpose.

Brush in photo: Bobbi Brown Eye Brow Brush from Sephora


Lash Comb and Brow Brush
Used for shaping the brows, separating the lashes and removing mascara debris or clumps.

Brush in photo: Sephora Pro Brow Comb #21

Kabuki Brush
This brush gives a greater and quicker coverage than a regular powder brush because it is able to pick up and distribute large amount of pigments. It also comes as a retractable brush. Best used with mineral makeup powders.

Brushes in photo: Left - bareMinerals Fill Coverage Kabuki Brush from Sephora; Right - Too Faced Retractable Kabuki Brush from Sephora

Blush Brush
There are two different kind of blush brush. The first one is dome head and the other is a slanted angle brush. The dome head creates more even placement while a slant head places more pigment along the curves of the cheekbone, usually for a more dramatic sculpting effect.

Brushes in photo: Left - Illamasqua Blush Brush 1 from Sephora (dome head); Right - Illamasqua Blush Brush 2 from Sephora (slant head)

Fan Brush aka Highlight Brush
This brush has may purposes. You can use this brush to:
- dust away stray eye makeup that has fallen on cheeks
- redistribute loose powder on face
- dust light, shimmery powder over the apple of the cheeks and middle of forehead for highlighting purposes.
- applying powder to set makeup for longer wear

Brush in photo: Laura Mercier Fan Powder Brush from Sephora


Contour Brush
Used for sculpting cheekbones and shading jaws to create extra dimension. Some brushes are angled, and can be used for applying bronzer.

Brushes in photo: Left - Sephora Pro Contour Brush #74; Right - Sephora Pro Angled Contour Brush #75


Lip Brush
To provide greater accuracy and more even coverage while applying lipstick. Can be used to apply lipstick or lip gloss.

Brush in photo: Sephora Retractable Lip Brush #60


That's about it for now. I will post tips on which brushes to get, how to use your brushes and more on how to clean your brushes in a later blog post. :) [Edit: The blog post is up, click here to view it]