Makeup Brushes
| The what's and how's of makeup brushes. | |
| A lot of makeup
can be applied using your fingertips but when you're in a costume you
run the risk of inadvertedly touching your costume too. Bad news. The good news is that brushes can sometimes do a better and cleaner application! So here's the deal |
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+ CONCEALER BRUSH +
Concealer will blend faster and won't cake when using a brush! Tiny bristles will fill in imperfections making them vanish. How to use this brush: Dab on concealer and blend outward into your skin. It's as simple as that. |
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+ FOUNDATION BRUSH +
The soft, domed bristles smooth and evenly distribute powder without streaking. Great for all around useage! How to use this brush: Gently sweep this brush over pressed powder compacts and blushes (I rarely use those sponge things they include) for smooth application. You can use this to blend your eyeshadow and brush away any "eyeshadow droppings" that may have taken a dive during application. |
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+ EYESHADOW BRUSH +
The round shape of this brush makes blending and contouring simple. How to use this brush: Gently swipe bristles over your eyeshadow, and brush on eyelids. Blend eyeshadows together or layer to create varied effects. |
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+ ANGLED EYESHADOW BRUSH +
The bristles slanted design give you control and procision when lining lashes or applying powder or cream eyeliners. How to use this brush: Gently swipe bristles over the eyeshadow or liner you wish to use and draw a smooth line near where your lashes meet your eyelid. This is also good for precision eyeshadow application e.g. dynamic shaping or coloring. |
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+ EYELINER BRUSH +
Use this brush for precise, clear, and fine lines. How to use this brush: Line eyes with cream and powder eyeliners with ease for a lsofter look than using a pencil or liquid eyeliner. |
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+ LASH COMB / BROW BRUSH +
More people should invest in these handy tools. This brush helps groom eyebrows and separate lashes after mascara application. Clumpy, spidery lashes are never a good look unless it's part of the costume. How to use this tool: Gently run the fine comb through lashes post-mascara application to separate lashes. Flip it over and groom brows into place. A small amount of hairspray or chapstick can hold strays in place. |
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+ LIP BRUSH +
Use this brush for filling in lips with a creme lipstick. This offers more precise application than a traditional tube lipstick How to use this brush: Swipe bristles over the lipstick and apply to lips. I usually outline where I want the lipstick to be and fill in...kind of like coloring. |
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+ SMUDGER +
This is a favorite tool of mine. With this you can soften up the harsh look of pencil eyeliners and smudge anything else you need. You'll need one of these if you're going for the smokey eye look. How to use this brush: Apply eyeliner first, take this brush and gently smudge the eyeliner to desired look. |
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+ KABUKI BRUSHES +
If I could only keep one makeup brush, it'd be my Kabuki brush. It's an all-purpose tool of awesome. As per the name, they were designed for use in Japanese Kabuki theater and have been a common tool used by makeup artists since the 50's. These are commonly used with mineral makeup but are great for foundation, shimmer, highlighting powder, and eyeshadow. |
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+ EYELASH CURLERS + Not necessary but quite nice if your lashes are straight or if you want to give yourself a wide-eyed look. While they may look scary, they are quite simple to use. I suggest getting a fairly flat mini-lash curler which curls lashes section by section, versus curling the entire row. That will allow more precision and you can see what you're doing! |
| Also, being
Asian has presented me with a lot of stupid makeup quandries. I bought
a conventional eyelash curler at the drug store. I found that the curve on the curler was too much so it poked my eyes in either corner. To avoid this problem, I purchased a mini-travel curler like the one on the right. It has considerably less arc and doesn't poke. So if you're Asian...or not, and have this problem with conventional curlers, here's a quick fix! |
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| :: BRUSH CARE:: |
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| If you're investing in makeup brushes, you'll want to keep
them in top condition as long as possible. Makeup brushes can also
harbor lots of dirt and bacteria. To get rid of contaminants, wash
brushes frequently to keep them, and your face, clean and healthy. Here's how to do this. Step 1: Run the brush under warm water, saturating the bristles fully. Step 2: Apply some mild shampoo to the bristles and work into a lather. Step 3: Rinse bristles thoroughly under cool water. You'll see the fun-colored water rinsing away
old makeup.
Step 4: Rinse until water runs clean. Step 5: Air dry Most beauty supply stores have the same cleaning solution that professional makeup artists use for their brushes as well if you don't want to use shampoo. |
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