Buying The Right Makeup Brush
by Elke Von Freudenberg
by Elke Von Freudenberg
As a professinal makeup artist, I rely on my makeup brushes to give me the perfect application that I need when doing magazine work. And while makeup brushes can be quite costly, quality brushes last a lifetime. Here's how to make sure it passes your buying criteria first.
WHAT MAKES A HIGH QUALITY BRUSH?
The best brushes on the market are those that are made up of a variety of natural hairs. Want the softest brushes around? Then use Squirrel hair. Though they are the most expensive, they are the softest on the skin and blend the best. Want durability in a brush? Sable hair will last a lifetime and are good for heavier products such as lipstick, creams and frosted/glitter eyeshadows.
Need a brush to apply creams and concealers. Try Taklon bristles, a cream colored hair that is strong enough to move the product around without absorbing it. Taklon also lays the product directly on the surface of the skin, giving the most coverage. Natural hairs require care to last, but also last the longest.
Try to stay away for synthetic or man made hair. You can tell synthetic hair with bristles that are super glossy and feel very stiff and coarse. Synthetic hairs also tend to get stiffer with repeated use.
THE 3 CUTS OF BRUSHES
Straight Cuts - are like a straight hair cut, or a bob. All the hairs line up evenly in a straight line. These are the best for when you need to make a straight line, i.e. eye lining, eyebrows, eyeshadow, etc. Look for your Eyebrow and Angle brushes here.
Chisel Cuts - are slightly layered into the ends of the brush. This brush has a rounded look and effect. These are excellent for blending and creating a softer touch when applying a dark color. Stock up in these for blush, contouring, powder and all eyeshadow brushes.
Tapered Cuts - where the ends of the brush are rounded out in a tapered fashion, yet the brush itself is flat. A tapered lip brush is a perfect example of this. Since the lip line is not exactly straight, this brush draws a great curved line. Check out this cut also in concealer brushes, eyeshadow brush or Taklon brushes.
Here are some general descriptive words used to describe brush characteristics:
- brush head shape; square, dome, tapered, angled, slant etc
- brush head size; fine (extra small), small, medium, large, extra large
- bristles; natural hair -sable, squirrel, goat vs. synthetic- nylon, taklon
- bristles; texture-fine, soft, coarse bristles; firm, stiff, dense etc.
- handle length; long, short, 'travel size'