Brush Me Beautiful

OK, so you walk into Sephora, Ulta, or any department store. You want to buy a few makeup brushes. But OH. There seems to be 1000 of them. Fat brushes, skinny brushes, pink brushes, black brushes, long/short handled brushes, synthetic or natural haired brushes...YIKES!!!!! Selecting brushes if you're a brush virgin can be a scary task if you don't really know what you're looking for. No worries! I can hold your hand and get you through it =)

Below are the four brushes that I use every day. There is a basic foundation brush, a powder brush, a blush brush and an eye shadow brush. You can't go wrong with these. Of course there are many other brushes for shading, details and so on, but this post is all about basic brushes!

I usually purchase the short-handled brushes vs. the long-handled brushes, simply because they are easier to fit inside my makeup cases! They are all MAC brushes, but I also love Bobbi Brown brushes as well. Sephora has nice brushes too, very soft and durable. Enjoy!



190 Foundation Brush


This will be your best friend if you don't own one already. If you wear liquid foundation, this is the brush you must own. Repeat. This is the brush you must own. The brush hairs are stiff enough to allow even application of your foundation, but not too stiff that it is uncomfortable against your pretty face. It is a must have in every girls' makeup collection!


134 Large Powder Brush


If you wear powder, this is a great brush. Very soft and fluffy, it will allow you to apply your powder with little to no effort. There are other options for powder brushes though - some people like a bigger, fluffier brush that covers more "face" with one sweep, while others like a smaller, more concentrated brush so they can pay more attention to detail. I think this brush is a good balance between the two!


129 Blush Brush


If you wear powder blush, you need the right sized brush with the right texture. I like the 129 brush, because it's super soft and the right size to apply product to just the apples of your cheeks. You don't want a big brush for blush, because the blush will be applied beyond your cheeks and you will look pink all over - not good.


242 Eye Shader


I give the eye shadow brush a little more flexibility when it comes to size. The 242 shader is a great basic eye shadow brush for your every day uses. Some people like a larger brush for different colored eye shadows - like a smoky eye for example. Some like a smaller or flatter brush for shadow application. To each HER own, I say!


Remember - every makeup lover must own a great set of brushes. If you take care of these properly, they will last you a very long time. You should clean your brushes every couple of weeks to eliminate any potential bacteria or residue that is left on them from your makeup. You don't need to buy a fancy brush cleaner either - a few squirts of a gentle facial soap (I use my Clinique Liquid Soap) in some warm water will do just fine. Let them soak for a while, then lay them on a towel to air dry.

Happy Makeuping! <3