Dear Shellbelle.......

Dear Shellbelle

What’s your preferred line of makeup brushes? What’s in your necessity/travel kit? What’s the best deal? Should I save or slurge on brushes?

Questions on makeup brushes are some of the most frequent ones I receive. Brushes to me can be the difference between your makeup looking flawless or streaky. Like any good artist you need to not only invest in your materials but also your tools. The key thing to remember with brushes is to spend your money smartly. You don’t need mucho dinero or buy 100’s of different brushes to apply your makeup beautifully.  Here are my recommendations for what brushes to get:

STIPPLE OR POWDER BRUSH (Foundation & Powder)

These two types of brushes are absolute must haves in my makeup kit. Both brushes are multiplayers that I consistently use every time I apply makeup.  In addition to using it to apply liquid and cream foundation, I use the stipple brush to apply cream moisturizers, primers, powders, blush, and bronzer. One of my favorite uses for the brush is to apply blush. It applies the blush so shear that it gives me just the right amount of glow to my face without looking streaky . The stipple brush I use is MAC’s no. 187 brush. It is a splurge at $40 but for me it was well worth it because I use it every single time I apply makeup.  The powder brush is an awesome tool if you are like me and use mineral foundation. I pretty much use mineral foundation 90% of the time when I apply my makeup so this brush is indispensable. I also use it for applying powder and building intensity for blush. I honestly have a variety of powder brushes that I use but right now I really love Jane Iredale's flat powder brush. If you had to pick one, pick one based on what type of foundation you use.

TAPERED ROUND EGE BRUSH (Eye shadow)

I love this brush because you can precisely apply eye shadow all over your lid and use it to create definition at your outer corner and crease. The shorter dense hairs allow you to really pack on your product and create saturated colors for your eyes. It also allows you to go more sheer just by changing your technique of applying it. I personally use MAC's no. 239 brush but Ecotools has a comparable one for a lot less.

BLENDER BRUSH (Eye shadow)

This brush is a must must have for any person who wants their makeup to be polished and not streaky. I use this brush to blend out colors along my crease line, outer/inner corners and I love to use it to apply highlighting color on my brow bone. Without this brush I would not be able to apply multiple colors on my eyes and create soft blended lines. I personally use MAC's no. 224 brush and it is worth every penny. I still have my original blender brush from years ago! 

FLAT THIN ANGLED BRUSH (Eye liner/Brow Powder)

If you want to apply your eye liner like a pro I highly recommend getting a flat thin angled brush. This brush allows me to precisely apply any gel or liquid liner to my face. I can make the line as thin and as close to the lash line with this baby. Great for achieving that natural look. This brush is multi-purpose as well because in addition to applying liner you can use it to apply brow powder. My angled brush is MAC's no. 208.

Eyes Brushes & Applicators at Walgreens
Brushes & Applicators Sets by Ulta

As for my favorite line of brushes, obviously I do love MAC's brushes because they are well made and they last a very long time with the proper care. I recommend anyone who applies makeup all the time or wants to do it professionally invest in these brushes. Click on the Shop Style icon to find out the brush prices as well as where to get them. However if those brushes are out of your price range at the moment, I recommend using Ecotools brushes. You can get a great 5 piece set for only $11 at CVS pharmacy. The brushes are well made and the bristles are so soft. I used in my first tutorial (Back to School) and it applied makeup very nicely. It's a great starter or travel set.

I hope this information helps you decide what type of brushes you want to get. 

Smiles,

Shellbelle