Guide to Makeup Brushes

I’ve been asked if I could share a guide to what each makeup brush I use is meant for. Makeup brushes can be intimidating especially for those who don’t know what they’re doing or don’t know what each specific brush is meant for. You guys know I love a good makeup brush. Especially as a freelance makeup artist because I need good brushes to do my job. I’m not only sharing the brushes I use all the time when it comes to doing my makeup but also what they are meant for.

When it comes to shopping for a makeup brush, you want to take into consideration the handle, bristles, and the ferrule. To me, the handle isn’t really important. What’s important to me is the bristles and ferrule. If you’re not sure what a ferrule is on the brush, this is the middle bit that connects the bristles to the handle.

The ferrule is usually made of metal (example: nickel-plated brass or aluminium) and less commonly from plastic. The bristles are held in place by the top of the ferrule, which is sometimes pinched flat, and a good dollop of glue. The bottom of the ferrule is glued to the handle too, so don’t leave your brushes in water or let the ferrule get water in it. – A Guide to makeup Brush Construction

Guide to Makeup Brushes

For the bristles, I prefer to use brushes that don’t use animal hair. If you’re curious as to what animals are used for the brushes that use “animal hairs” they are sable, badgers, goats, squirrels, weasels, horses, and sometimes camels. And the furs are not just given to the companies, the animals are haunted, farmed and then slaughtered. Hence as to why I don’t like to use brushes that use animal hairs.

All of my brushes are cruelty-free. That is one thing I love and make sure I do when purchasing brushes is by making sure that they are cruelty-free.

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Face Brushes:

Foundation: If you’re not familiar with using a beauty blender when it comes to applying foundation. Using a brush is another great way to do it. I prefer to apply my foundation with either a beauty blender or a makeup brush. My favorite brush to apply my foundation is the Sigma Beauty F80 Flat Kabuki Brush. I love how it doesn’t leave any streaks on my face. It blends out the foundation beautifully. Another good one is the Morphe E54. [Discount Codes: Sigma Beauty “JASMINEMARIA”]

Concealer: If I am going to blend out my concealer with a brush it’s going to be the Real Techniques Expert Face Brush. They have updated the look for this brush. I still have the old version of it. It’s by far my favorite to use when blending my concealer because it blends it out even under the eyes without any issues.

Powder: For this one, I am going to be sharing 2 different ones because I do use 2 different brushes. First is the Morphe E49, this brush is flat and small enough to fit under the eye area when I am setting my concealer. To set the rest of my face I like to use the Sigma Beauty F30 brush because it’s a large powder brush so it’s easier to use on the face.

Bronzer: When it comes to applying my bronzer I love using the Real Techniques Blush Brush. I know. It’s meant for applying blush but honestly, it’s better when you’re applying your bronzer. It’s too big for my cheeks so I can’t use it for applying blush.

Contour: If you are cream contouring, you definitely want to use the Sigma F55 Small Duo Fiber Brush. This helps blend out the cream contour so beautifully, almost airbrush finish. If you are just doing a powder contour, the best brush for that is the Sigma Beauty F40 Large Angled Contour Brush. This helps blend the contour into a natural look. It really gets into the hollows of your cheekbones.

Blush: I’ve tried so many blush brushes but this one by Morphe M427 is my favorite all time. I love that it’s duo fiber. It’s also the perfect size to use on the cheeks.

Highlight: I will forever love my Sigma Beauty F03 High Cheekbone Highlight brush. It’s perfect for highlighting your face.

Relatable Post: Bristles Beauty Review

Eye Brushes

Now that we have talked about face brushes let’s go ahead and jump into the brushes you need when applying your eyeliner, eyeshadow, etc..

Crease: First thing first when applying your eyeshadow is that you always start with a transition shade. Meaning this shade goes on the crease of your eyelids. Morphee M535 is a good brush for applying the shade on your crease to blend out.

Blending: When it comes to blending your eyeshadow to create dimension on the outer part of your eye I love using the Sigma Beauty E45 Small Tapered Blending Brush. This helps me create that beautiful smoke effect on the eyes.

Eyeshadow: When you’re applying your eyeshadow you should use a brush first. Depending on the formula/finish of the eyeshadow. I like to use the Bristles Beauty E02 – It’s amazing for applying eyeshadow on the eyelids. [Discount Codes: Bristles Beauty “JASMINEMARIA” 15% OFF]

Eyeliner: No matter what I will always recommend the Sigma Beauty E06 brush. This brush is perfect for applying gel eyeliner.

Smudging: Not sure what smudging is? It’s what you do when you want to smudge your bottom eyeshadow out to give it a more natural or smoked out finish. I use the Bristles Beauty E04 Smudging Brush. It’s perfect for under the eyes of the waterline.

Brow: I love the Anastasia Beverly Hills 14 Dual-Ended Firm Brush if I am going to use a powder or pomade product.