Beauty 101: Face Brushes (pic heavy)

This is another addition to my blog that I have been wanting to do for awhile now. I have quite a few followers that are not as knowledgeable about makeup and tools and such, so I decided that I would do some posts about the different types of tools, makeup, etc, just to help them out. So for those of you who already know a lot about this stuff, these posts probably will bore you, but hopefully for some you can learn a thing or two :)

Oh, and one more thing: I am not a professional nor am I claiming to be, everything that I write about is from my own personal experiences and from many years of learning from others. Please do not take any of what I say as the ways you "have" to do things, these are just tips to help those people out who are in need of some clarification. Thanks!

Now onto the first lesson: Face Brushes

There are a million different brushes and a million different brands to choose from. I don't necessarily agree that you have to buy only expensive brands because I only have drugstore brands and they work fine for me. I don't have the money to buy high end brushes, and even if I did, I probably wouldn't, just because I don't feel the need to. But the choice is up to you, if you feel like they would be better quality for you, then by all means, go for it! Use whatever you will be comfortable with, it's your face after all. Sonia Kashuk has really great brushes, to me they are just as high end as department store brands but without the price tag. Target and Wal Mart have both been coming out with some really good brushes too.

Here is a breakdown of the more common face brushes that are used for everyday, you don't necessarily need all of them, especially if you are a beginner to makeup, but this will help explain what they are each used for.

(These are my own brushes, sorry they are so dirty, they are due for another washing!)

 1.) Large Powder Brush

The large powder brush is generally used to sweep loose powder over your foundation to set your makeup. Certain powder brushes can be used to buff in mineral makeup, but these tend to be denser and have smaller bristles. Look for a powder brush that has medium density and long fluffy bristles.

2.) Foundation Brush

Foundation brushes are usually used with cream or liquid foundations. These brushes usually have long tapered bristles that are longer and rounded towards the middle and lay flat. They are densely packed and are used to pick up the foundation and spread it across the face in sweeping motions. To avoid streaking, try crisscrossing your strokes while you're blending.
 3.) Concealer Brush

Concealer brushes are used for, what else, applying concealer to your under eyes, around your nose, mouth, and anywhere else you need concealer. They have short tapererd bristles and are also densely packed. They are actually very similar to foundation brushes, just a lot smaller.
 4.) Stippling brush

 This brush can be used for a variety of tasks. You can use it to stipple on foundation for an airbrushed look, apply a light wash of blush to the apples of your cheeks, or buff in your loose powder. I personally use it for my foundation and blush applications. Stippling brushes (also called duo fiber brushes) have two sets of bristles, one longer than the other,  which allow you to pick up two layers of product and disperse as sheer or heavy coverage as you desire.
 5.) Airbrush foundation brush

There are several types of different airbrushes, all designed to give your face a smooth finish. This is the one I have. It has short bristles and is very dense. I use it to buff in my liquid foundation. Although it does take a bit more work to use, the results are a very smooth and flawless face. The other airbrushes I have seen look very similar to powder brushes and have rounded fluffy heads.

6.) Angled Blush Brush

Use this to apply blush or bronzer into the hollows of your cheek for a more defined look. The brushes have tapered bristles that are longer on one end, which allows for better contouring.
 7.) Blush Brush

This is used to apply blush directly to the apples of your cheeks. They usually have smaller rounded heads with medium density. Since they are usually pretty small, they can be used to highlight as well.
 8.) Flat Top Blush Brush

These are used to buff blush directly onto the apples of your cheeks. They have very densely packed bristles that are the same length across. You have to be careful with these because since they are so dense, they disperse a lot of product in one spot, so be prepared to blend a lot when using one. For me, the head on this brush is a little too small for my taste, I prefer ones that are a bit wider and fluffier for my blush.
9.) Kabuki Brush

Kabuki brushes are short and fat :) They are very dense with medium length rounded bristles and almost no handle which gives you full control of it. Some range from very tiny with shorter bristles, to medium size with longer fluffier heads. They are generally used for buffing in powder products, such as mineral foundation, loose powders, or bronzer.
 10.) Fan Brush

These are called fan brushes for obvious reasons. :P You can use them to wipe away any eyeshadow fallout or to highlight your cheekbones. They can also be used to gently sweep a light layer of color onto your cheeks.

And there you have it, your first lesson is over! Obviously there are many other brushes, but these are ones that I feel are the most commonly used in everyday routines. As I said, you don't have to use all of them, I think the most useful ones to have are the powder, blush, stippling, and kabuki brushes, since you can pretty much multitask with any of them.

Well I really hope you enjoyed this post, learned something new, and look forward to your next lesson!

Until then,