TIPS : Essential Makeup Tools

Hello folks! This idea has been on my mind for quite a while, but I never gotten a chance to snap a pic of my brushes, but yesterday I've just washed all brushes and I thought it will be a good chance.

Makeup brushes. For most beauty enthusiast, it's easy to tell apart each of the brushes' purposes, but some people, especially beginners, are having hard time. That's why I'm bringing up this topic! Let's just begin, okay? ;D

Foundation Brushes

1. Flat Top Brush. Made from synthetic hair such, this brush is perfect for applying liquid foundation and gives you a smooth, airbrushed finish. Best used in buffing (circular motion) or stippling. The bristles are dense. It can be classified as duo-fibre (see the whitish top). Mine's Make Up Show H03, from Make Up Tool Shop. You can also find similar brush on eBay.

2. Foundation brush. This brush is a standard foundation brush commonly found in brush sets. The bristles are flat and usually made from synthetic hair. The flat, pointy tip is very useful for reaching narrow edges like edge of nose or under eye area, and also suitable for contouring with liquid contouring products. Mine's coming from Cerro Qreen 18 pcs Pink Brush Set, bought at Make Up Tool Shop. Almost all makeup brand sell this kind of brush

Note : aside from these 2 brushes I explained, there's also a duo fibre stippling brush. A great example of this brush is M.A.C. 187. The main purpose of this brush is mostly the same as Flat top brush.

Face Brushes

1. Big Fan Brush. I use this brush mainly for blending face products; blush, highlight, and contouring. Can also be use to sweep away fallouts. Made from natural bristles. Mine's coming from Cerro Qreen 18 pcs Pink Brush Set, bought at Make Up Tool Shop. You can also find similar brush on eBay.

2. Powder brush. A big, fluffy brush made from natural hair (or synthetic- taklon) for applying powders. I myself use it for blending out excess powder. Mine's coming from Cerro Qreen 18 pcs Pink Brush Set, bought at Make Up Tool Shop. Almost all makeup brands sell this kind of brush. Some of them also provide various sizes.

3. Small Fan Brush. Made from natural/synthetic hair, this brush is perfect for applying highlighter. The brush is not too dense for the purpose of keeping away over-highlighting. Mine's from eBay. You can also find it at several makeup brands/stores.

4. Angled Blush Brush. Made from natural/synthetic hair. The angled top is made to follow the natural cheek contour while applying blush. Can also be used for contouring with powder products. Mine's coming from Cerro Qreen 18 pcs Pink Brush Set, bought at Make Up Tool Shop. You can also find it at most makeup brands/stores.

5. Buffing Brush. Made from natural/synthetic hair. The bristles are very short and dense, perfect for contouring cheeks and jawline. Can also be used for applying cream blush and/or liquid foundations. Mine's Make Up Show 15B 01, bought at Make Up Tool Shop. I could never find any good dupe for this

Note : Blush brushes also came in different styles aside from the angled one. I love Yachiyo brush from NARS! xDD

Eyeshadow Brushes

1. Big Shader brush. Made from natural/synthetic hair, I mainly use this brush for applying base color. Can also be used as blending brush. Mine's coming from Cerro Qreen 18 pcs Pink Brush Set, bought at Make Up Tool Shop. You can also find this kind of brush at most makeup brands/stores.

2. Medium Shader brush. Made from natural/synthetic hair. I mainly use this for contouring the nose. For folks with bigger eyes, this brush can also be use to pack color on lid. Mine's coming from Cerro Qreen 18 pcs Pink Brush Set, bought at Make Up Tool Shop. You can also find this kind of brush at most makeup brands/stores.

3. Smaller Shader Brush. Made from natural/synthetic hair. I use this in rotation with the smallest brush (no. 4) to pack the accent color onto my lid. Mine's coming from Cerro Qreen 18 pcs Pink Brush Set, bought at Make Up Tool Shop. You can also find this kind of brush at most makeup brands/stores

4. Smallest shader brush. Made from natural/synthetic hair. I use this in rotation with the smaller brush (no. 3) to pack the accent color onto my lid. The size is perfect for folks with small eyes. Mine's coming from Cerro Qreen 18 pcs Pink Brush Set, bought at Make Up Tool Shop. You can also find this kind of brush at most makeup brands/stores

Note : some makeup brands only sell one or two sizes of shader brush which universally fits most eye size. 

Eye Brushes

1. Angled Blending Brush. Made from natural/synthetic hair. The bristles are pretty fluffy and has an angled tip. Hence the name, it's for blending eyeshadow color and harsh edges. Mine's coming from Cerro Qreen 18 pcs Pink Brush Set, bought at Make Up Tool Shop. You can also find this kind of brush at most makeup brands/stores.

2. Small Pencil Brush. Made from natural/synthetic hair. It's dense and has a pointed tip. I use this for applying shadow on crease and lower lid. The small size is perfect for folks with small eyes. Mine's Make Up Show BW Series C30, bought at Make Up Tool Shop. You can find this kind of brush at most makeup brands/stores. 

3. Pencil brush. Made from natural/synthetic hair. This brush has the standard size of pencil brushes. Good for folks with bigger eyes. Mine's coming from Cerro Qreen 18 pcs Pink Brush Set, bought at Make Up Tool Shop. You can find this kind of brush at most makeup brands/stores.

4. Crease Brush. Made from natural/synthetic hair. Serves a similar purpose as pencil brush. Mine's E.L.F. Essentials Eye Crease Brush (synthetic hair). 

5. Angled Eye brush. Made from natural/synthetic hair. Can be use to define shadow color, applying highlight on browbone, and also for contouring the nose. Mine's E.L.F. Essentials Angled Eye Brush (synthetic hair).

Note : 

a.) Aside from the angled blending brush I have,there's also another shape of blending brush. The most popular is M.A.C 217.

b.) The small pencil brush (no.2 ) is mostly notable for being a dupe of M.A.C. 219

Brow and Liner Brushes

1. Smudge Sponge. Made from rubbery sponge, the tip is hard but not stone-hard. It's used to smudge eyeliner. Mine's coming from Cerro Qreen 18 pcs Pink Brush Set, bought at Make Up Tool Shop. Several makeup brand also have this sponge (E.L.F. has it)

2. Fine Eyeliner brush. Made from synthetic hair. Mainly for applying gel eyeliner. This one's a standard shape of eyeliner brush. Mine's coming from Cerro Qreen 18 pcs Pink Brush Set, bought at Make Up Tool Shop. You can also find this kind of brush at most makeup brands/stores

3. Smudge brush. Made from synthetic hair. The bristles are very dense and tiny. Used for smudging eyeliner, similar to smudge sponge. I'd prefer this brush than sponge since it gave me a more naturally smudged finish. Mine's coming from Cerro Qreen 18 pcs Pink Brush Set, bought at Make Up Tool Shop. E.L.F. also sells this brush but in a little bit different shape.

4. Angled Brow Brush. Made from synthetic hair. Used to apply brow wax/gel/powders. Can also be used as eyeliner brush. Mine's coming from Cerro Qreen 18 pcs Pink Brush Set, bought at Make Up Tool Shop. Can also be found in most makeup brands/stores.

5.Spoolie/Mascara Wand. Made from synthetic hair. I mostly use this for blending brow products. Can also be use to separate mascara clumps. Mine's coming from Cerro Qreen 18 pcs Pink Brush Set, bought at Make Up Tool Shop. Most makeup brands/stores also sells this. 

6. Brow and Lash Comb. The brush is made from synthetic hair. I used this mostly when grooming my brow, to brush out the brows. The lash comb can also be used to separate mascara clumps on lashes. Mine's coming from Cerro Qreen 18 pcs Pink Brush Set, bought at Make Up Tool Shop. Can also be found at most makeup brands/stores. 

 Lip and Concealer Brush

1. Pointed Lip Brush. Made from synthetic hair. The pointed tip is perfect for applying lip products and defining the lip lines. I got mine along with my OCC Lip Tar. Can also be found in most makeup brands/stores.

2. Lip Brush with cap. Made from synthetic hair. The purpose is exactly the same as lip brush (no.1). There's a cap so you can bring this along when going out and/or traveling. Mine's from Sigma. My Cerro Qreen brush set also includes a similar brush as this one, but I lost it. 

3. Small Concealer Brush. Made from synthetic hair. The bristles is denser than no. 4. I use this for applying cream concealer (Benefit Boi-ing). Mine's coming from Cerro Qreen 18 pcs Pink Brush Set, bought at Make Up Tool Shop. You can also find this brush at most makeup brands/stores.

4. Concealer Brush. Made from synthetic hair. The bristles is thinner and less dense compared to no.3. I use this for applying cream shadow. Mine's from eBay. 

Note : 

a.) Lip brushes also come in various versions, while mine is a standard lip brush, most stores also sell a retractable one.

b.) Concealer brush can doubles as cream shadow brush, like mine's

Sponges

1. Bottle Gourd shaped Sponges. Made from latex (several brands also sell a latex-free one). The bottom is flat, and the edges are curvy. A multipurpose sponge for blending foundations (liquid/cream/powder), applying face powders, blushes, and also for contouring. The curvy edges is perfect for areas like jawlines, while the pointy tip is for narrow area such as under eyes and edge of nose. Both of my bottle gourd sponges are from eBay. Some sponges could expand in size while damp, but some can't. 

2. Egg shaped sponges. Made from latex (several brands also sell a latex-free one). The bottom is curved, making it unable to be put upward. A multipurpose sponge for blending foundations (liquid/cream/powder), applying face powders, blushes, and also for contouring. The wider bottom is perfect for wider areas like cheeks and forehead, while the pointy tip is for narrow area such as under eyes and edge of nose. My egg sponges are from Make Up Tool Shop. Some sponges could expand in size while damp, but some can't. 

Sponges tips :

1. If your foundation is too cakey or thick, smooth it out with the dampen sponge. A bonus, you can also achieve a dewy look!

2. For applying powder, I recommend to pat it onto face than just swiping it. Then, swipe excess with powder brush. You'll get a nice natural finish.

Note :

a.) The most notable bottle gourd-shaped sponges are from Sonia Kashuk, while the most notable egg sponges are from Beauty Blender. Most Korean makeup brands sells the bottle gourd-shaped ones.

b.) There are a lot of sponges with different shapes than the ones featured here. The most common shapes is square and/or round, which commonly found in compact powders. There's also wedges sponges and house-shaped sponges. Regardless the shape, they serve the same purpose. 

Bristles information :

1. Natural hair. Mostly used is horse/pony hair, goat hair, and squirrel hair. Brushes from natural hair is visually coarse, but smooth upon touch. Ideal for powder products

2. Synthetic hair. Mostly used is taklon and nylon. Brushes from taklon are similar with natural haired brush, and perfect for both powder and liquid products, while nylon brushes are ideal for liquid products such as liquid foundations, cream blushes, brow wax, etc.

Shopping informations :

1. Make Up Tool Shop

2. eBay

3. E.L.F.

Phew... It's a long post, right? For the future post, I would share some tips for beginners to choose their brushes. xDD

P.s. : All the explanations here are based on my knowledge. I am open for corrections. If you find any wrong informations, please do tell me and I'll update the informations!

If you have any questions, don't hesitate! Drop your comments. 

Have a great day!

X.o.x.o.,

Reen <3