A Girl's Style Guide to Makeup Brushes and Their Uses

Applying makeup is an art and very few can be good at this. While applying makeup, we often use cotton or a soft cloth to lighten the effect of foundation or rouge applied on our face, but still we don't get that perfect finish. Makeup brushes help in giving the perfect finish to your makeup. Different makeup brushes have various uses and are of many types. They give your makeup a matte finish and blend the foundation to your skin tone in such a way that your makeup doesn't look caked up. Using the right makeup brush can give you results similar to makeup applied by a professional makeup artist. For daily makeup, you should have the essential ones required to apply the most basic types of makeup.

These days in the markets, you can find a range of brushes available belonging to different brands. The price of the brushes depends on the brand and quality of the brush. A makeup brush is made up of high-quality fiber or hair. The fibers can either be synthetic or natural, and it should not be rough or harsh on the skin. Synthetic ones are easier to clean and last longer than the ones with natural fibers. Opt for good quality brushes as brushes with bad-quality fiber might damage your skin.

Makeup brushes are designed according to the facial area to which makeup is to be applied. For example, to apply makeup to the eye, you can use a liner brush, a blending brush, an angled brush, or a shadow brush. For the lips, you can either use a retractable or a long-handled lipstick brush. For the face, you will need a foundation, a concealer, a blush, a kabuki, and a powder brush. These brushes are designed with tapered, straight, or chiseled tips, and can be used as per the specific look that you want to achieve. The types of brushes and their function depend upon the area that they are used to apply makeup. Following are the types, depending on the areas of their use.

Different Makeup Brushes For the Face

Foundation Brush

A foundation brush is used to apply liquid or mineral foundation over the face, neck and back. It has flat and long bristles that taper at the tips. It can be used for application as well as for touch up of the foundation.

Concealer Brush

A concealer brush is used to apply concealer to areas of discoloration and imperfection on the face. This brush effectively helps cover blemishes, spots, and imperfect skin tone. This brush is soft and flat with a pointed tip and a wide base.

Powder Brush

A powder brush can be used to apply loose powder and shimmer or a bronzer to the face. It has fluffy bristles and is soft, full and rounded that helps even out the makeup on the face. It is also used to dust out the excessive makeup product and applies the exact amount required.

Blusher Brush

A blusher brush can be either big and fluffy or small and angled. Its fine fibers and round head helps to apply blush evenly on the cheeks and cheekbones.

Duo Fiber Brush

It has flat, circular and feathery head which is perfect for buffing and blending colors. It is made up of synthetic fibers which is used to dust shimmer or bronze to the apples of your cheeks.

Mineral Powder Brush

It is a thick brush that is designed to apply mineral powder evenly to the skin, in circular motions, to get that flawless look. It can be used both wet and dry

Fan Powder Brush

It is designed specially to apply with loose powders and is used to cover fine lines and imperfections on skin. It lightly sweeps the powder on the skin and gives a soft and velvety look. This is also used to light the effect of excess powder or eyeshadow, hence making an even skin tone.

Face Contour Brush

This is used with gel or powder to give your face a defined shape. Its slant and round shape is perfect for highlighting with bronze powder. It gives an angle to your cheekbones and perfectly defines the features of your face.

Lip Brush

A lip brush is a fine, soft and tapered brush that can be used to apply lipstick or lip gloss to the lips. It helps blend the lipstick with the lip liner to give a smooth and even finish to the lips.

Eye Makeup Brushes

Eyeliner Brush

An eyeliner brush is a thin and fine brush with soft bristles that help you line your eyes with precision, along with the shape of the eye.

Eyeshadow Brush

To apply an eyeshadow in the right way you will need brushes like the eyeshadow brush, the lid brush, and the crease brush. All these are specially designed to apply different shades of eyeshadow to the eyes. Its large, flat, short and soft bristles provide a smooth application of the eyeshadow.

Angle Eyeshadow Brush

This is long, round and tapered brush which is used to shade the eye socket.

Blending Eyeshadow Brush

This brush is long with a round head and is used to highlight the eyebrow bone and blend eye colors.

Smudge Brush

This brush is flat and soft in structure and is used to smudge the eyeshadow to give you that smoky look.

Mascara Brush

Mascara usually comes with a sturdy brush that applies mascara evenly to the eyelashes. Some mascara brushes also come with small comb like bristles to remove excess mascara from the eyelashes.

Layer Eyebrow Brush

An eyebrow brush gives definition and shape to the eyebrows, giving it a clear and precise arc shape. It combs the unruly hair and gives the eyebrows a smooth look.

So, now that you know about the various types of brushes and their uses, do not hesitate to use them while applying makeup the next time. Use only the best makeup brushes of good brands to give your makeup that perfect finish.