The heroes behind flawless makeup: makeup brushes! With so many professional makeup brushes out there, each with different sizes, bristle shapes, and functions, do you really need every single one? Which ones do you actually need?
If you don't feel very experienced with makeup yet, start by buying the essential makeup brushes. These are usually the brushes that go with the products you reach for all the time, depending on your makeup style. You can buy makeup brushes one by one or as a set. Sets are usually budget-friendly, but they may also include brushes you'll never use.
Our advice: choose quality makeup brushes made from materials that won't irritate your skin, and pick the ones that will actually be useful to you.
Alix Avien Makeup Brush Set
It includes powder, flat foundation, round, angled eyeshadow, brow, flat lip, blending, eyeshadow, and concealer brushes. It also comes with a brow comb. It's travel-size and comes in a mini pouch, so it's very practical and doesn't take up much space.
Do Makeup Brushes Really Make a Difference?
Makeup brushes really do make a difference, both in how flawless your makeup looks and in how smooth your skin appears. Think of it this way: you're about to apply foundation. The goal of foundation is to make your skin look smooth and even out your skin tone. When you apply foundation with your fingers, you may end up with too much product in some places and too little in others. You can also irritate your skin.
Using a makeup brush to apply foundation can help it look more covering and more natural on your skin. If your brush has dense, flat-cut bristles, the product sits on the surface of your skin. If your brush is round and fluffy, foundation looks more natural on your skin.
Alix Avien Flat Foundation Brush
Ideal for applying liquid products. It gives you a natural, controlled application and leaves a smooth feel on the skin.
5 Essential Brushes Everyone Should Have in Their Makeup Bag
How do you choose the 5 essential makeup brushes everyone should have in their bag? Think about the basic makeup products you use most: foundation, blush, contour, eyeshadow, and powder. Having brushes for these products in your bag lets you do your makeup effortlessly and helps it look flawless.
Which Brush Works Best for Which Face Shape?
Choosing a makeup brush that suits your face shape helps your makeup look natural and soft. The question that may pop into your head right away: What are the best makeup brushes for my face? To answer it correctly, you need to analyze your face shape accurately.
Face Shape
Balancing the Face Shape
Makeup Brush Suited to the Face Shape
Round Face
Slightly elongating the face and giving it a more sculpted look.
A foundation brush with dense bristles, plus a small-headed blush and contour brush. The small head gives you controlled product application.
Square Face
Rounding the forehead and jaw area into an oval shape.
Use soft, round-tipped brushes instead of sharply angled ones. Round, large-headed brushes work especially well for softening the angles of the face.
Heart-Shaped Face
Adding volume to the chin area.
A medium-size blusher brush to emphasize the cheekbones, plus a small brush for highlighter.
Oval Face
Since the oval face shape is already balanced, most makeup brushes work well.
You can use brushes with a standard shape. For example, a fluffy blush brush, a round foundation brush, and a medium-size contour brush.
Long Face
Making the length of the face look a little more horizontal.
Wide-tipped brushes can help give the face a more horizontal look. Choose a round foundation brush.
How to Choose the Right Makeup Brush
How you apply your makeup products matters just as much as which ones you choose when it comes to fresh, flawless makeup. Choose the right makeup brushes and you'll make both your skin and your wallet happy. Here's what to look for when choosing a makeup brush.
What do you need makeup brushes for? Answering this question correctly means you'll apply your cosmetics with the right tools. First, decide which product each brush will be used for.
Choose the bristle type of your makeup brushes based on the product you'll use them with. Bristles can be synthetic or natural. Synthetic bristles transfer liquid products onto your skin easily, while natural bristles are ideal for powder products.
Choose a brush shape that suits your face shape. Brushes can be round, small, large, wide-angled, densely packed, or angle-tipped.
Keep your budget in mind. Instead of buying lots of brushes at once, start with brushes for the products you use all the time.
How Should You Clean Makeup Brushes and How Often Should You Wash Them?
To keep your skin healthy and free of breakouts, you need to learn how to clean your makeup brushes, because residue left between the bristles gradually creates a breeding ground for bacteria.
You can clean your brushes in minutes without any soap and water by using a makeup brush cleansing spray. And if you'd rather go the soap-and-water route, here's a step-by-step cleaning routine:
Hold the bristles of your brushes under lukewarm water. If the handle gets wet, it can get damaged over time.
So is a foundation brush or a sponge easier to clean? Actually, both are equally easy to clean. Soak your sponge completely, add shampoo, then squeeze and release it until the water runs clear.
Gently lather the bristles with baby shampoo.
Rinse until the bristles are clean.
Once you're done cleaning, blot away any excess water from the bristles with a clean towel.
Hold the bristles facing down and let them dry.
You can clean your brushes depending on how often you use them, or once a week.
Alix Avien Makeup Brush Cleansing Spray
Just spray it onto your makeup brushes from 10-15 cm away to clean them effortlessly, with no rinsing or drying needed. It's suitable for brushes with both natural and synthetic bristles.
Are Expensive Brushes or Affordable Brushes Better?
Whether a product is expensive or affordable doesn't always mean it's high quality or better. A product with consistent value for the money is what makes it better. Details that show a product offers good value:
If the product is durable,
If its design is stylish,
If it has a luxurious feel,
If it gives you the movement you want even for detailed work, then a higher cost matches its performance.
Common Mistakes When Using Makeup Brushes
Using products without distinguishing between natural and synthetic bristle brushes for liquid and powder products,
Not knowing enough about which makeup brush is used for what,
Loading too much product onto the brush and applying it to the skin,
Not using the brush gently,
Not using a blending brush,
Using makeup brushes over and over without cleaning them,
Using the wrong motions with your brush.
Can You Do Professional Makeup With Just a Few Brushes?
A few brushes can often be "enough brushes." If you choose makeup brushes for applying the 5 products you never leave out of your makeup bag, you can create perfectly flawless makeup with just a few tools. Those 5 could be a foundation brush, a blush brush, a contour brush, an eyeshadow brush, and a blending brush.