The Essential Brush Guide for Beginners

Brushes can be confusing! There are like a million different kinds out there and if you are new to makeup it's hard to choose which ones you will need or even want. So, here you are; you've ditched the sponge applicators and are ready to battle with the pro's but, where do you begin?! 

Before we get into brushes it's important that you know which parts of the face are which. Take a long look at this diagram (that I made especially for y'all!) and make yourself familiar with the parts of the eye and face. 

Brow Bone: Your brow bone is just under your eyebrow. It's the part between your eyebrow and the hollow of your eye. 

Crease: Your crease is just under your brow bone in the hollow where your bone and eyeball meet. To make things simpiler: your crease "creases" when your eye is open.

Lid: The lid is the part of your skin that covers your eyeball when you close your eyes. Simple enought, right?

Waterline: Your waterline is where your eyeliner goes. It's the small piece of skin on your lower lid that touches your eyeball. 

Inner Corner: The inner corner of your eye is the closest part of your eye to your nose. It's where your upper and lower lids come together. 

Outer V: This is the part of your eye where your upper and lower lids come together closest to your hairline. If you look at the outer corners of your eyes, this part is literally a "V". Check out the diagram for a visual if needed.

Apples: I'm not sure where the term "apples" came from when describing your cheek bones but, nonetheless, that's what they are called. This is also where your blush goes.

Phew! Now that that is over we can get to what we came for: brushes! Oh yeah! This is the fun part! I think it will be best to start with face brushes. Here we go: 

1. The Foundation Brush: The foundation brush should be the foundational brush (see what I did there!) in your brush kit. These brushes are often very thin and have a domed or flat top. This brush is used to apply and blend foundation to your face. 

2. The Stippling Brush: This brush is a recent discovery of mine and it's one I'm glad I made. This brush is quite thick and has a flat, circular top. It's used to dab and blend foundation or concealer onto the face. It works great at blending and applying foundation evenly. Definitely one you'll want to have in your kit!

3. The Kabuki Brush: Or as I like to call it, the brush of many uses. The Kabuki brush can be used in many ways. You can use it to apply powder to the face, blush, or to contour. This brush is thick and has more of a domed top. It's often extremely soft! 

4. The Eyebrow Brush: This brush might look tricky but its quite simple! Basically it's a hairbrush for your eyebrows. It just helps keep those tiny little hairs in check. 

5. The Blush Brush: As the title suggests this brush is used to apply blush to your apples. Pretty simple! My brush is angled (useful for contouring as well) but most foundation brushes are fluffy with a domed top.

Face Smace! Now it's time to deal with the big leagues! Eyeshadow Brushes: 

1. Eyeliner Brush: Used to apply eyeliner, this brush is very similiar to the foundation brush except it had a flat top. This brush can also be used to define certain parts of your eye-makeup to achieve the look you want. 

2. Domed Eyeshadow Brush: This brush is often used to apply shadow to your lid or to highlight your brow bone. This is the most essential brush you will need for eye makeup. These brushes have a domed top and are of medium thickness. 

3. Angled Crease Brush: This brush is angled and isn't very thick. This brush is used to apply shadow to your crease. The angle allows for extra defining of your crease to make it seem deeper or to "pop" more.

4. Crease Brush: Just like the angled crease brush, this brush is used to apply shadow to the crease. My brush also helps in blending your lid color with your crease color to help your makeup look better put together. 

5. The Blending Brush: The holy grail of brushes! Most beginners tend to forget (or don't even know!) that blending your eyeshadow colors will make your makeup look seamless and well put together. If you don't blend your makeup will look very blotchy! This brush is quite thick and is very soft. 

There you have it, ten brushes all beginners need! Good luck and happy makeup-ing! :)

xoxo,

ThePurpleisbliss