Yummy411: Q & A Brushes 101

(photo: inmagine)

"I am in need of some make up brushes for my eyes, but I do not want to spend a lot on them. I have been using the Sonia brand from Target, but I'm finding that my M.A.C. eye shadow is not popping like I want it to. There are so many choices and I do not want to go broke in the process. Do you have some suggested brands that will work but not bankrupt me? My eyes are crying for help. :)" -Bubbly Brown Sugar

Hey 3B! Thanks for writing in =) There are a few basic things that you should know about brushes, which should help you make better purchases as well as help with the application of your MAC eyeshadows.



1. Fluffy brushes apply color softly.



2. Dense brushes pack on color.



3. Angles give control and refine placement.



4. Stiff brushes can pack on color, spread/line emollient products.

Tips on purchasing brushes:
-Grab brushes at a great value. Your Sonia Kashuk for Target brushes are a good choice! Easily accessible and a great price. Other great brushes can be found at Target (non- Sonia Kashuk brushes. I have a generic Target Kabuki brush for about 5.99. I love it!), Wal-Mart, your local drugstore and even try an art/craft store. Some brands are Posh, Essence of Beauty, and Quo. Also, take advantage of special brush gift sets. You get more brushes for your money. To start: during the holiday season, MAC sells their annual brush sets. About 5 brushes for $50 when they are regulary priced at $20+ each. Sephora has multiple bundle sets as well as their annual sale.

-Take a hint from the brush's name. Unlike pricier brushes that may go by letters and numbers, most inexpensive brushes go by their function: blending, shading, crease, some even get creative ex. the smokey eye brush. You know that brush should aid you best when trying to do a smokey eye.

-Do your homework. Go online (Makeup Alley and Specktra are great resources) for recommendations and reviews on brushes, their quality, price, longevity, etc.

Tips and tricks to apply color boldly and make them 'pop':
- Use a shading/shadow brush. One of the best brushes I've found to pack on color is MAC's 239. While I don't own a #239 brush myself, I just hunt down brushes that come close in texture, size and shape. This Sonia brush should work as well as the shader brush in this set.

-Use a good lid primer/eye shadow base. Doing this will definitely, prep your lid for application, hold your shadows in place during the day and will make your colors show better. Different bases are used for different intensity and depends on your lids. Are they oily? For general, everyday use on the average lid you could use a light layer of your concealor (applied with finger or concealor brush) or use your foundation (light layer again) set with a touch of your loose powder. A popular, great product right on the shelves for this purpose: Urban Decay's Primer Potion.

-Know the products you are using. Since you use MAC shadows, they are known for their excelllent color payoff, but they have different textures: mattes and satins will definitely pop in color, veluxe pearl colors will pop with some frost and shimmery shine. Lustres are a bitter harder to control with a lot of 'fall out'.

-Layer. Some colors won't pop with just one layer. You may have to go over twice, even three times to get the intensity that you want.

-Use the shadows wet. You can wet your brush (not soak it) and then use it to pick up eyecolor... OR you can pick up the color on your brush and spray the brush with a light mist of water.

-Bonus*: people dismiss the little sponge applicators that come in most drugstore eye shadows. These are great for concentrated color, especially the angled ones! This is great for day time, on the go, one lid color look. Use your brushes for more fine tuning of the application.

3B this may sound like a lot, but once you find a good reliable brush and use one of the tips.. you'll be on your way!




More on brushes:
Temptalia.com- do a search on brushes. She gives good reviews and advice on brushes.
Yummy411: angled brushes
Yummy411: Essence of beauty brush