Here at the Fashion Spot, we love to obsess over new makeup collections, how to get the perfect smoky eye, or discover a new way to vamp up our favorite lipsticks. But truth be told, our obsessions wouldn’t be worth anything if we didn’t have the tools to apply all these gorgeous cosmetics; without the best makeup brushes, you just can’t get the perfect look. Check out some of the brushes we think every beauty addict should have in their collection.
Most people are familiar with the basic eye shadow brush; if you love shadow you probably own one and if you don’t, it might be time to invest in one. When gussying up, eye makeup usually plays the leading role, which means the perfect applicator is an absolute essential. This semi-circle shaped brush is used to evenly press shadow into the lid and controls how intense your eye shadow will be.
The Blender Brush
The blender brush (a.k.a the fluffy brush) does exactly that, it blends. One of the bigger brushes of the kit, it’s hard to imagine how such long bristles could help blend smoothly and in a very precise way. This brush is a must for anyone who’s looking to do a smoky eye. When pressed firmly into the crease of the eyelid and wiped back and forth, it darkens the corners and helps draw attention to your base shadow. You can also use the fluffy brush to blend rigid looking shades by swirling it in a circular motion between the two colors.
When it comes to concealer most of us just want to dab the stuff on with our fingers and get out of there. What we don’t realize however, is that concealer is much more effective in hiding dark circles and red spots if we use a brush. This thin brush should be dabbed on the applicator that comes with your concealer, and then gently dabbed, not smeared, beneath your eyes as well as on or around unwanted spots. Using a brush allows you to reach tiny corners your fingers can’t and helps sweep foundation not only on the given area, but also around it so that the color blends in with the rest of your skin.
If eyeliner looks too harsh when applied directly from the pencil, you might want to forego the Avril Lavigne look and use an angle brush. The angle brush is a small, flat rectangular brush that angles at the tip. The beauty of this tool is that it is multi-functional: it can be used to apply liner as well as fill color into the brows. For eyeliner use, just dab the angle of the brush into your favorite shadow and glide it across your lash line for a softer, smoother line. When used to fill brows, simply dab it in a shade closest to your eyebrows and glide the side of the brush in the same directions that your brows grow.
Second to the basic shadow brush, the lip brush is the most essential tool in your makeup kit. Without one, the color can end up going everywhere! Now that spring is here, lipstick shades are getting brighter and bolder by the moment and getting it anywhere other than your lips can make you look like a clown. We’ve said is before – precision is key to getting the perfect lip, so use this tiny flat brush by swiping it across the tip of your lipstick and then coloring your lips in, staying within the contour of your lips. The lips brush also helps avoid color bleeding along the side of your mouth and can really make the most out of the pigment.
