Essential Makeup Brushes and How to Keep Them Clean
Talking about the post and about cleaning makeup brushes
FOUNDATION BRUSHES
Rare Beauty Liquid Touch Foundation Brush is angled, making it easy to reach smaller areas, and the soft and compact bristles give smooth coverage.
BK Beauty 101 Contoured Foundation Brush applies your foundation so smoothly and is also angled, making it easy to reach the curves of the face.
Tarte The Buffer Airbrush Finish Foundation Brush is larger, making blending quick while ensuring your makeup goes on smoothly and evenly.
IT Cosmetics Heavenly Luxe Complexion Perfection Brush is smaller, if you prefer more control when applying foundation. It’s also dual-ended, with a concealer brush on the other side, which is really convenient.
Smashbox Camera Ready Blurring Foundation Brush is another great brush for foundation.
CONCEALER BRUSHES
Anisa Beauty Angled Concealer Brush has a domed, oval head. The bristles are densely packed, giving medium to full coverage. This brush is ideal when going for a full glam look and when you know you’ll be photographed.
Smashbox Blurring Concealer Brush does such a nice job of blending concealer. It smooths everything out under the eyes, covering dark circles and discoloration without feeling heavy or looking cakey.
BK Beauty Hot & Flashy A506 Concealer Brush, also known as the “kitten paw” concealer, seamlessly smooths out everything under the eyes. It’s so soft, and the shape of the brush allows for easy application of concealer to the sides of the nose, and it can also be used for contouring.
Sephora Classic Double-Ended Foundation & Concealer #203 Brush is dual-ended and works well to blend out concealer as well as foundation.
CONTOUR / BRONZER
MAKEUP BY MARIO F4 Dual-Ended Foundation and Face Brush is a go-to for cream products. It works to beautifully blend out bronzer, contour, blush, and foundation. It blends creams seamlessly and the compact end is perfect for carving out the face and creating a defined, sculpted look.
Sephora Pro Blush #93 is another great brush for bronzer — it works well with both cream and powder formulas.
BLUSH BRUSHES
Real Techniques Blush Brush has a large, domed shape with soft, tapered bristles. It’s perfect for a light dusting of color but also builds pigment easily. This brush works best with powder formulas.
IT Cosmetics Live Beautifully Flawless Blush Brush is densely packed, so it’s great for applying more of the product and getting it to show up. It has an angled shape which is nice because it hugs the shape of your cheeks. This brush is ideal when applying any liquid, cream, or powder blushes.
BK Beauty 109 Mini Contoured Foundation is densely packed, making it perfect for building up the product and getting it to really show. It also has an angled shape, hugging the natural curve of your cheeks. It works well with liquid, cream, and powder blushes.
The Hourglass No. 15 is an angled stippling brush that’s smaller and gives you more control when applying blush. Its bristles blend out the product nicely, leaving your blush with a soft, airbrushed finish
Rare Beauty Blush Brush also works really well with cream and liquid formulas. It has an angled shape and soft, synthetic bristles which helps blend the blush smoothly onto your cheeks. It’s the perfect size for hitting the apples of your cheeks, making it super easy to add just the right amount of color.
BLENDING BRUSHES
Real Techniques Stippling Brush is perfect for light, buildable coverage. It works well with sheer foundations or cream blushes to create a fresh, natural finish.
Sephora PRO Foundation Brush #64 is dense but also soft and fluffy. It is great for applying foundation and it blends everything seamlessly for a natural finish.
Sigma F50 Duo Fiber Brush does it all. It’s great for buffing in cream or powder products and blending everything seamlessly to smooth out harsh lines. It’s best used when applying cream and liquid products.
POWDER BRUSHES
Real Techniques 201 Powder Brush has a large dome shape and is great for just dusting powder all over the face and mattifying your base. It can also work to bronze up the face.
Chanel Precision Powder No. 107 has a tapered shape which allows for precise application of pressed and loose powders, making it a versatile addition to any collection.
Hourglass Veil Powder Brush is dual-ended. It has a larger end for applying powder across the face and a smaller end for setting areas under the eyes.
Real Techniques Setting Brush can be used for dusting highlighter on the cheeks as well as applying powder on the under eye area. Use this smaller brush for precise areas that need a light touch of powder
EYESHADOW BRUSHES
BK Beauty Angie Hot & Flashy A505 Shimmer is the best for applying my shimmer shadows. It is dense and flat so it does a great job of packing on the product to the lid.
BK Beauty 209 Mini Shader works well for detail, like when applying shadow to the lower lash line or the corners of the eye.
Sigma Large Shader E60 is great for packing on both powder and cream shadows. It’s a go-to when throwing on eyeshadow quickly.
Sephora PRO Crease#26 is ideal for blending eyeshadow in the crease, diffusing color and smoothing out any harsh lines for a seamless finish.
MAC 217S Synthetic Blending Brush is another great one for blending out shadows. It allows you to easily blend out powder or cream products.
Sephora PRO Eyeliner Brush #22 is a thin, angled brush designed for precise application, perfect for creating a winged liner with shadow.
CLEANING
It’s important to clean your brushes at least once a month to prevent breakouts and remove built-up product and residue. While everyone has their own preferred method, here’s an effective approach that keeps brushes in top condition.
What you will need:
Bowl
Dawn Dish Soap
Dirty Brushes
Instructions:
Start by wetting your brushes under the water. Then, fill a bowl with water and add a bit of Dawn dish soap. Swirl the brushes in the soapy water, and you’ll see the makeup and product buildup starting to come off.
For a deeper clean, gently work the brush bristles into the bar soap. This step helps remove any remaining buildup and leaves the brushes smelling fresh.
After lathering with the bar soap, rub the bristles on the cleaning mat to make sure that any remaining residue is fully removed. The textured ridges on the mat help with getting the brush cleaned completely.
Rinse each brush under the water until all soap and product are washed away. Squeeze out any excess water from the bristles.
Make sure to lay the brushes flat with the bristles pointing downward to dry. This keeps water from seeping into the handle and loosening the glue that holds the bristles in place, which helps the brushes last longer.
