Having a brush affair

The use of quality makeup brushes will take your face from looking good to flawless. With specific brushes designed for blending, application and contouring, you’ll never be able to go back to the cheap, ineffective products you once used. Yes it seems costly just for makeup applicators but can you put a price on perfection? The brushes I use are an American brand called Sigma. As far as I know you can’t get them in stores here in the UK but plenty of online retailers stock them. The brushes are made of synthetic fibres, making them last longer and easier to clean. (I recommend using MAC brush cleanser regularly to keep them in top condition.)

My top tip is synthetic: as long as the brush is synthetic then you can’t go wrong. If you’re a beginner who hasn’t started using makeup brushes before properly then I strongly suggest investing in Sigma’s Premium Kit. You can get it from amazon for around £150.00 and you get 15 brushes – 7 eye brushes, 7 face brushes and 1 lip brush. If you just need brushes for your eyes, try Sigma’s Basic Eyes kit: 7 brushes for around £60.00 on amazon including blending brush, eyeliner and shading. Alternatively, if you just require the bare essentials then I would recommend buying a suitable brush for each of these things: foundation, blusher, bronzer, highlight, eye shadow and eye liner (and if you feel like treating yourself, a brow brush and blending brush too!) Once you’ve got your brushes, you need to learn how to use them properly.

There are so many you tubers who teach you how to apply makeup on their channels, the best thing you can do is watch a few different ones and figure out who suits your style best. I personally follow Jaclyn Hill as she uploads tutorials for daytime and night time looks, as well as skin care routines and monthly favourites.

For inspiration of looks you can create, head over to www.pinterest.com and search for different makeup ideas. The links behind the photographs usually lead to a beauty blog where you can even find more styles to try out.

The more you use the brushes, the more you’ll develop your own techniques but here are my top tips and tricks for a smooth application:

1. Use a flat kabuki style brush to apply liquid foundation instead of a basic foundation brush to avoid streaky brush marks.

2. Use scotch tape to create a diagonal line from the outer corner of your eye to the end of your eyebrow then take your eyeliner brush and start from the tape and drag it along the lash line, gradually thinning, towards the inner corner of your eye for a simple cat eye.

3. Less is more. Don’t pack too much product on the brushes – you can always go back and add more.

4. Blend!