15 essential brushes and how to use them
16.06.2020
With so many different makeup brushes on the market, it has become quite difficult to keep track of what each unique brush is used for.
So we put together this guide to inform you on fifteen makeup brush essentials, what they are designed for and how to use them.
To make things easier, we have based this guide on the Vanity Planet 15pc Professional & Portable Makeup Brush Collection. You can get each of the brushes we are about to discuss for just $34.95 here (RRP $129.95).
Kabuki Brushes
Kabuki brushes are dense and have a large, dome shaped head. They tend to have shorter handles for easier use when applying and buffing powders and mineral foundations.
Powder/Blush Brushes
Powder/Blush brushes have large, dome-shaped heads, similar to kabuki’s. Unlike the kabuki brush, they are fluffy, rather than dense, making them perfect for blush, bronzer and light setting powder application.
Flat Top Stippling Brushes
Flat top stippling brushes have dome-like edges with a flat surface for buffing and blending. They are exceptionally dense which means they work incredibly well when buffing liquid or cream foundations onto the face.
Angled Contour Brushes
Angled contour brushes have a rounded shape with an angled top to hug the hollows of the cheeks and curves of the jawline when contouring and bronzing. They have a medium density for good colour pay-off and effective blending of product.
Fan Brushes
As the name suggests, fan brushes have a fanned-out shape. They are thin and fluffy, making them excellent for dusting highlighter onto the face. They can also be used for sharp cheek contours and sweeping away eyeshadow fallout and excess powder.
Flat Foundation Brushes
Flat foundation brushes are dense and thin, making them excellent for pasting liquid foundations onto the face. They can also be used to apply moisturisers, primers, concealers, and BB/CC creams.
Concealer Brushes
Concealer brushes are the smaller version of flat foundation brushes. Similar concept, but smaller in size for accuracy when covering spots, colour correcting and getting into hard-to-reach corners.
Fluffy Blending Brushes
Fluffy blending brushes are small and fluffy, perfect for blending eyeshadows together and diffusing harsh lines. These brushes can also be used for applying highlighter to the bridge and tip of the nose, as well as beneath the brow bone.
Smudger Brushes
Small and dense, smudging brushes are excellent for packing on shadows, applying shadows close to the lash line and smudging out pencil liner for a diffused, smokey look.
Crease Shader Brushes
Similar to the fluffy blending brush but smaller and denser, crease shader brushes get right into the creases of the eyelids to darken up your look and add more dimension to the eyes.
Large Cream Shadow Brushes/Large Domed Shader Brushes
A perfect hybrid of an eyeshadow blending brush and flat concealer brush, the large domed shading brush is used for applying cream eyeshadows to the lid.
Small Cream Shadow Brushes/Precision Concealer Brushes
The mini version of the large cream shadow brush. Great for applying liquid eyeshadows to the inner corners of the eye and concealing small blemishes.
Rounded Liner Brushes
Small and dense with a rounded edge, rounded liner brushes are perfect for applying lipstick, gel or cream eyeliner and cleaning up the edges of the lips (when used with concealer).
Angled Precision Brushes/Angled Liner Brushes
Thin and dense with a sharpened edge, angled precision/angled liner brushes are excellent for filling in the brows and lining the eyes with cream, gel and powder products.
Lip Liner Brushes
Small and dense, lip liner brushes allow precise outlining of the lips.
