Top Five Make-Up Brushes

1. Mac 217 Blending Brush

During a visit to a Mac counter many moons ago, I mentioned that I struggled to blend concealer effectively with the brushes I was using. The artist suggested I try using this brush instead and what a difference it made! This is perfect for smoothing concealer into the inner eye area, blending any foundation without removing it and also dusting powder lightly on top of concealed spots. I now tend to use various concealer brushes to apply the concealer and then use this brush to blend it in as it strikes the perfect balance between successful blending without removing the product.

2. No. 7 Concealer Brush

This is a great brush that can be used to either apply foundation sparingly (if you don’t want a full face of foundation) or for concealing larger areas. I have quite a bit of scarring from acne and I use this brush to apply a concealer all over the area. It applies smoothly and evenly and I recommend this if you want something that’s in between a foundation brush and a concealer brush which leads nicely on to…..

3. No. 7 Foundation Brush

I was on a hunt a while ago for a decent foundation brush and I tried all the usual big names, with varying degrees of success, but out of all of them, the one I keep returning to is this one. It’s very soft, it picks up the right amount of product (not too much or too little) and it spreads to a streak-free finish; sooo important with decent foundation application. I tend to use it to apply everything now including my tinted moisturiser. Lastly, it washes up really well which is very important as some of the more expensive foundation brushes were a real pain to wash.

4. Bobbi Brown Ultra Fine Eyeliner Brush

If you’re in a hurry or not great with liquid or gel-pot liners, this is ideal because if you allow it to get ever so slightly built up with product it becomes almost rock-solid (not so solid that a quick wipe with a tissue won’t bring it back to it’s original state) which means it forms a very neat point thus making applying eyeliner from a pot incredibly easy. In it’s natural state, this brush will create a fine, wispy and slightly smudgy effect without looking messy.

The thing I like most about this brush (other than the fact that it cleans up beautifully, which is a tricky task for a powder brush) is the fact that it’s so versatile. It takes the product, applies it and then there’s virtually nothing left on the brush which means you can use it for applying several different powders in one sitting without cleaning in between. I use this for bronzer and powder mainly, however it also works really well for creating a gentle flush with blusher. I’ve had this brush for years and still use it daily.

If you read my post about Olympia Beauty here, you will know that I bought 8 more brushes so this list may well be updated soon.