The Best Makeup Brushes : The Short List

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The Best Makeup Brushes
Your Guide To The Short List

So what qualities do the best makeup brushes have?

There are some fundamental qualities that apply to most brushes, BUT, there are some specific qualities that are brush specific, and support the nature of the makeup task.

If you are here reading this page, you have likely discovered there is a huge selection of brushes available; many sizes, handle lengths, head shapes, bristle cuts and bristle origins AND attached to them, a crazy range in price points.

Don't worry, we'll sort all of this into an order that makes sense, and allows you to make the best makeup brush choices, for (i) your needs.

There are two lists that we will work with. The first gives you the 'big picture' of the WHOLE RANGE of brushes available, the zones they work in, makeup techniques they perform, and the qualities you should look for.

The second list is a SHORT LIST of 'essential brushes and tools' and it is a list of the most practical and versatile brushes that will suit the majority of us.

Best Makeup Brushes Guide

As your sift through this information, make note of the ideal characteristics your makeup brushes and tools should have....i.e.. shape of and type of bristles AND buying considerations such as natural bristle is often (but not always) a better choice and is more expensive. Noting further fine details like are the bristle hairs blunt from being unnaturally cut or is each bristle naturally tapering as a natural hair would will improve your purchase satisfaction as the quality and performance increase.

Here are some general descriptive words used to describe brush characteristics:

brush head shape; square, dome, tapered, angled, slant etc

brush head size; fine (extra small), small, medium, large, extra large

bristles; natural hair -sable, squirrel, goat vs. synthetic- nylon, taklon

bristles; texture-fine, soft, coarse

bristles; firm, stiff, dense etc.

handle length; long, short, 'travel size'

best makeup brushes

best makeup brushes Keeping track of these points will help you reinforce the logic behind choosing a brush and increase your chance of making GREAT CHOICES.

Best Makeup Brushes & Tools:

(Skip the chart, get straight to the essential brushes...)

The WHOLE List	TOOLS	The Short (ESSENTIAL) List
FACE Large Powder Brush Kabuki Brush Foundation Brush Concealer Brush Blush Brushes; flat, angled, dome, blunt Bronzer Brush Contour Brush More about face brushes...	Natural Sponge (sea) Latex Wedge/ Foam powder puff Qtips	FACE Large Powder Brush Foundation Brush Concealer Brush Blush Brushes; dome
EYES eye shadow brush; small, medium, large cream eye shadow brush crease brush; rounded, contour eye shader brush eye smudge brush eye blender eye liner brushes; blunt, angled, ultra fine More about eye makeup brushes...	Liner Sharpener Qtips	EYES eye shadow brush; medium cream eye shadow brush angled eye liner brush
EYE LASHES mascara brush/ comb clean mascara wand/ spool clean toothbrush More about eyelash brushes...	Eye Lash Curler Qtips	EYE LASHES clean mascara wand/ spool
EYE BROWS eye brow brush angled clean mascara wand/ spool clean toothbrush	Tweezers	EYE BROWS clean mascara wand/ spool
LIPS lip brushes; retractable or with cap	Qtips	LIPS lip brushes ; retractable or with cap
	Must Have Tools...	MORE ON "The ESSENTIALS Short List"

Best Makeup Brushes Tips:

Generally, clean makeup brushes and tools regularly...save your brushes, your makeup, and your skin from destructive bacteria.

More about makeup brushes...

Brush Sets- Do you really need one? Brush sets are a convenient way to go if you are starting from scratch, able to find a set with 'the essentials' best makeup brushes, or you see the need for a more extensive range in brushes ....

Why? It saves you the leg work in tracking down brush styles, and you will generally benefit from a price break when you buy in multiples.

Professional Makeup Brushes. What are professional makeup brushes and how different are they from the ones available to us. Are professional ones available to the regular consumer?

Store you brushes in clean, dry, damage proof, user friendly container.

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The Best Makeup Brushes Your Guide To The Short List

The Best Makeup Brushes
Your Guide To The Short List