After a first article dedicated to my favorite foundation brushes, here now the second part of my little guide: makeup brushes for perfect skin. The concealer and powder brushes you won’t want to live without… 😉
The most underestimated makeup brush: the concealer brush
Even if you prefer applying your foundation with your hands or the help of a Beauty Blender, perfect skin requires a concealer brush to correct imperfections and dark circles under your eyes.
Personnally I prefer a round and pointed shape (like a crayon, actually, hence the name crayon brush) which gets easily into all nooks and crannies, like around the nose and the inner corner of the eye. The pointy tip also allows me to retouch imperfections with the greatest precision.
The bristle should be fine and particularly soft to not irritate the delicate skin around the eye. Synthetic fibers tend to be good for working fluid and creamy concealers as they absorb less product.
My favourites are Makeup Forever’s no. 170 and MAC’s no. 219 (which is actually supposed to be an eye brush, but works perfectly well for corrections).
The powder brush
The best powder brushes are soft and silky, and distribute the powder evenly on the skin. Today’s (high quality) synthetic fibres have evolved to the point where in most cases they outperform natural bristles. They are finer and softer. But above all, brushes with synthetic fibres are easier to care for and more durable.
It’s not surprising then that my favourite powder brushes are equipped with superfine synthetic fibres. One of my favourites: Chanel’s No. 107 brush.
You may be surprised by its small size. Indeed, professional make-up artists prefer powder brushes that are much smaller than those I often see in my clients’ makeup bags. Why is that? Because a smaller brush allows for more precise powdering. You don’t want to powder everywhere with the same intensity. Often we prefer the T-zone to be more matt, more powdered, while keeping the tops of the cheeks or the temples powder-free and more glowy.
Another of my favourite powder brushes is the 168 from MAC. I like it for the soft and silky bristle and its slighly slanted shape which makes powdering the under eye area much easier.
What’s the best technique for applying powder?
When it comes to powder brushes, one needs to also speak about application techniques. During my makeup classes I see that a lot of women have misconceptions on how to apply their powder.
Oftentimes you don’t want to achieve a “powdered look”, but just take away too much shine. If your powder is very fine and transparent, it does just this: It leaves you with a smoothening, matte veil, almost unvisible. To get there, You should NOT dust your face as if it was snowing, but rather press small amounts of the powder softly against the skin wherever needed. This way foundation, concealer, corrector, all the products you have applied before, even the lightest textures, will remain in place. Long, sweeping movements might ruin your base work and should be avoided. Better barely touch the skin in soft patting touches.
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