Photography Credit: http://nanshy.com/nanshy-luxury-makeup-brush-set

Photography Credit: https://www.flickr.com/photos/nanshyofficial

I thought I would do a series of posts on building up your personal Makeup Kit. Throughout the years myself like a lot of beauty fanatics have accumulated an impressive collection of brushes and makeup (I’m Makeup Brush Fanatic, ‘you now know my kryptonite’ 😉 ), but if I’m truly honest I could easily manage with only half of my collection. You really don’t need to spend a huge amount of money or own a mass of brushes, it’s really about Quality & Technique. You can have an amazingly expensive brush, but if you don’t have a good technique or it’s just not a good brush, you will not be using it to its full potential & will be disappointed with the finished results.

Makeup 101 – Allurin’ Beauty

I thought a good place to start would be makeup brushes, so let’s start with the Foundation brush.

Foundation Brushes

Flat Top Kabuki

Foundation Types – Liquids, Mousses, Creams & Powders (yep, even powders!).

Flat Top Kabuki

These brushes tend to be composed of a tightly packed dense brush head, with a flat surface allowing you to buff the foundation to achieve a flawless finish. These brushes are great for beginners as they are easy to use to create a flawless look. You can either buff the foundation using circular motions, or stipple the foundation on; which takes a longer application time, but produces an airbrushed like finish. These brushes do soak up quite a bit of liquid, so its best to not apply any liquid foundation directly to the brush head.

Sigma F80 – £15.95

Bdellium Bambu Precision Kabuki – £12.95

Elf Powder Brush (ignore the name!) – £3.95

Numerous dupes on eBay ranging from £3.99 – £599

I can only comment on the first three, as these I have purchased and used myself. All 3 brushes are fantastic at applying my liquid foundations. I’ve had them for a while and still do not experience any shedding. However, with the Elf brush the ferrell detached itself within 2 months but I just glued it back on again. Personally, I would go with either the Sigma or the Bdellium brush over the Elf, due to their brush head size being smaller than the elf brush in comparison, allowing for better application into the contours of the face. Don’t get me wrong the Elf brush is still a very good brush if you’re on a budget.

Stippling Brush

Foundation Type:Liquids, Mousses, Creams & Powders.

These dual fibre brushes are a trade secret for creating airbrushed high-definition coverage with all makeup types (foundations,

Real Techniques Stippling Brush

blushers & bronzers). A gentle stippling action or a VERY LIGHT circular motions is required when using these brushes, to achieve the best results. The white tips are extremely porous and will hold a lot of foundation, so it’s best not to apply the foundation directly to the brush or your foundation will go on very heavy/cakey looking.

MAC 187 Duo Fibre Face Brush – £33.50

Bdellium Tools Bambu Finishing Brush – £11

Real Techniques Stippling Brush – £10.99

Crown Duo Fibre Blender C406 – £9.29

Elf Studio Stippling Brush – £3.95

I’ve purchased all of these brushes and have put them through all the same conditions in terms of usage and washing, for me 1st place would be joint between the MAC 187 and the Crown C406 brush. Both brushes look almost identical, with the MAC being slightly puffier and rounded but only from closer inspection. Both brushes maintained their shape when washed and I’ve had these brushes for quite while and have only had 1-2 hairs lost during the washing process, but nothing major. In terms of foundation application they produce similar results and provide a lovely flawless looking finish. In 2nd place for me would be the Real Techniques Stippling Brush, it’s not as densely packed as the first two. However, this make it easier to produce a lighter looking application. Coming very close in 3rd place is the Bdellium Tools Finishing Brush (I was torn between Bdellium and Real Technique for 2nd place, as the Bdellium Brush not only looks fantastic but applies like a dream) I really wanted to do another joint place as the Bdellium Tools Finishing Brush applies beautifully, and can easily be used to produce a light or heavier finish, unlike the Real Techniques Stippling Brush. What placed it into 3rd position for me was I was able to find my online offers for the Real Techniques Brush, making the Real Techniques more cost effect but it was extremely close. In last position unfortunately was the Elf Studio Stippling brush, I found the brush much too flimsy, in the end I did end up giving it to my niece. A good stippling brush should have some rigidity to its hairs in order to produce that air-brushed finish. I found the Elf brush lacked this, and was not great at producing an air-brushed finish. When I still owned it I tended to use this brush to apply cream blush.

Flat Foundation Brush

Foundation Type: Liquids, Mousses & Creams.

Flat Foundation Brush

Theses brushes can come Rounded, Pointed or Angled, they always tend to be provided in brush sets, but can be purchased individually. If you’ve every purchased a makeup set you may have one lying around, as these brushes are not the easiest brushes to use correctly and tend to be more commonly used amongst professional Makeup Artist’s. For me I found these brushes excellent for apply under eye concealer or removing eye-shadow fallout due to the shape of the brush.

Most brands will do their own version of this foundation brushes ranging from £3 – £15, so I’ve not listed them below. But I’ve listed some online UK retailers which I’ve personally placed orders from, where you can purchase them:

Don’t forget to check out eBay.

Round Buffer Brush

Foundation Type: Liquids, Creams & Powders

Round Buffer Brush

These brushes have a small round dense brush head which is designed to be used in circular motions, allowing for easier blending & buffing of your foundation, especially in the contour areas of the face to create a flawless base.

Real Techniques Expert Face Brush (£10.99) or Buffing Brush (Core Collection) (£20.99)

Crown C439 (£14.69)

Sigma F82 (£15.75)

Nanshy Round Buffer Brush (Set of 4 brushes£29.95)

I currently own just the Real Techniques Buffing Brush which I absolutely love. I mainly use it to apply my mineral foundation and always get great results with minimal effect. From other reviews I’ve read the Crown, Sigma and Nanshy brush are just as good, but do check out individual reviews on them before deciding which one to invest in.

Sponges & Beauty Blenders

Foundation Type: Liquids, Mousses & Creams.

Beauty Blender

Sponges and Beauty Blenders when used with a tapping motion can create an air-brushed finish, which means it can be used all over the face with all types of makeup (e.g. blush). Their shape also allows you to easily fit them into the contours of the face (especially great for applying under eye concealer). Best effects are seen when they’re lightly sprayed with a setting spray or even water. A great tip if you have oily skin and want to apply a cream foundation, use a lightly sprayed sponge or beauty blender to pick up the foundation first before applying to the face. The liquid in the sponge/beauty blender will be more inclined to pick up the pigment in the foundation than the oil. I’ve not listed the suppliers of beauty blenders and sponges as most Online Cosmetic Brands and Beauty Supply Stores like Boots or Superdrug will stock them.

So the big question, if I had to choose ONLY ONE Foundation brush to recommend when building your makeup collection or if you’re just starting out

– Which One Would I Choose?

I’m going to be cheeky as I’m be torn between two – The Flat Top Kabuki or the Round Buffer Brush ( but I’m slightly more drawn to the flat top kabuki 😉 )

I hope this mini series has been helpful, and given a better idea of which Foundation brushes will work best for you – saving you money so you can treat yourself to something on your wish list.

Feel free to let me know in the comments below which is your favourite Foundation Brushes and in my next mini Makeup 101 series I’ll be going through Eyeshadow brushes, Enjoy.

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