A Guide to Brushes: Powder Brushes

Powder brushes really don't need much introduction, do they?  They're used to either apply powder or to remove excess (old school style!) 

 

Large Powder Brushes

I probably should have put a smaller brush for comparison with these suckers because they are huge.  Pictured here are a Smashbox 1 and Cover FX Powder Foundation Buffing Brush 190, which is goat, and they are good for applying powder over the face, especially if you have a large face.  They're so big, they're best for applying powder as a first or second step; that is, if you are wearing powder foundation, or loose powder over your whole face on top of tinted moisturize, this is a good brush to do that with.  If you'd rather apply a controlled application of powder around already made up eyes and lips, or just to the T-zone, these are not the brushes for that.  In fact, they are so large, some people might find them better for use on the body, to apply shimmer powder on decolletage or shin bones and clavicle or to set a large tattoo cover.

If you are a fan of vintage makeup or stage makeup, then you probably know that the "classic" use of a powder brush is not to apply powder but to remove it.  I always cringe when I see someone try to "set" makeup, like cream foundations, with a brush.  Even when pouncing it on the skin (something I have seen YouTube's Pixiwoo sisters do) doesn't seem to lock it onto the skin the way a puff does.  To set makeup, a puff should be dusted with powder then pressed into the skin.  Any excess powder is then dusted off with a brush.  Uh, yeah, this is the type of brush you want to use for that. 

 

Small Powder Brushes

Do you remember how I said above that the large brushes were too large for concentrated powder application?  These brushes are what you want for that.  Small brushes like the Sue Devitt Powder Brush, pony hair, and the Real Techniques Setting Brush, synthetic, are great for going around lips, eyes, and nose, for applying powder to the T-zone.  If you apply powder as a last step, then you want a small brush.  They are also good for setting powder under the eyes, or applying powder to the eyelids.

Aside from powder application, these small brushes are good for applying highlighter to the cheekbones and blending it down the nose.  I also often use whatever powder brush I use on a given day to additionally blend my blush into my base.

Oh look!  I remembered a comparison photo for these babies!  This is a MAC 116 blush brush to show you how tiny these brushes are.

 

 Pointed Powder Brush

Another larger style brush, this Hakuhodo S103 goat hair brush works more like a smaller brush due to it's compact shape.  I have to admit to wanting to quote my idol, Lisa Eldridge, and call it directional like she would, but I'll refrain.  It's good for applying powder in small areas and around features, but can also apply a layer over the whole face.

The pointed powder brush is also amazing for applying brush to all parts of the cheek, and is superb for applying contour under the cheekbones, around the jaw, down the neck, around the clavicle.  In fact, I love it for contour so much that I probably should have put it under that heading.  It's also an awesome powder brush, though, and is the brush I'd most suggest if you came here looking for one brush to apply all powder face products.

 

Flat Topped Powder Brush

This brush, a Hakuhodo G527 goat hair brush, is a cousin to the flat topped foundation brush, and is, in its essence, a buffer.  It's great for buffing in powder foundation, which is what I usually use it for.  It's also a great blender for getting blush, powder, highlighter, and foundation seamless.  I know some people would use it to buff powder onto the whole face.  I don't do that.  Just talking about it makes me squeamish.  I'll buff in foundation, powder foundation, blush, even, but I'm very protective of my foundation and especially my concealer, once they are applied.  See my vent on setting makeup above.  Perhaps it's my oily, naturally shiny skin that makes me so anti-buffing when it comes to powder.  Nearly everything will move on my skin, so once I apply foundation and concealer, I want to set it and then not mess with it.  I have enough problems covering the red spots blemishes leave on my chin than to risk removing my concealer with buffing.

Now that I've dealt with one pet peeve about this sort of brush, it's time to deal with the real question you're asking is: Can you use it for liquid foundation?  I never have.  I usually use synthetic brushes for foundation, with the occasional white goat hair detour, so I would never use a dense natural hair brush for liquid foundaton simply because I wouldn't want to subject such a brush to the cleaning I give my foundation brushes.  I can't even imagine how much cleaning liquid foundation out of this thing would be!  Also, I prefer rounded edges on my buffing brushes, since faces are more round than flat.  I'm making this brush very complicated.  It's a good powder buffing brush, end of story.

 

Kabuki Brush

Another buffer, this synthetic Make Up For Ever kabuki brush, is used to buff powder.  I will not bore you again with my diatribe on buffing powder over foundation.  This brush is good for finishing, blending everything together, buffing on powder foundation.

This one came in a set with the HD Microfinish powder, and I still don't know why.  I have brushes I like better to apply powder foundation with, so this one just sits in a drawer.

 

Flat Kabuki Brush

This is a flattened kabuki brush, and is a cute little mini from Too Faced, called a Flat-buki.  It's good for flicking powder off the face after applying too much.  Really, it's just a cute tiny brush.  Good for travel.

 

Finishing Brush

This Hakuhodo Finishing Brush L, made of blue squirrel and synthetic hair, is pure luxury.  It isn't a necessity.  It's also not something to save on; it's a splurge, no doubt.  It's also akin to rubbing a bunch of kittens over your face.  Not that I've done that.  But I imagine it would feel good unless claws got involved.

This brush is used for brushing over the face as a last step, softening edges without moving anything around (which is good, remember?).  It can also apply a finishing powder, like Guerlain's Meteorites. 

 

Fan Brushes

Fan brushes like the Make Up For Ever powder fan brush and Benefit fan brush (goat), are good for brushing away eyeshadow fallout.  They are also good for contour and highlight.  The smaller fan brush is especially good for highlighter and softening super-pigmented blushes. 

They are also excellent for removing powder after it's been applied.  Look, at this point, we all know that powder brushes apply powder--do I really need to say it again?

 

Pros and Cons

Pros:  Unless you want to try applying powder with your hands (don't laugh, it can be done), you'll probably need a powder brush.  Even if you favor a puff, a brush will remove the excess and leave only a fine layer.  A large powder brush will dust powder over the whole face quickly, while smaller powder brushes apply it to one small area at a time.  If you want a powder brush that does everything from all over powder application to cheekbone contour, I'd suggest the pointed powder brush.  Finishing and Fan brushes finish the face and provide a delicate finish.  Flat top and kabuki brushes are great for applying powder foundation, including mineral foundations.

Cons:  As brushes go, the price point of all of these is higher than average, due to their larger size.  Furthermore, uncut ends, recommended for use with all powder products, but especially when you are using it over the skin, will make the price go up.  I will say this one more time: if your makeup needs to be set with powder because it doesn't set on its own, for example a cream (not cream-to-powder) foundation or blush (basically, if your grandmother might have worn the product back in the day) or a liquid foundation that doesn't dry down, a brush is not the powder utencil to use. 

 

The brushes featured in this post are: Smashbox 1 Powder Brush, Cover FX Powder Foundation Buffing Brush 190, Sue Devitt Powder Brush, Real Techniques Setting Brush, (MAC 116 Blush Brush), Hakuhodo S103 Powder-Blush Brush Pointed, Hakuhodo G527 Powder Brush D, Make Up For Ever HD Kabuki Brush, Too Faced Flatbuki, Hakuhodo Kokutan Finishing Brush L, Make Up For Ever Powder Fan Brush, Benefit Fan Brush (discontinued).  All were purchased and I received no compensation for featuring them.

A Guide to Brushes: Eye Brushes, Part 6: Detail Brushes

This post features a variety of eyeshadow brushes for use on small areas of the eye.  It includes pencil brushes and various smudge brushes.

Pencil Brushes

The most common and used of detail brushes, I believe.  The first on the left, which is an Essence of Beauty Fine Crease Brush, notwithstanding, a lot of pencil brushes are goat, like the MAC 219, Hakuhodo G5514BkSl, and Hakuhodo G5515BkSl here.  This picture makes them all look so big, but the Hakuhodo G5515 is about an eighth of an inch long.  These brushes are great for blending out eyeliner, applying shadow to the upper or lower lash lines, precise crease shadow placement, detail in the outer corner (like the dreaded "outer v") and highlighting the inner corner or the brow bone--basically anywhere you want focused or intense placement of eyeshadow.  Goat is a good fibre for this sort of brush, because it provides a good amount of stiffness and softness and holds up to cream eyeliners, but the white hairs get stained so badly (as evidenced by the faint pinkness of my 219.  The Hakuhodos are so pristine because they came straight out of the package before this picture.  The smaller one is now a lovely shade of blue.  The stains do respond usually to oil cleansing, but since oil cleans best when used dry, if you're halfway through cleaning when you realize that pigment is not coming out with cleanser, then you have to wait for it to dry.  At that point, the "Eh, it's clean, and I gotta do ma face" instinct kicks in and next thing you know, you're justifying a pink brush on the internet.  Uh, yeah.  These brushes do their job well, and as detail brushes go they're the most common and most used. 

 

Pointed Smudge Brushes

A variation on the pencil brush, pointed smudge brushes are most commonly found as "Smoky Eyeliner Brushes", like the one on the right from Sephora, which is synthetic.  The one on the left, also by Sephora is a discontinued point smudge brush.  Both these brushes, though they have different shapes, serve the same purpose, which is to apply or smudge eyeliner and apply eyeshadow to a small area.  I think they're more precise than pencil brushes, especially the point smudge, though it's scratchy.  The smoky version of the brush is great if you're looking for a synthetic detail brush, and it is quite good for smoking out liner.  It's less useful for applying powder, unless you want a subtle effect. 

 

Mini Smudge Brushes

These brushes are like tiny flat shader brushes.  Often they're proportionately shorter as compared to width of a shader brush, but neither of these examples really are, which are a Real Techniques synthetic Accent brush, and a Paula Dorf Smudge brush.  These are amazing for applying shadow around the eye, and I love them for smudging the edge of liner.  They provide more control than the previous two styles of detail brush and can be used to smudge or finesse the edges of liner.  Interestingly enough, they often make for excellent gel liner or tightline brushes.  While they do offer more control than a pencil brush, that makes them a little harder to use.

 

Domed Smudge Brush

Similar to a pencil brush, but with a dome instead of a point, this Make Up For Ever smudge brush, is useful for most of the same effects, such as smudging and highlighting, only it will provide a softer less focused or intense effect.  I think this is especially useful for a smoky eye, where you want a smooth gradation of shading. 

 

Pointed Detail Brush

This one (a Hakuhodo 5529, blue squirrel hair) is like a long thin pencil brush.  It's less useful for smudging liner ( especially this one's soft squirrel hair), but more useful for crease work.  It provides a soft, diffused line, but with exacting detail.  Perfect when you want delicacy and precision at the same time.

 

Round Detail Brushes

Similar, but sturdier, to the pointed detail brush, and obviously featuring a round end rather than a pointed end, these brushes (Kevyn Aucoin Small Eyeshadow Soft Round Tip, and Royal and Langnickel Smudger) are super precise crease brushes and are great for smudging around the eye and applying eyeshadow under the eye, in the outer corner, or along the top lash line. 

 

 

Pros and Cons

Pros:  These brushes do what none of the other featured brushes can do.  They are like an eyeliner brush crossed with a blending brush.  Tiny, but capable of blending small areas.  If you have small eyes, you may prefer to use one of these brushes for your crease instead of a classic crease brush.  These brushes' versatility means that you will probably want one in your brush collection. 

Cons:  They're tiny.  That's pretty much it.  If you don't want a small brush, or if you like to keep your brushes to a minimum (something which I obviously have no idea about), then you don't need one.  They're tiny brushes; that's the point, but that means they can't do the things a bigger brush does. 

 

The brushes featured in this post are: Essence of Beauty Fine Crease Brush, MAC 219 Hakuhodo G5514BkSl, Hakuhodo G5515BkSl, Sephora Point Smudge 16 (discontinued), Sephora Smokey Eye Brush 24 (from the discontinued platinum line, but the shape and number are still in the current Pro Line), Real Techniques Accent Brush (form the Starter Set), Paula Dorf Smudge brush, Make Up For Ever Smudge Brush 14S, Hakuhodo G5529BkSl, Kevyn Aucoin Small Eyeshadow Brush Soft Round Tip, Royal and Langnickel Smudger Brush.  All brushes were purchased and I received no compensation for featuring them.

A Guide to Brushes: Eye Brushes, Part 4: Angled Eye Shadow Brushes

Part four of my brush guide is angled shadow brushes.  These come in two styles: round and flat.  Think of either the blending crease brush or the flat shader brush sliced at an angle.  These are versatile eye shadow brushes, good for applying and blending eyeshadow.

Round Angled Shadow Brushes

Here are three sizes of round angled brushes; they are Paula Dorf Eye Contour, Hokuhodo G515 (Canada squirrel) and Make Up For Ever 18s.  They are all good for applying eyeshadow to the crease, and the three sizes would then fit different eye shapes.  They work well in a windshield wiper back and forth in the crease.  The largest is great for softening all edges after everything is applied.  I love the smallest also for applying eye shadow to the outer corner, patting it on really gets a good dark outer corner. 

The angled shape really fits into the crease well, and is great for a defined crease.  One thing I really love about them is that, as opposed to using one of the rounder or oval blending brushes to apply to the crease, you don't really get any shadow on your lid, it stays limited to the crease and upper lid areas.  This is amazing if you have small eyes because you can create the illusion of a larger lid space.

Flat Angled Shadow Brushes

These flat angled brushes are a Hakuhodo 239 and a MAC 275.  The MAC is the second brush I've featured that I haven't actually liked, I think.  The Hakuhodo, on the other hand, is divine, so consider all the pros related to that one and the cons for the MAC.  These are good for applying eyeshadow to the crease by using the tip of the brush; the angle fits nicely into the crease.  I also like them for a soft wash, and if you want to apply a large shadow use them the other direction across the tip.

You can use these brushes just like you would a medium or large flat shader brush, plus the angle means they're better for the crease.  It's also a good shape for shading the sides of the nose to make it appear slimmer from the front, which I really need to remember to do for my photos. 

Pros and Cons

Pros:  These brushes' unique shape allows for them to fit precisely in the crease.  The shape of the round ones in particular, make for almost foolproof crease placement.  They are a great finishing brush, too, blending out any harsh lines without disturbing placement.  I love them for outer corners and creases. 

Cons:  As a more unique brush shape, they might be either hard to find or expensive.  If you're building your brush collection, they probably won't be your first priority.  I think it's definitely worth having one of these, but I think you're more likely to buy one if you find traditional crease and blending brushes not working for you. 

The brushes featured in this post were Paula Dorf Eye Contour, Hakuhodo G515 Eye Shadow Brush CM Angled, Make Up For Ever Eye Shadow Brush 18s, Hakuhodo 239 Eye Shadow Brush Angled, and MAC 275.  All were purchased and I received no compensation for featuring them in this post.

Tom Ford Look

Eyes: Sahara Haze Eye Color Quad. The khaki color on lids, the glittery green in the crease, outer corner, and underneath, the darkest shade as a liner, smudged quite liberally, and the golden beige on the brow bone and inner corner.

Tarte Lights, Camera, Lashes! on curled eyelashes (with the Tarte curler)

Skin: Make Up For Ever Face and Body Foundation in 38

Make Up For Ever Full Cover concealer in 4 on blemishes and under eyes

Tom Ford Shade and Illuminate Intensity One under and on cheekbones

Shiseido Accentuating Color Stick in S5 Rosy Flush

Laura Mercier Translucent Loose Powder

Brows: MAC Eye Brows in Fling and Anastasia Tinted Brow Gel in Blonde

Lips: NARS Lip Liner in Rosebud

Tom Ford Lip Color in Casablanca