If you're just starting out with makeup, or looking to build your already existing brush collection this brush guide is perfect for you. I will be explaining the uses of "must-have" brushes that you will use on a day to day basis, what they are for, how they are used and I will provide links to each brush that I suggest. I hope this is helpful to everyone looking to purchase brushes for yourself, your friends or even to use in your profession.
My brushes of choice are SIGMA brushes, I've been using them for well over a year and I'm extremely happy with them. They are very high quality and are at an excellent price point. Great, and affordable, what more can you ask for?
So let's start out with face brushes. Brushes to apply your foundations/powders etc are extremely important. Whether you use a liquid, cream, pressed or loose powder foundation is important to have the best brush to suit your everyday foundation needs. Did you know by using a sponge to apply liquid foundation you lose 50% of your product from soaking into the sponge? Not only that but the bacteria festers in the damp environment then is later reapplied to your face. ICK!
First off you want to start with a concealer, you may like a liquid, cream or stick concealer. All of these concealers can be applied with the same universal concealer brush. It is easy to maneuver around the eye, nose and lip area and is perfect for pin-pointing those little imperfections.
If you use a liquid or cream foundation there are many different brushes to choose from depending on the amount of coverage you are looking for.
If you want light-medium coverage with a liquid, and medium-full coverage with cream a synthetic flat foundation brush will be the best to apply a light coverage which is then build able.
If you're looking for a full coverage look when using liquid foundation a synthetic duo fibre stippling brush is great for this. By stippling on your foundation it applies the product in "dots" all over the skin. The smaller the dots and the more dots there are, the more of an "airbrushed" look you will achieve. This is my favourite method of applying foundation.
If you use a pressed powder as a foundation, or even to set your foundation it is important to have a brush that will blend evenly and produce and non cakey and natural look. A dense, and soft brush is important to apply foundation, and to set liquid or cream foundation without moving your makeup around.
For on-the-go powder application or if you want more control with your powder a short, dense kabuki brush would be perfect for you. You can also use this brush for applying bronzer all over the face!
After applying your foundation it's always important to give your face some dimension, colour and life. If you don't you may look ill. Contouring can be used to recede parts of your face (to slim) and define cheekbones, nose bones, and jaw bones.
Blush always adds colour and a liveliness to your face, there are two main kinds of blush that are used. Powder, and cream. For a powder blush I would recommend a small, soft brush.
For cream blush I would recommend a synthetic duo fibre brush to swirl on the apples of your cheeks before setting your foundation with a powder.
To add dimension and a radiant glow to your face apply a powdered highlighter to the top of your cheekbones, and down the bridge of your nose. Using a precise pointed but fluffy brush will give you a soft radiant glow.
Now that you're done your face makeup you want to move onto the eyes and brows. Having the proper tools is important for achieving certain looks. Every brush has a different purpose and will help you apply, blend, sweep, line and smudge your way to that perfect eye shadow look.
When applying eyeshadow it's important to start off with a, eyeshadow base specifically formulated to regulate the oil that is secreted on the eyelids, preventing movement and creasing of your makeup. These bases come in many different formulas including liquids, creams, sticks and gels. To apply these just use a clean concealer brush,
Now onto eyeshadow, there are two main formulas for eye shadows. Powder, and cream. Both are easy to work with as long as your have the proper brushes. Let's start off with cream eye shadows.
For cream eye shadows you want a fluffy blending brush that can quickly apply and blend out before the product dries on the eye lid.
As for powdered eye shadows there are plenty of different brushes for different purposes. To start off your eyeshadow look use a flat shader brush to apply a base colour which you can later add more dimension and colour to.
To apply a defined line in your crease, or to smoke and smudge eyeshadow and liner into your lash line try using a stiff, small pencil brush.
And to smoke out darker eye shadow in the crease and blending it out below your brow you want to use a tapered blending brush, that isn't too big.
Having a large blending brush is super important. It's good to blend out mistakes you've made and also it can apply more product to create a gradient fade in your eyeshadow to avoid the drawn on sharp looking edges. It needs to be fluffy and soft and have many hairs.
Eyeliner is used to create dimension to the eye, there are different formulas for eyeliner including liquid eyeliner, cream eyeliner, gel eyeliner, and pencil eyeliner. Most liquid eyeliners come with brushes attached to the lids of the containers. And pencil eyeliners are usually applied with the pencil and smudged out later with a brush. As for Gel and cream eyeliners, they can be tricky to apply. There are two main brushes when applying these.
For a precise and thin line of eyeliner to upper lash line, lower lash line, tight line or waterline I recommend a very small, flexible liner brush.
If you are trying to achieve a thicker looking line or want to smudge out an existing line a small angled liner brush would be perfect. These brushes may also be used to apply powder or cream products to fill in the brows.
Now onto lips! You may not need a lip brush, but they are very handy to have when you're applying a cream or stick lip product. Especially dark shades that show every flaw. You want a small, flat and precise brush to apply lip colour perfectly everytime. It's also perfect to have a lip brush that comes with a cover to protect it, and your other belongings from the usually oil-based lip products that may sit on your brush hairs. Try the
Sigma Lip - L05
The above brushes are the basic brushes that I find myself using every single day. Now these brushes are extremely well priced, but buying them individually can really start to add up. So Sigma has kits to fulfil your basic to professional brush needs. I will post my favourites below!
If you're looking for a great professional kit including 15 brushes. It includes 7 new face brushes, 7 new eyes brushes, and the first Sigma Makeup lip brush. All brushes are stored in our signature Sigma Makeup brush roll, which is ideal to protect your Sigma Makeup brush collection.
Another great kit is what I would recommend for the everyday makeup user. It comes with every brush you will need on a daily basis. It comes with 12 professional brushes perfect for everyday use! Can be purchased with brush roll or without.
If you like the Complete Kit, you'll love that it also comes in black, and 3 other colours and a cylinder storage roll that opens into a brush holder! These kits are too adorable!
There are plenty of other brush kits to browse too!
Hope you enjoyed this in depth explanation of beginner brushes and hope all of you find and purchase the ones you've been wanting! I can assure you, you'll love Sigma as much as I do!
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