Long ago, in a land not to far from home, a girl purchased her first makeup brush...a MAC 224.....this brush was the most multipurposed brush that the sales associate could endorse. She said this brush was the best of all the brushes....it would work on my crease...it would blend...it could even be used to cover up my blemishes...sweet! I bought it! YES! Finally, the holy grail of brushes...
This is how it is sold right...here is a brush that will do all the things you need in one brush. I am going to make your life easy. I watch all these videos and read all these reviews etc...and try to bring it to you plain and simple.
If you are a beginner with brushes...you have two options. Google Sigma Brushes and buy a kit. These are very good beginner brushes. I would not necessarily say they are Professional use brushes, but they are good for your personal use while you are familiarizing yourself with different brushes. You could get a MAC brush kit for $50 for five brushes...just remember these are machine made brushes as opposed the hand made full size brushes.
The other option is go to Michaels, and go when there is a sale or a coupon! Get on the MAC Website before you go and look at the shape and fibers of the brush you want...then when you get to Michaels find one that compares.
If you are in the more intermediate stages of makeup artistry, invest in good quality brushes by MAC, Bobby Brown or Nars. All are handmade of the finest materials.
Once you have all the different brushes...compare them to the ones on the MAC website to get familiar with what the shapes and fibers are used for. Do a search on youtube for some tips on technique...but most importantly, play with the brushes...experiment with them on your own.
Here are a couple tips:
- Hold your brush like chopsticks. Don't hold your brush on the silver farrel...hold it closer to the end.
- Do not apply to much pressure. Let the bristles do the work!
- Spray on some FIX+ for a more concentrated application
- Wash your brushes after every client application
- Wash your personal brushes about once a week depending on use...
I have been experimenting with brush cleaners...I use brush cleanser daily after putting on my makeup so that the next time I use the brush there is no leftover color. And then weekly I will do a deep cleaning. I notice that using the MAC brush cleanser does leave my bristles more stiff. I asked MAC Artists from my local MAC Pro Store and they suggest using Baby Shampoo in between. Inside the farrel of your brush is glue. Sometimes harsher cleansers can break down the glue and you will notice the bristles will start to fall out. Baby shampoo is mild but sometimes I do not feel it is as effective. If I use the baby shampoo and then dip my brush in MAC Brush Cleanser I will sometimes notice more product is released.
I bought the Master Brush Cleanser from Michaels...and this stuff is amazing! I highly recommend it and don't know why more users have not reviewed it. I will post a vid here soon to show you how it works!