There’s a lot of makeup brushes out there and we’re all googling how to use each of them appropriately. I have a few of the most common brushes in front of me and let’s try to find out which at a minimum we can use as our brushes for daily makeup.

Here’s my second post for the Makeup Noob Series, if you haven’t seen the first one, you can check it out HERE.

I’m a makeup noob and I wanted to have the most useful brushes I can use for my daily makeup. I don’t think I really need a collection of brushes now so let’s start off with just a few that can do the job. So, let’s see what we have.

The Airbrush Effect Duo

Blender

The Teardrop Blender is the most common beauty blender. Beauty blenders come in different shapes and sizes. These are usually teardrop-shaped sponge used wet to create an airbrush finish. The smaller side is for precise application of makeup and the larger side is for all over the face.

Oval Brush

Oval brushes can be bought individually or in sets. These are brushes with oval-shaped fine, dense bristles, that makes products such as foundation stay on top and not settle at the base of the brush. Even Pia Wurtzbach love it! This brush helps apply makeup quickly yet flawlessly.

The Precision Trio

Stippling Brush

The flat, circular, feathery head of a stippling brush provides lightweight and buildable coverage that won’t remove any of the makeup you’ve already applied, so it’s perfect for layering. Why use a stippling brush instead of a foundation brush?  A stippling brush is nice to have if you’re fond of using liquid foundation, blush and bronzers. This is basically used for stippling or dotting the product on your face for a more natural look. It gives skin a light ‘wash’ of foundation than a full coverage finish. You can also blend the product by simply moving the brush in circular or sweeping motion.

Concealer Brush

Use this brush to gently pat on your concealer for smooth and flawless coverage. Whether it’s dark circles under your eyes, spots or discoloration, this nifty little brush will give you more control over those annoying imperfections.

Contour Brush

The slanted bristles are intended to mimic the angle of your cheekbones, so it’s perfect for blending, highlighting and shading using a bronzer or illuminating powder. But hey, it’s a multipurpose brush, too. I’ll show you why this brush is a must-have.

Let’s start with the battle of the brushes!

I will use the Airbrush Duo on the right side of my face (your left) and the Precision Trio on my left (your right). I have my friend @myrikaness who really loves makeup (and nailing it!) to join us today!

I started applying my foundation with the oval brush. So, I have my liquid foundation dotted on my face. Then, I used the oval brush lightly in a circular motion with light pressure to evenly apply the foundation. It is best to do it that way when you are using liquid foundation, but if you’re using a powder foundation you can sweep the product sideways.

Now, I’m using the stippling brush to apply my foundation. As you can see I ended up with a natural finish. It feels lighter and smooth, too.

“Though both sides of the face look nice, I think the oval brush has done a better job when it comes to the coverage.”

I agree. Though the foundation may feel a bit thicker when used with an oval brush, it provides more coverage than using a stippling brush. But it really feels more in control when you use the stippling brush with a lighter smoother feeling. Both of them looks good but for more coverage, go for the oval brush. Though, I like the result of the stippling brush. Read more and find out why.

Next, I’m using the blender to cover my dark circles.

And here’s how it goes with the concealer brush.

“The concealer brush provides more coverage. It seems like the product is toned down with the sponge. Unless your concealer is super high coverage like the Kill Cover one. Or use the brush first, then blend out the edges with a sponge. Blending the concealer with either a brush or a sponge is up to your preference, as for me I like using the sponge because it’s a lot easier, quicker, and it blends well. The brush may leave streaks and unblended edges that sponges usually don’t do.”

Both will work great for applying the concealer yet it will require you to add more of it if you’re using the sponge. That’s not quite economical. So I guess I’d go for Rika’s suggestion to use the concealer first then smooth the edges with the blender.

To lighten the under eye more, I used the lighter shade on my contour.

“Blenders aren’t normally used with powder because they don’t blend and they end up looking patchy. (except for loose ones and two-way cake)”

By the way, I also used the contour brush as my powder brush for the Precision Trio side and my hands for the Airbrush Duo. Loose powder looks better when applied with a brush.

Here’s the finished product! 😀

“For the base, the side where you used the oval brush looks better. But with the overall look, the other side looks a lot nicer.”

Yeah, I think it has to do with the loose powder applied with the concealer brush. That’s why earlier I’ve mentioned it’s a must-have.

To complete my look, I have to use an eyebrow pencil to perfect my brows, apply mascara, and use my lipstick for my lip and eyeshadow.

My takeaways

• Using an oval brush provides better coverage. I wonder how it looks like if we will use a set of oval brushes for makeup.
• Use a concealer brush, then blend the edges with a blender.
• Get a smoother finish using a brush for applying loose powder.
• The minimum I guess is to have an oval brush/stippling brush, a concealer brush, a blender and a contour brush. That’s 4 brushes.

Get to know more about Rika HERE.

That’s it! Thank you for reading and let me know if I nailed it by leaving your comments below.

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SOURCES:

https://www.mymakeupbrushset.com/blogs/product-review/29083521-how-to-use-a-cosmetic-blending-sponge

https://www.beautyheaven.com.au/makeup/make-up-brushes-applicators/what-is-a-stippling-brush-10687

https://www.cosmopolitan.com/uk/beauty-hair/reviews/g4553/best-foundation-brush-guide/?slide=4

https://www.beautyheaven.com.au/makeup/make-up-brushes-applicators/make-up-brush-guide-11469