Brush Week: 7 Brushes You Need

the basics.

My heart sinks when I see people use the cheap spongy applicators that sometimes come with shadows, powders, and foundation. Reason being - they apply your makeup horribly and are incredibly unsanitary. Most makeup enthusiasts would agree - your makeup brushes are arguably more important than your actual makeup products. 

the seven brushes you need:

stippling brush. 
Say hello to my little friend, the Mac 187. It's technically a stippling brush, but it does an awesome job of making skin look airbrushed and perfect. This is the kind of brush that can make your drugstore foundation look like a million bucks. Here's how to use a stippling brush. 

powder brush. 
Use a powder brush after applying water based foundation to lock and seal your makeup all day. I use this brush differently than most, and I learned the technique here (fast forward to 3:00). Instead of fluffing the brush around your face with powder on it, pack the product on the sides of the brush bristles, and pack it onto your face. This will keep your makeup to stay in place all day. After applying, lightly brush off excess from your face so it doesn't appear cakey. I also use a powder brush after contouring to blend any harsh lines. 

blush & bronzer brush.

Okay, so if this was "top 8" brushes, blush and bronzer brushes wouldn't be in the same category. However, in a pinch I can use the same brush for both without noticing any real difference. To illuminate your face and give it a glow, use a blush brush (say that five times fast) to swipe some blush or highlighter on your upper cheekbones. This brush applies a light and even layer and allows your to easy big pigments on top of each other. With bronzer, sweep into the hollows between your cheekbones and jaw. 

stiff eyeshadow brush.
Use this brush as your primary eyeshadow applicator for lid colors. 

crease brush.
Use this brush to apply colors into your crease. Crease colors are also known as a transition color, because it helps give your makeup more dimension. 

dome eyeshadow brush.
Use this brush to blend all your eyeshadows after they've been applied. This gives your eye-makeup a flawless finish, and will ensure no one is seeing weird eyeshadow lines or definitions that aren't supposed to be there.

eyeliner/brow brush.
One of my favorite brushes. This bad boy is amazing for lining your bottom rims, cutting your crease, and even applying a dark eyeshadow as a liner. I have several of these brushes because depending on the bristles, it can be used so differently!

so there you have it!
I hope you all enjoyed BRUSH WEEK as much as I did, and leave any questions below. Brushes are not best learned from reading a blog, but instead getting in front of a mirror and trying it all out. So go, have fun, because that's what this is all about. Till next time! 

Brush Week: Best Kept Secret

The most beautiful makeup of a woman is passion. But cosmetics are easier to buy.

-Yves Saint-Laurent

Craft stores: The mecca of inexpensive professional brushes.

I took a trip to Michael's this past weekend and lo and behold... I came across the mecca of affordable professional brushes! A huge aisle, full of every type of brush you can imagine. The best part, 99% of the brushes were under $10. A girl could save some serious cash shopping like this!

Art brushes are one of the best kept secrets in makeup. A $25 eye shadow brush can easily be swapped for a high quality $4 'art' brush. I promise - you or your makeup won't know the difference. And geez - check out the selection!! I found a dupe for nearly all of my brushes except for a foundation brush. This is amazing news for beginners who want to experiment with application tools but don't want to drop $150 in the process. It's also amazing for junkies like me who can never get enough. 

I picked up a Grumbacher 4620 brush identical to a professional gel/powder eyeliner brush I had my eye on, and for a tenth of the cost ($4.) The only con - lots of the brushes have really long handles, but we can handle that. ;)

Blush Review: ELF Studio

ELF Studio Blush 

Who's obsessed with these?

ELF Studio Blushes retail for three dollars and, IMO, are match the quality of many high end blushes. I've noticed many professional makeup artists toting this around, but it's a bit taboo because of its extreme low price. I see both sides, but I tend to think the price tag is secondary to quality. Thoughts? 

And, for the record - there are several ELF products that are horrendous. But this is a gem! 

Here's what I love about ELF Studio Blush:

• Super pigmented 
• The packaging is eerily similar to $28 NARS blush compacts
• Tons of product - 1.6 oz! That's AMAZING considering its only $1
• Perfect for beginners and experts alike wanting to experiment without financial guilt
• Little-to-no product fallout. 
• ELF frequently introduces new colors so there's always new option
• No brush included - I always hate the crappy brushes companies include. 
• ONLY $3.00.

I won't lie - there's a bit of a catch. Check out the downsides after the jump.

natural everyday brows

Want natural looking brows without compromising form and structure? Your best bet is a brow powder and gel set. Benefit has a great option if you want to invest. I use ELF’s eyebrow kit everyday - it retails for only $3.00 and it works like the expensive stuff! ELF is sold in all Target stores and online.

HOW TO

Start by taking a thin angled brush and pat into powder. You can use any brown eyeshadow that is a shade darker/lighter than your hair. To apply, flick the brush on your brows mimicking the length and direction of growth through the length of your eyebrows. Here’s a quick video example from the beautiful SMLx0. After you get the desired shape, brush a thin layer of gel or a small amount of hairspray to keep the hairs in place all day.

Whether you like super defined or natural looking brows, it always helps to use concealer around the edges of to polish them up. Just do this with a small brush and then blend out. Good luck, and let me know if you try!

Designer VS Drugstore

It’s easy to feel like you have to use designer brands to do a quality job, but ‘you get what you pay for’ doesn’t always apply in the makeup world. To this day, I still opt for many drugstore options because they perform the same as designer labels (if not better,) and you save a ton of money in the process. In the past week, I’ve worked with two professional makeup artists who agree that many high end products aren't worth shelling out the extra dough when given the option. 

Mascara: Go Drugstore

Drugstore brands tend to have tons of options for the exact effect you’re looking for (volume, length, shape) and IMO work much better than designer brands. The product lasts you a long time, and they exceed my expectations every time. For long and voluminous lashes you have to mix products anyway, so mascara price stays manageable when you go drugstore. So many drugstore mascara brands are kicking ass right now with their products, packaging, and marketing – it’s an amazing time for consumers right now!

Higher end products have the tendency to irritate your eyes, clump up your lashes, and dry out extremely fast. A designer mascara can easily run you anywhere from $20 - $50. For me, drugstore mascara is a no brainer.

Foundation: Go Pro

A wise woman builds her house upon a rock, right? Foundation is your rock: sturdy, reliable, & trusted. If you build your house upon the sand, aka cheap foundation, you may find yourself disappointed with the color match, coverage, skin reaction to the formula, and worst of all, you may have wasted your money because now you have a product you really can’t use. Oh and there’s the possibility doesn’t actually covering your blemishes, but just looking slapped on. Not cute!

Now hear me out - this is not to say that you have to spend a fortune on foundation. But you should definitely go to a store where you can sample the foundation, color match, test your skins reaction, and wear it for a day before purchasing. Places like Ulta, Sephora, and most department stores will even give you a free three day supply of foundation to test for a few days. AND they can help you pick which foundation will work best with your skin type. When you pick a random drugstore brand, you may end up disappointed with the color match, breaking out from the formula, and worst of all, you may have wasted your money because now you have a product you really can’t use. You can get away with just $20 for a good foundation. My favorite foundation (MAC Studio Scuplt in NW20) runs me $43.

I will say that lately, drugstore brands have stepped up their game in the foundation department. Maybelline FitMe and Loreal TrueMatch are helping consumers save money without losing too much quality. So tell me – have you found an amazing drugstore foundation?

Lipstick: It Depends

Lipstick is like shampoo. We’d all love to always use the super expensive shampoos, but most of us know deep down that a bottle of Herbal Essence will do the trick. Lipstick’s kinda the same way. I love my drugstore lipsticks almost as much as I love my MACs. Revlon lipsticks are always extremely impressive. I’m not a fan of Maybelline lipsticks because they are usually all shine and very little pigment. 

welcome to pinkache!

I've been makeup crazed since I can remember. My mom can attest to my second grade beauty regime of smearing Smackers glitter-goop all over my eyelids every morning before school. Despite her plea for me to stop going to school looking like a disco ball child, I couldn't stop! I had a pinkache! I needed some glitz and glamour to get through the day! 

I do my best soul searching standing in front of my brushes and prized products as I paint on the person I want to be each day. Makeup is my therapy. It's my preferred art form and my outlet of self expression. This blog has been cooking in my mind for quite some time, and I'm thrilled it's finally coming to life! 

Check out what to expect on pinkache after the jump!