An essential part of your beauty kit is your applicators. These are often overlooked and not looked after as they should be. Make-up artists invest in good brushes, which with proper maintenance last for years. Mine are 15 years old and still look great and work beautifully. Dirty, grubby brushes, sponges & puffs could be the reason your foundation, eye shadows, blushers and powders may not be going on as smoothly or looking as good as they could. Dirty applicators are also the main cause of some skin irritations, as a result of bacteria breeding on them. They absorb any oils, dirt or pollution that may be on your face.

I clean my ‘working’ brushes each time I use them but my own personal brushes once every 3 to 4 weeks, which is what I would suggest you do as well. Sponges really should be washed after each use. I would suggest using a foundation brush instead of a sponge to apply foundation for a couple of reasons: sponges tend to absorb too much product (wasteful), sponges are hard to keep clean and sponges tend to put on a heavier amount of foundation. A foundation brush is made of synthetic hair, is easy to wipe clean after each use and you get an air brushed application effect that looks very natural.

Brush Care:
It’s easy to clean your brushes. You can use a store bought brush cleaner or professional brush wipes. Alternatively just wet the bristles thoroughly with warm water. Then wash them with whatever shampoo you use (as long as it’s not a dandruff one). That way you’ll know that what you clean your brushes with won’t irritate your skin. Once they’re debris free, rinse them in lukewarm water until the water runs clear. Now gently squeeze out the excess water (I find using paper towels works well). Reshape and lay flat on a paper towel to dry. I usually wash my brushes in the evening so that they’re ready the next day.

I hope that you are now the owner of a make up bag to be proud of!

Ariane x

I was asked at my Make-Up Master Class whether or not make-up brushes are necessary for an amateur. To which I replied, “Yes, you do need good brushes, but they needn’t cost the earth and nor do you need loads of them”.

A professional make-up artist would never dream of making up anyone without the right tools. So why is it that so many women feel that they don’t need the right brushes or worse still use those little applicators that come with the products?

You don’t need loads of brushes, just a few key ones to make making-up easy. I like ones with short handles because you can get closer to the mirror.

Create the right look with make up brushes

1) The first is a foundation brush. Not only will you apply your foundation like a professional but you will use less foundation (saving you money) and you will achieve a smooth almost air brushed affect. A foundation brush has flat but soft bristles and is used to apply cream based or liquid foundation.

2) A powder/bronzer brush. This is a large full brush perfect for dusting on powder or sweeping on bronzer.
If you wear a mineral foundation or bronzer you may want to use a kabuki type of brush. These types of brushes are shorter and denser than your regular powder brush.

3) A double ended brow brush. The brush end will keep your brows looking neatly in place and the angled end will let you fill in any gaps and define the shape.

4) A blusher brush is a must if you use any type of powder blush. The brush should have a full head of slightly tapered hair. Make sure your brush is soft other wise you may find your blush goes on streaky. Please don’t use the free brushes that come with blushers. They tend to be too hard bristled making application blotchy and uncomfortable.

If you are a cream blush wearer then you can use a (different!) foundation brush.

5) A medium and a small sized eye shadow brush. Use the medium one to sweep shadow across the eye and the smaller one to define the lash and socket line.

With just these few brushes you will find your make-up goes on effortlessly and you’ll look great! The brushes I love are of course my Ariane Poole Brushes, MAC, Bobbi Brown and Body Shop.

Get brushing!
Ariane