A Makeup Artist’s Picks for 4 Must-Have Brushes

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Everytime we watch a YouTube beauty tutorial, we find ourselves feeling a little overwhelmed by the amount of brushes these vloggers pull out of their makeup kits. Assuming that you are not a professional and don’t have an entire kit full of brushes, what should an everyday beauty drawer include? We asked our makeup artist and friend Josh, who you can find brightening the aisles of Sephora St. Vital Centre, to narrow the many possibilities down to 4 basic must-haves – and as always, Josh came through. Here’s the verdict on getting the most bang for your brush bucks.

The brush: Morphe M439 Deluxe Buffer
Use it for: Complexion products (no matter what the formula)

Take it from the pro: this domed brush is “really great for applying all complexion products, whether they be liquid, cream, or powder. You can use it to apply as well as blend.” That means whether you’re reaching for your foundations, your concealers, or your powders, you can reach for this brush.

The brush: Make Up For Ever 158 Double Ended Sculpting Brush
Use it for: Contour, bronzer, blush

The design of this brush lets you buy one brush but get double the control and all around more use. “One side is angled, so it works really well for applying and blending a contour,” Josh tells us. Use this side when you’re breaking out the bronzer as well. “If you flip it over to the more rounded and fluffy side, this works very well for applying blush, and blending your contour with your complexion.”

The brush: Sephora Collection Pro Blending Brush #27
Use it for: Eyeshadow

“Everybody needs a really great brush for blending their eyeshadow.” We couldn’t agree more, but that said, what exactly makes for a great eyeshadow brush? According to Josh, “This one is small and rounded, so it is shaped perfectly for blending your eyeshadow along your crease.” This brush also features natural bristles with more density in the centre than the tip, for perfect blending.

The brush: Sephora Collection Pro Lip Brush #85
Use it for: Lipstick

PSA for all lovers of lip colour: “If you don’t have a lip brush, you need to invest in one immediately.” We are 100% on-page with this level of passion for a beauty product (have you heard us talk about this dry shampoo??), and Josh can back this zeal up with some solid benefits for picking up a lip brush.

First off, there’s the general outlining of your lips that is a lot easier with a brush tip than the bullet of your lipstick. “You can achieve a crisp lip shape when using a lip brush,” Josh says, “and make sure your shape is symmetrical.”

Secondly, as anyone who has ever applied lipstick knows, it can be a little tricky to fill everything in properly using the bullet directly, but a brush will take care of that as well. Goodbye, days of ruining our perfect outline at the last minute.

While benefits 1 and 2 above might not be surprising to hear, Josh’s third reason to love a lip brush is something we had truly never thought about. “You can also get much more out of your lipstick with a lip brush,” he tells us. “When you think your lipstick is done, you can use a lip brush to reach into the bullet itself and get the remaining product out, so your lipstick will last you much longer.” Whether that means getting more wears out of your favourite special-edition colour or just getting more longevity out of your makeup budget, we can all agree that’s worth the investment in a brush right there.

Don’t forget that your brushes need to be cleaned regularly! Be sure to read through Josh’s tips for cleaning your makeup brushes without ruining them.

Now that we’re armed with the perfect brushes and fired up to try them out, let’s have a little fun, shall we? Watch this video for some tips on wearing metallic eyeshadows, flip through some of our favourite eyeshadow palettes (and some bonus items) out right now, and beat winter by mastering the perfect rosy glow with long-lasting liquid blush.

Visit Sephora in St. Vital Centre to shop the brushes featured in this post (check store for availability).


Brush photos courtesy of sephora.com

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