All About Make-up Brushes

Go to any beauty counter and you'll find a range of make up brush sets, ranging from the cheap to the "professional". When you buy a product, you may be offered a make up brush specially for it.

If you're anything like me, you may have a collection of brushes you feel you should use, but don't know how. Or perhaps you don't have a make up brush set, but feel you should - because everyone else seems to.

But which brushes do you really need? These days, professional make-up artists and beauty counter consultants always seem to be armed with an arsenal of brushes for every inch of your face!

A professional beautician finds brushes useful for several reasons:

• Safety - when applying make-up on your own face, it's easy to keep your hands flat so only the pads of your fingers touch the skin. When applying to someone else's face, your hands are at a steeper angle so there's more risk of scratching with a nail.
• Pressure - on your own face, you can judge the pressure of your fingertips because you can feel it. Obviously, you don't get that feedback on another person's face, so there's a risk you may press too hard and cause discomfort or even stretch the skin, especially around the eyes. Brushes ensure you exert only light pressure.
• Precision - a professional can spend hours working on a face, adding multiple different products with pinpoint precision. Fine brushes are more precise than fingers.
• Hygiene - although brushes are actually less hygienic than clean fingers, many clients have the opposite perception. The make-up artist may also prefer not to touch the skin of someone with acne or other skin complaints.
• Professionalism - image is important, especially for a profession which is often under-valued. Having an armoury of brushes and tools - even ones you don't strictly need - emphasises that this is not just "the make-up girl" but an artist who is worthy of respect.

So, professionals use brushes for reasons that don't apply to most of us.  That doesn't mean you can throw away all your brushes - some of them are very useful!  It does mean you can be selective in which brushes you buy.  And it means you shouldn't feel pressured into buying that brush the girl at the cosmetic counter is pushing!

The great thing about understanding brushes is that you can invest in a few top quality brushes, rather than buying a whole load of cheap ones.

Good brushes are a pleasure to use, they last longer, and they'll produce a much better finish. You won't get stray bristles escaping on to your face, and you won't get a streaky result.

There's another reason for not hoarding too many brushes...

Make-up brushes can harbour dirt and germs, which transfer to your face and cause breakouts - or worse, to your eyes and cause infection and even loss of vision.

The risk is highest if you keep the brushes on the counter or an open shelf in the bathroom. You may be shocked to know that microscopic droplets of water spread all over bathroom surfaces every time you flush the toilet. Studies have been done on toothbrushes that you really don't want to read!

You should wash all your brushes in warm water and baby shampoo once a week, and leave them somewhere to dry thoroughly before putting them away. Otherwise they'll become a haven for nasty bacteria, which won't do your skin any good at all.

The more brushes you have, the more washing you need to do, and the less likely you are to do it. Brushes that are used with "wet" products, like liquid foundation, eyeliner, cream eyeshadows, and mascara, are more likely to grow bacteria than brushes used with dry powders - so if you can avoid using brushes for wet products, you avoid the biggest risk.

If you're going to buy just a few good brushes, which ones should you buy?

• Face Powder or Mineral Powder Foundation - yes. These need a big, dense, soft brush. Powder puffs just don't cut it. Load it with powder, then tap it to remove the excess before applying.
• Blusher - yes, if you use powder blush. You'll need a brush slightly smaller than a powder brush, but still very generous. However, a cheek stain or blusher stick gives a more natural finish, and doesn't need a brush (though some cosmetic companies will try to sell you one).
• Liquid or Cream foundation - no! Women, even professional make-up artists, have been applying foundation for decades with their fingertips - foundation brushes are a recent invention and a money-raiser for cosmetic companies.
• Eyeshadow - yes, either brushes or sponge applicators. It depends on your personal preference - but you do need something, because fingertips are too big to do a precise job. Even cream eyeshadows apply better with a brush or applicator.
• Eyeliner, mascara - no. Because eyes are so sensitive and susceptible to infection, it's always better to use products that have built-in brushes, or are in pen or pencil form, and replace them every 3 to 6 months. "Wet" products like mascara and eyeliner are especially likely to harbour germs so if you are going to use your own brushes, you must clean and dry them every time.
• Eyebrow - no, if all you want to do is comb your eyebrow. You can do that just as effectively with an ordinary fine-tooth comb! Yes, if you need to use eyebrow powder - in which case an angled brush is best, but many people just use an eyeshadow brush. Or use an eyebrow pencil instead.
• Lip brush - yes, if you use matte lipsticks, because they last longer when applied with a brush. However a lip pencil is much better for drawing the outline before you fill in the colour.

All text copyright Marisa Wright. Brushes photo by stevendepolo, red box photo by Georgieporge, big brush by niseag03, all on Flickr.