Brushes, Brushes, Brushes

Hello people.
This post is all about brushes. Like my collection below. (Brush porn picture coming up in......aaaahhh, right there.....)

Nowadays, pretty much anyone seems to be making brushes. But most aren't great, a lot are scratchy and they certainly don't last. I decided to do a post on them. First things first, how to select brushes:

1. Decide what you need. Are you a makeup artist or a gal with a makeup bag? Do you know the difference between cream blush and powder blush? What that means, is what's your skill level? If you're someone who doesn't use a lot of makeup, don't buy a 24-piece brush set. Get only what you need.

2. Look for multi-tasking brushes. A blush brush can double up as a powder brush, same with concealer and lipstik brushes. Don't overspend, but at the same time....

3. Invest in good brushes. I've had a brush for 16 years. That's what you get when you buy quality and take care of your brushes. Don't buy pricey name brands and don't go for cheaply made stuff. Check its quality by lightly tugging on the hairs of your brush, if it falls out, it's no good (ELF brushes, I'm looking at you), run it across the inside of your wrist, if it feels scratchy there, it'll feel scratchy on your face.

4. Wash your brushes with shampoo once a week. Unless you're a makeup artist, I don't see the need for you to own a brush cleanser, because you're not sharing your brushes. Makeup artists, invest in 70% Isopropyl Alcohol and a brush cleaner, as well as shampoo. Some days will pass when the Lord will bless you with so much work (AMEN!!) you won't have time to wash and dry your brushes.

5. Don't buy a brush set. No vex, but I have rarely seen a brush set which came with brushes I loved totally, some were good, others were not so good. I prefer buying individual brushes. And btw, MAC does NOT make a brush set. That's fake MAC.

These are just my opinions, take them with a pinch of salt. I'll randomly mention companies I think make good brushes: Hakuhodo, MAC, Sue Devitt, Essence of Beauty, Adesign, Japonesque, Cala, Shu Uemura, Bobbi Brown, Real Techniques.

Yeah, some of those are cheap and can be bought in Nigeria (Cala is at Casabella, Essence of Beauty is at most shops in Lagos and I found a Sue Devitt brush for N600 at my coded Makeup store in Balogun).

Till next time, ja na.