All about brushes..what do they do, why, etc..

So this is in response to my girlfriend Tanida's www.youtube.com/naturallytee1 interest in brushes. She was telling me that she really was not that informed on brushes and needed the low down. I have been procrastinating on doing a blog and a YouTube channel (www.YouTube.com/EmbraceYourFaceTV) but since I told her I would here it is...

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219, 239LE, 239, 217, 217, 226, 224, 190, 188, 187, 187, 187ES, 187 ES

The 219 is a pencil brush. It can be used to sweep color under the eyes or to do a cut crease if you wish. It is also good for applying color into the crease in a < for a more defined application.You can also use it to deposit color into the tear duct or use it to highlight the brow.

The 239 is a flat brush used for packing powder onto the lid. They work very well for this and I would hate to live without them !! The application for eyeshadow onto the lid is patting it or packing it. You do not sweep color onto the lid, as you will get fallout and not a lot of product onto the lid, which you want for longevity of the product.

The 217 is a wildly popular brush and is a domed shaped brush and used for the crease.. It is smaller than the 224 or 226 and I use it allll the time.

The  226 is a domed shaped brush used to sweep color into the crease. I use this to apply my medium range color or backdrop color. It has a broad range and is not used to define the eye. I use this to define my face as well as my nose.

The 224 is a little smaller than the 226. They can both be used to blend your color out when using a gradient color to have a seamless blend.

The 190 is a foundation brush with synthetic bristles. Synthetic is used with liquids because natural fibres will absorb alot of product. I don't really use this that much anymore because I am always using my 187's. It's a little hard to clean as well and I like to wash my brushes alot-as you can tell.lol

The 188 is a tapered blush brush. I really like the way that it deposits onto the cheeks. The tapered shape is ideal for being able to sweep the blush onto the cheek and towards the hairline. Most people apply blush to the "apple" of their cheeks and this is not exactly the best way to apply blush in my opinion but that will be another post.

The 187's are duo fiber brushes. They are used in several ways. I use the long thin ones to apply my liquid foundation. This is my favorite brush to do so. The 187ES is shorter and has more bristles. I also use them to apply highlighter on my cheek bones and to apply powder to my entire face. One of these, the second one, is actually a Crown Brush and I actually prefer it to my MAC brush.

Eyes-From top to bottom-224, 226, 217, 217, 239, 239LE, 219

 Close-ups of the eye brushes.

Face Brushes-From left to right-187ES, 187ES, 187, 187, 188, 190

Close-ups of the face brushes.


I have left several brushes off of here that I use but just wanted to get the "basics" down.  You do not have to use MAC but these seem to be the most popular and what I started with. I also like Crown Brushes www.crownbrush.com these are less expensive and do the job quite well especially if you do not want to shell out $19 and up per brush as is the case with MAC brushes. I also hear alot about Sigma brushes www.sigmabeauty.com but I have yet to purchase any. I even own E.L.F brushes and Sonia Kashuk brushes which I purchased at Target and have had for several years and they are holding up quite well.

I hope this was informative and helpful in your quest to learn about brushes and the unique jobs that they do and why. Leave me a comment should you have any questions or feel that I forgot anything. 

Have a beautiful day ! :-)