I was recently asked what brushes were being used in the most recent Into the Palette post. Brushes are mostly a preference and believe it or not, not every brush is made for all shapes of the eye. Different brushes do work better on small lids or monolids and others with space on their lid. The following is only a guide on how and why the brushes were used for that specific area. Remember, you may not agree since application habits can differ.
Paula Dorf Eye Contour Brush-$28USD
This is how Paula's website describes the brush:
Shaped to fit the crease of your eye to create strong definition. Place the flat side above crease with point facing towards brow and sweep in a windshield wiper motion.
Pretty much the latter method was used. The combination of the hair which I am not sure what it is; it feels like a mix of blue squirrel and maybe pony makes the shape optimal in applying eyeshadow right on the orbital ridge. The density gives the tip of the hairs some stiffness which allows a uniform application of color. Depending on how much pressure you use, it can apply color anywhere from sheer to opaque. This brush works for any shaped eyes.
Paula Dorf Smokie Lid Brush-$28USD
This brush is similar to the one found in the Brow Stencil Kit. The Smokie brush has more of a pointed tip and the brow one is shorter and the tip is slightly flatter but still can be used as a smokie lid brush too which I did before I bought this one.
This brush is a squirrel hair. The shape which is round and the tip which is short comes to a soft point making it ideal to apply color on the lid softly. This brush, I find great for Asians because the shortness of the tip and the softness allows control of color right on that soft fleshy area (lashline/lid area). The brush actually does all the work rather than you trying to figure out where the color should go, it rests perfectly in that area.
For others, especially who have a larger lid area, you might find this brush a bit tedious since its stocky shape doesn't apply color widely. The tip applies color to such a small area that I would see this brush as more of a smudge brush but then again there are other brushes that would work better than this.
Not a brush for every eye shape but definitely one to look at if you have a small lid area or hidden (monolids) lids.
Paula Dorf Smudge Brush-$20USD
Custom designed brush achieves soft, natural definition around the eye. Start from outer corner and blend in a back and forth motion.
What the Paula Dorf website wrote is pretty much true. It does achieve soft definition, but don't look at this brush as just a smudge brush. If you have small lids or Asian type eyes, think of this brush as a filbert shaped brush first. Since this is a squirrel hair brush, it is better to use this with powders and not creams. However, it can be used with ink-like texture (liquid) eyeshadows. The shape like I mentioned is a filbert or a shortened filbert and these are great because you can use the tip only to draw or define a line, lay it flat and apply color on the side. Again if you have Asian type eyes, this is another brush that is useful in eyeshadow application. The size of it can sit within the lid area and apply color to emphasize the inner and outer corner of the eye. And, for monolids, it can be used to swipe on color on the lid.
For others this is a brush used to smudge a line or soften a harsh one. It is more for precision than the fast smudging. If you want to smudge a bit faster and a larger area there are other brushes that can be used instead.
Again, great for Asian shaped eyes.
The Other Brushes
A - The brush used in this one is Becca Eye Smudge 37. This brush is similar to Paula Dorf's Smudge brush in shape but it is bigger and is made out of sable hair which makes it optimal to use with creams and gels.
This one was used to smudge the pencil and cream eyeliners. It can be used to apply powder eyeshadow also. Just remember this is also a shortened filbert shaped brush which again can be used many ways. This can be used for all shaped eyes. However for the ones that have a larger lid area, this is the better choice than the Paula Dorf one since it is larger and stiffer. Blends and smudges larger areas around the eyes efficiently and quickly.
B - Becca Eye Colour Wash 36-This is the brush that was used to apply the browbone highlight. Again a filbert shaped brush and sable hair. This brush is larger and applies color to an area quickly by covering a large area at once. Good for any shaped eyes.
C - Joe Blasco UEM brush-This was used to apply cream eyeliner to the top lashline. I admit that this is a hard to get brush, but if you can get it you won't regret it. It applies any type of texture of color with precision. Good for everyone and not just for the eye area as you can see as you see the earlier posting of this brush. If you don't have this brush, don't worry; you can always use a good eyelining brush.
D - Cinema Secrets Shadow Blender Brush-This one is an optional but still a good optional brush. The shape of it is similar to Paula Dorf's Eye Contour brush but the hair and the smaller diameter makes it ideal for blending and softening lines. Since this is used as a blending brush, it is good for any shaped eye.
E - Becca Eye Colour 10-Is the basic shaped eyeshadow application brush. Again, this is a filbert and sable haired brush which can be used with many textures of color. Here, it was used to apply the white eyeshadow to open up the eye area. Good for all eye shapes.
Those were the brushes used in the tutorial. They were used because they suited the application for that post and eye shape. Things could be different for you. You don't have to go out and buy these brushes. What really matters is that the application just look presentable and polished. Sometimes, the good old Q-tips work wonders too!
