My mineral makeup brushes, say that ten times fast! These are the brushes I use for powder based foundations. I really have a "thing" for powder foundation brushes and I really don't know what it is. Maybe, I like the fluffy aspect or the buffing aspect. When I go makeup brush shopping, the first brushes I always look at are the ones for the face!
Through the years, I learned that one brush will not usually satisfy me. Why? Well, makeup technology and the texture of the products really changes makeup application for me. One brush may have been great for a very powdery type of product but when switched to a more creamy powder type; the brush may not work as great.
Here are the brushes I have used and each one suits different types of powders more than others.
Cover FX and Classy Minerals - These two brushes I use on and off. I mostly use them for buffing in blush which works well because of the size of the brush head and the length of the hair. There is more control over application due to these aspects.
Cover FX 160 is originally used for the cream foundation. I have tried it with the cream and it works but, honestly, since the hair is animal hair; it becomes a pain to clean! This one is much better with powder products.
Classy Minerals Chubby Blender Brush - Is a great brush for applying an opaque layer of mineral foundation or blush. It also is great for applying cream and liquid products.
Real Techniques and Bare Minerals - These two brushes are what I use for travel because if I lose them, well I am not going to cry about them.
Real Techniques brush is okay. This hair is the longer version. This one is good when you are heavy handed because it won't apply a thick layer of powder because of the length of the hair and the, somewhat, flimsy synthetic. It isn't packed firmly at the ferrule, so the hair will tend to move around.
Bare Minerals - I bought this in a travel set. It was on sale and it really surprised me. Made with natural hair which is not the softest, yet not the prickly type either. This one turned out to be firmly packed at the ferrule which gives the tip the perfect pressure to apply powdery products. Due to its small size and somewhat angled tip, I find this brush will take me a bit longer to apply an opaque swipe of mineral makeup.
Christopher Drummond, Shu Uemura, Hana K - These are my flat tops. I have a love hate relationship with flat tops, they look appealing to me but when it comes to application I find they aren't as efficient as other brushes.
Christopher Drummond - The brush is synthetic which makes it easy to clean. However, compared to other synthetics, I found this one long in length and the hairs a bit stiff. This makes powder application somewhat more of a whisking application, the tips just quickly apply the powder.
Shu Uemura 25 BL - This one happened to be my favorite buffing brush for minerals. The short flat top made application quick and easy. What made me fall out of love with it, was me. I grew a sensitivity to this brush, the hairs would poke which made me feel uncomfortable. Also, washing this brush was a pain, it took more than a day to dry thoroughly and that was in the summer time!
Hana K - I believe this brush is discontinued and what a shame, it was a great Kevyn Aucoin knock off! So great that I loved this version and got rid of the KA brushes! This one is packed and the hair is so soft that application of any powder was dreamy. The only drawback, again with the washing. It got dirty quickly due to the fine hair. Still a dream brush!
Stilazzi, Alima, Tarte, Real Techniques - The length and size of the head makes these brushes perfect for buffing in foundation. However, I have found some are better than others.
Stilazzi S-107 (pr sample) - This has been my go-to brush lately because it is packed at the ferrule and leads into soft tips of synthetic hair. The firmness allows for easy control of application yet the tip of the hair is soft so it easily buffs in the powder. Easy to clean and dries quickly!
Alima - This style has been discontinued which is too bad because it is one of the nicest synthetic brushes ever. The hairs are packed and soft. The diameter of the head allows for fast application. Again, since it is synthetic, it dries quickly.
Tarte - This was a freebie I from a purchase. It is synthetic with mediocre grade quality. The hair is thick and slightly stiff. If I lose this, I won't cry.
Real Techniques - The hair on this one is shorter in length but I find it takes longer than the other brushes to apply foundation since it won't spread out as well or buff in the powder as quickly. Better to use for liquids or creams. Again, nothing to cry over if the cats take it to play.
What do you think? For me, I like the synthetics because they are easier to clean. Of course, the quality of the synthetic matters. I mean some of them work better as paint brushes and don't think I haven't used some of them as such! The hair ones are nice but they are a pain to clean. Hope you liked looking at my collection!
*Stilazzi brush - PR sample.*
