THE BEAUTY SPOT : How to build a good collection of brushes

 I am forever being asked - what brushes do I buy?

Buying brushes is an expensive but often essential part of make-up artistery. Even those of us who do not do professional make-up have at least one brush in our personal kit. There are however,, some brushes that are more professional use then others and some which are more essential then others.....so how do you know which ones to buy?

I always say to people that buying a good quality brush - and buying individually - can save you more money then buying sets. Sure a set is good value but is it really when you consider that you may only use two of the six brushes you have bought? I have only ever bought one set and true to form, I have only ever used three of them. So I have put together a list of my MAC brushes that I cannot live without. These are the brushes that I use personally and professionally that I would cry if I lost.......

150 - This is the largest powder brush that MAC do. It retails for about €50 and to me, it is well worth the extra cash. This brush will have your powder, bronzer and everything done in five seconds flat. It's a bit bigger then needed for blusher but if your a powder girl - then this is your brush!!! You can also invest in the 129 which is smaller but personally, there is not much difference price wise and the 150 wins hands down for me.

 217 - LOVE this brush. This was the first MAC brush I ever owned. It blends beautifully and leaves such a flawless finish behind. I love using this for smokey eyes. In fact, you can achieve anything with this brush. It just has such a lovely finish. If it's clean then you can use it to blend concealer as well. This brush should set you back €20.50. It is well worth the cost!!! An essential top three purchase!!!

 266 - Genius. There is no liner too complicated for this amazing brush. It's easy to use and leaves a strong crisp line. I normally combine this with my black track but it can be used for brows too.  I normally keep two of them - one for brows and one for liner. I use so much liner that I am constantly cleaning it!!! Careful how you clean this brush though - you need to keep the hairs sharp.

 187 - This is a cult brush. Everyone I know who has one of these brushes - loves it and everyone I know who doesn't have one - wants one.  This is the easiest way to get that flawless finish with little to no work! You just blend the brush across the face is soft circular motions and the natural and synthetic fibres do all the hard work for you. This is great for everything from heavier gel foundations to lighter water based foundations. I love this for my face and body which is fast becoming my college must have!!!!

 168 - This has only recently grown on me. I love using it now for contouring. I love how you can really press the powder into the cheekbone and get a great shape using it. It's wonderful. This normally sells for €32.50 and I do know girls who have applied foundation with it and powder. Personally, I have only ever used it for primer -outside of powdering my cheekbones. I think as a foundation brush - it would just take too long and it would be hard to clean as I know cream blushers take ages to get out of it.

 

239 -  This brush is great for building really strong color on the eyelids. I normall use this one with my 217 for a fantastic smokey eye. I find the 217 is just too soft for really packing the color on. This is great for those using pigments as well. It really presses the color in.  It should set you back about €25-ish.....

So there you have it - a good selection of brushes! I would advise that you take the time to talk to your MAC advisor about brush cleanser as well. If you are making an investment into a new set of brushes then you need to know how to clean them to save the heart ache of seeing them fall apart. Invest in brush cleaner - its about €13 a bottle and a bottle will last you ages!!! It cleans, disinfects and saves the brush for longer!!!