Anyone who has anything to do with makeup knows that the most basic tools of makeup are the different kinds of brushes. A good quality makeup brush set can make all the difference to your appearance. There are different types of makeup brushes, depending on the purpose they serve.
Types of Makeup Brushes and their Uses
While you may not need too many, yet, it is always useful to know just how many kinds of brushes there are, and how to use them. So, here’s a fairly exhaustive list of what all is out there. Check out various types of makeup brushes and their uses. Choose what you need, depending on your makeup routine.
Foundation brush
A foundation brush is one of the most commonly used types of makeup brushes, and is part of almost every makeup brush set, which is not surprising, considering that foundation is an essential part of any makeup routine. Foundation brushes come in various types, ranging from buffing bristles to blending brushes, from handle-less brushes to two-ended brushes. You will get a different look, depending on the type of brush you use. The most commonly used foundation brush is the round, dome-shaped brush with densely packed bristles.
How to use foundation brushes:
- Dip the foundation brush in the foundation.
- Apply to your face in short, circular motions.
- Start in the middle of your face, and work outwards.
Stippling brush
A stippling brush is actually a type of foundation brush, but we are listing it as a separate category in view of the function it performs, namely stippling makeup on your face. Stippling means applying makeup in small dots that are very close to one another so that the end result is a flawless look. This is one of the most important types of makeup brushes in a professional's makeup brush kit. It has a blunt, flat edge, and two layers of bristles. The upper bristles pick the makeup product, while the lower layer, which is denser, pushes the product onto your skin. Plume Professional Makeup brush P03 is a perfect stippling brush for your foundation application. You can use a stippling brush to apply foundation, or a blush or even a bronzer. You can use it on select areas of the face, or all over the face.
How to use stippling brushes:
- Apply a small amount of product to your stippling brush.
- Tap the product lightly on to your skin in small dots.
- Keep pressing the brush against your skin, creating more and more dots until you can no longer see individual dots. This can take a while, but you will get a flawless look.
- Alternatively, you can also blend the dots in small circular motions.
Powder brush
A powder brush is an indispensable part of your makeup brush set. It is a thick, full brush, with long, soft bristles that look fluffy. It is meant for lightly applying compact powder on your face, without depositing too much product on the skin. Plume Professional Brush P01 is a fluffy and high quality Powder brush that you must check out.
How to use powder brushes:
- Dip the brush in the face powder, or the compact.
- Tap off the excess powder.
- Sweep it lightly all over your face.
Concealer brush
A concealer brush is small in size, and has dense, rounded bristles. It is used for applying a concealer, liquid or cream-based, to select spots of the face. There are big concealer brushes as well, if you want to cover the areas under your eyes. Depending on the uses, P20, P21 and P18 of the Plume Professional Makeup brush range are great concealer brushes.
How to use concealer brushes:
- Dip the brush in the concealer.
- Tap it over areas that need coverage, for example, under your eyes, around your nose, or over blemishes.
- Take care not to use too much pressure.
Blush brush
This is a soft, fluffy brush that has slanted bristles. Used for applying blush, bronzer and highlighter, the blush brush is the softest brush in your makeup brush kit. It has dome shaped bristles, which help you to sweep colour on your face for that rosy glow. You can check out Plume Professional Brush P02 for a perfect blush brush!
How to use a blush brush:
- Dip the blush brush in the product you want to apply.
- Gently glide it over the apples of your cheeks, and your cheekbones.
- Take care not to overdo it.
Contour brush
This is an angled brush or a flat brush, with soft or dense bristles (depending on the brand/product). It is used for defining your cheekbones, and making your face appear slimmer or more angular. It is not a commonly used brush, and you may not find it in a regular makeup brush set. A contour brush is mostly used by makeup professionals. It has an angled tip, which helps define the lines used in contouring with a bronzer. The Plume Professional Makeup Brush P04 is a great contour brush. The firmer bristles blend the powder, leaving behind a slight shading.
How to use a contour brush:
- Take a little bit of bronzer that is one shade darker than your face on to the contour brush.
- Sweep the contour brush over areas that you want to make appear slimmer and more angular.
- Work with the flow of the brush, and not against it.
Flat eyeshadow brush
There are various types of eye makeup brushes and Flat eyeshadow brush is one of them. This is a flat, fluffy, medium-sized brush that is used for applying eye makeup over the eyelid. It is commonly found in almost every makeup brush set. In the Plume Brush set, you can find several flat brushes, which are P11 (cut crease brush), P09 (Flat fluffy brush), P17 (Dome shaped flat brush), and P18 (concealer brush).
How to use a flat eyeshadow brush:
- Dip the brush lightly into the eyeshadow of your choice.
- Sweep the shadow on the eyelid.
- Blend in an outward direction.
Blending brush for eyes
This is a brush with wide, flat bristles that taper at the end. These types of makeup brushes are usually round or round with a tapered end. It is used for blending layers of eyeshadow. The Plume P07, P22, P24, P08 are great eyeshadow blending brushes that cover a wide variety of sizes and uses.
How to use a blending eye brush:
- Apply the first layer of eyeshadow with the regular eyeshadow brush.
- Then use the blending brush to smooth and blend additional layers of eyeshadow.
Fine Eyeliner brush
This is a brush which has fine bristles and is precise at the end. It is used for fine eyeliner application on the lids and sometimes under the eyes also. Plume Professional Brush P14 is a great precise eyeliner brush.
How to use the fine eyeliner brush:
- Dip the brush in the eyeliner and apply across the lash line.
Spiral eyebrow brush / Angled Eyebrow application brush
As the name suggests, a spiral eyebrow brush has a spiral end. Also called a spoolie, it has very rigid, spiralled bristles. It is used for grooming the eyebrows, combing them and shaping them. The angled eyebrow application brushes are used to precisely apply eyebrow products.
How to use a spoolie:
- Hold the brush at a convenient angle.
- Brush through the eyebrows in short strokes.
Lip brush
This is a small, fine brush, with a squared off tip, generally found in a makeup brush kit. It is used for defining the edges of your lips and applying lip colour or lip gloss. Plume P13 Brush is a great lip brush for precise application of lipstick/lipgloss.
How to use a lip brush:
- Dip the brush into the lipstick, or lip gloss.
- Wipe off the excess.
- Use the brush to line the edge of the lips.
- Fill in the colour.
Check out this video about Different types of makeup brushes and their uses.
Plume Professional Makeup Brushes
In addition to the types of makeup brushes and their uses listed above, there are several brushes like the pencil brush which is the P19, the under eye blending/smudging brush which is P12 and the small powder brush like P23 and so on. Now that you know just how many brushes there are in a makeup brush set, you also need to know which brand of makeup brushes to buy. We recommend Plume Professional Makeup Brushes, which are acknowledged as brushes of high quality. Plume brushes are recommended by makeup artists of repute, as well as renowned beauty bloggers. Even though Plume brushes are of premium quality, they will not burn a hole in your pocket. Whatever your makeup need, there is a Plume brush to help you fulfil it.
