Everything You Need to Know About Makeup Brushes

By Vijeta N.

Hello all,

There was a time when I knew nothing about makeup. It was all French and Latin to me. But, I always admired the cute bottles, bright shades, complicated brushes and everything related to makeup. I have always heard bloggers and makeup artists say, “Good makeup brushes can make or break the look”,”a good makeup brush can do wonders” etc. In my quest of understanding about these brushes, I have gathered some knowledge, over the years, on types of makeup brushes and, when to use which one.

Everything You Need to Know About Makeup Brushes2

I know all IMBBians are pros and may find this article very basic and obvious but, I am trying to reach out to ‘old me’, like girls who have just started exploring the most mesmerising world of makeup. The categories, I want to talk about mainly are Synthetic Brushes, Natural Brushes and Vegan Brushes.

Natural Brushes:

Natural brushes are made using animal hair. The bristles used in these brushes are made from the fur of squirrels, goats, minks or horses. These brushes are softer and fluffier compared to synthetic brushes. They are perfect for blending powder-based products seamlessly on skin. Natural Brushes are not ideal to use for liquid or cream products as they trap/soak the moisture, and thus makes the product dry and streaky on skin. However, they are extremely durable and get better with the usage. Natural hair bristles move freely, allowing you to not only pick up enough product in one swipe but also to blend it out beautifully.

Pros of Natural Brushes:

• Best for applying powder-based products.

Cons of Natural Brushes:

• People have allergy with animal hair.
• Sheds more.

Brands that retail Natural Brushes: Too Faced (teddy bear hair), The Body Shop (cat’s tail)

Everything You Need to Know About Makeup Brushes

Synthetic Brushes:

On the other hand, synthetic brushes are man-made brushes. They are made using Tak-Lon fibres, nylon or other synthetic fibre. If you are using a liquid or cream-based product then, we must use these over natural ones. They repel bacteria and dirt better than animal hair, so it is healthier to use synthetic brushes with non-powdery products. If you observe, synthetic brushes are flat and are not as fluffy as the natural ones. They do not have a cuticle like the natural brushes so, they don’t trap moisture thereby, making them ideal for using with liquid products. Synthetic bristles tend to gravitate towards one another, which makes them perfect for precise application.

Pros of Synthetic Brushes:

• Best for applying cream-based products.
• Easy to clean.
• Great for precision application.

Cons of Synthetic Brushes:

• Less fluffy.

Brands that retail Synthetic Brushes: MAC, NARS

Vegan Brushes:

Vegan brushes are synthetic and have nothing to do with animals. Many brands in the market launch their set of makeup brushes calling them natural and cruelty-free. I feel cruelty-free is a tricky term. It ‘technically’ means that the product is not tested on animals. However, this excludes haircuts, animal ingredients etc. And, brands claim that they obtain stuff from ‘humane methods’. So, many women opt for the synthetic and vegan range to make sure that they are not contributing to animal cruelty.