Welcome to Leigh's List. A weekly column, a bit like an agony aunt, but for your shopping woes. A self-confessed shopping addict, Leigh Campbell enjoys nothing more than hunting down the *thing* you've been searching for but haven't been able to find.
Ava asked:
“Hey Leigh, I hope you can help me with brushes for my makeup bag? I use a liquid foundation and a few powders and of course eyeshadow.
“I have a couple of brushes but I don't really know which to use for what and I also don't want to spend a huge amount on a whole brush set I won't use.
“Which brushes do you actually use? Which ones do you think I should start with if I make a collection?”
Leigh answered:
Oh, the timing! I recently flew interstate and packed all my makeup in a bag, but what didn't I pack? My brushes or tools, not one. I made a quick dash to the closest pharmacy to grab some essentials.
I don't use a huge amount of brushes and tools anyway, so with that recent experience in mind and looking at what I do for most days, here is what I recommend.
1. An eyelash curler.
I have pretty short, straight lashes, so I really hate it if I have to do my mascara without my lash curler. I clamp the bottom of my top lashes near the lash line, then do the same thing every few millimetres until I reach the end of my lashes.
Try these:
M.A.C Full Lash Curler, $44.
Modelrock GOLD LUXE - The 'INSTA-LIFT' Lash Curler, $18.
Adore Beauty Tools of the Trade Eyelash Curler, $14.95.
MCoBeauty Spring Eyelash Curler, $14.99.
2. An angled brush.
An angled brush is more versatile than you think. It can apply brow powder or wax, or be used to smudge out pencil liner on the top lid (I do that all the time).
Also, try wetting it and using it with eyeshadow to make a liquid liner — the water intensives the pigment.
Nude by Nature Angled Eyeliner Brush, $18.95.
M.A.C Small Angle Brush, $47.
elf Small Angled Brush, $9.
Adore Beauty Tools of the Trade Angled Detail Brush, $11.95.
3. A dual ended shadow brush.
You can get eyeshadow brushes in literally hundreds of shapes and densities. I prefer to opt for one that has a different size on each end so I can still create different looks and blend my shadow tightly or with bigger strokes, and it’s all in one nifty handle.
Garbo & Kelly Double Eyeshadow Brush, $45.
CHANEL Dual-Ended Lip Brush, $56.
Flower Dual Ended Eye Brush, $7.99.
Makeup By Mario Ef 1 Makeup Face & Eye Brush, $40.
4. A ‘wet’ brush.
I learned the trick of having one ‘wet’ brush and one ‘dry’ brush from a makeup artist. I say wet brush as opposed to foundation brush, because I use the same brush to blend my foundation after I've applied it with my fingers as I do to blend out my liquid brush or cream bronzer. I also use it to blend in concealer. I use a baby wipe to clean it after each use, between proper washes.
Holme Beauty Brush Number Three, $32.
M.A.C. Synthetic Rounded Slant Brush, $92.
Spectrum Sculpt Number 5 Brush - The Sculpt Brush, $42.95.
Revlon Beauty Tools Buffing Foundation Brush, $24.95.
5. A ‘dry’ brush.
Same as the above, I use a medium-sized brush to blend in any powders (translucent, bronzer, highlighter or blush) in targeted spots with light sweeping motions. Both your wet and dry brushes can be any medium sized brush. I have one wet and one dry so that the different consistencies of my makeup don't muddy the end result.
Adore Beauty Tools of the Trade Precision Complexion Brush, $17.95.
INIKA Organic Setting Brush, $39.
Clarins Multi-Use Foundation Brush, $50.
Silk x Fernando Powder Me Brush, $42.
6. A powder brush.
A big, fluffy powder brush is great to have on hand as a final step when I want a sweep of bronzer all over, or I need to mattify a foundation with powder. This is bigger than the dry and wet brushes as it requires less precision.
Eye of Horus Vegan Multi-tasking Brush, $45.
Youngblood Powder Brush YB2, $44.95.
Chi Chi Powder Brush, $24.95.
Natio Powder Mineral Brush, $17.95.
Interested in Leigh doing some personal shopping for you? Let us know in the comments what fashion mission you'd like to send her on.
Feature Image: Instagram @leighacampbell/Myer/Chemist Warehouse/Clarins/Canva
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