Next Week - Part Two begins with the Standard Brushes and how to make a small investment in brushes go a long way. And that's not all on brushes - Stay Tuned as we graduate to Brushes 214 - Beyond Standard and higher level brush courses. YES - there really is THAT much to know about BRUSHES!!!.

 

AND NOW BRUSHES 101

All of the brushes we sell are professional quality.
What we mean by professional quality is that they were desinged specifically for the makeup industry.
When you are looking for high quality or professional looking brushes - there are several things you should look at.

CHOOSING YOUR MAKEUP BRUSHES - WHAT TO LOOK FOR:
First the hair should be the first cut of the animal. The first cut is the only one that preserves the natural taper of the hair. Just like our eyelashes and eyebrow hairs that have never been cut - there is a natural taper at the end.

This natural taper is what makes the brush glide along the face smoothly with out irritating or feeling "pokey". Make sure the natural hair brushes you are loookig at are soft first cut brushes. Our natural hair brushes have the natural taper from the animal, the first cut of the hair guarantees this. Animals were not killed or harmed in the manufacturing of the brushes we carry.

Synthetic bristles are like nylon - a synthetic fiber is extruded from a micro-skinny tube and cut. Because of this, the synthetic brushes will never have a natural taper - but the French Synthetic brushes have fibers that are so fine - they feel ultra soft. The heavier Taklon Brushes are very well suited for foundation, concealer and lipstick application. natural or synthetic hair as noted.

The ferrule (the metal part that attaches the brush head to the handle) should be seamless, stainless nickel - it will not rust. The brush head should be firmly crimped onto a hard wood handle as its being glued to the handle, if this step is taken the ferrule will not wobble or come loose easily.

Most brushes are available with two different size handles.Short handle brushes have a approximately 3" handle and long brushes have approximately 6" handle. Short handles are recommended for personal use. They are easy to use in the mirror and fit in your purse. Long handle brushes are for the professional make up artist. The weight and length of the longer handles give a more balanced feel in your hand.

CARING FOR YOUR MAKEUP BRUSHES - HOW TO MAKE THEM LAST A CAREER!
It's easy to care for your brushes and the little amount of time it takes will extend the life of your brushes for several, several years. There are different fibers and some do have to be cared for differently. The main thing to remember with all your brushes is to keep them in a safe place where the bristles will not be crushed and to clean them as often as you can.

There are two ideas behind brush cleaning - Fast & Dry and Wet & Sudsy. The Fast & Dry method is recomended mostly for professionals when you are going through your brushes fast and do not have time to clean your brushes eith during or after a makeover. Or for at home if you would like to clean your brushes more than once a week. Either Parian Spirit Brush Cleaner (my favorite) or Cinema Secrets Brush Cleaner. They both clean fast by dippping the brush and then wiping off the makeup and the cleaner onto an absorbent paper towl. Cinema Secrets is faster and has a pleasant Vanilla Fragrance. But I also like the way the Parian Spirit cleans - the citrus spirits are a bit more natural too.

The Wet & Sudsy method is what I usually do once or twice a week if I am working alot. The Fast & Dry method will not really get in and clean the brushes down to the center. You need to do the Wet & Sudsy method to do that. Place a little Palmolive Dish Washing Liquid on the side of the sink. Get your brush wet and then dip the tip of your brush in the Palmolive and get wet again. Use the palm of your hand to brush the wet brush back & forth - not to hard - to create a stong lather. Rinse out the lather either under the facet. or in a bowl of water. BE SURE NOT TO lLET WATER UP & INTO THE FERRULE - hold brush bristles down under the facet and do not submerge your brush underwater in the bowl too much.

It will take time(and repeated steps) to make sure all the makeup and soap suds are out of the brush completely. When this is done, gently squeeze out excess water in the hair and shape with fingers. Lay flat on an absorbent terry towel.

I often useThe Master's Brush Conditioner. I use it to keep the shape of my brushes, repair bent hair on brushes and condtion dry brushes. (Available by phone at MakeUpMania 1-800-711-7182).

WHAT KIND OF HAIR ARE MAKEUP BRUSHES - AND DOES IT MAKE A DIFFERENCE?
Most brushes are made of natural hair. As are most of MakeUpMania's. Natural hair brushes are mostly used for powders, such as face powder, eyeshadow or powder blsuh. In most of the standard brushes we have - they are a mix of pony & goat. These are soft yet sturdy, strong hairs that will feel nice on the skin but have alot of bounce. Becuase they are stonger and thicker - not as much hair needs to be used in the making of these brushes and the prices can be less than an expensive softer hair like Sable or Squirrel.

What's good to remember about natural fiber brushes is that the softer the hair and brush are - the less amount of makeup it will pick up and deliver. Stronger and tighter brushes will pick up more product faster and deliver it faster. Knowing this will make picking out brushes for what you want them to do alot easier. For example a very soft brush will apply a light coat of shadow - is that what you want? Or do you want to put down a pretty strong base eyecolor fast . Then a tighter brush, sturdier hair is what will work. Now you can get specific when making Makeup Brush choices.

All of our brushes are guaranteed to be free from manufacturers' defects. If cared for properly these brushes will last a life time.