choosing brushes

In order to choose a high quality, makeup brush, you must first understand the construction of Makeup Brushes. Basically  a brush can be divided into three parts: Hair, Ferrule and Handle.

The most important part about choosing your cosmetic brushes, is the right Hair Type to do the job you want. Once, you know what hair type you are looking at, you can then look at the overall construction of the ferrule and the handle.

Hair Type

Check the hair type, density, cut and shape as they affect hair quality. Makeup Brush Hair Type is the most important factor when choosing your makeup brush.

The best, and the choice of professional makeup artists is natural hair type. The hair quality affects the prices of makeup brushes and ranges from the finest and most expensive Kolinsky sable to the most common natural bristle. Kolinsky sable, squirrel, mink and weasel and Goat are used in top quality brushes. Decent quality choices include Pony and hair blends. Synthetics such as Nylon and Taklon, are best left for use on eyebrows and for applying foundations, respectively.

CUT refers to the method by which the hair is harvested. It makes a huge difference because virgin or first-cut fur, makes the softest makeup brush Therefore when first cut hair  is added to not-so high grade hair type cosmetic brushes they feel extra soft for that particular hair type. First-cut (Top grade) hair, is also cruelty-free, as they are sheared from the tips of the fur. That is why they are the softest on your skin. The best way to relate I guess, is to imagine how the tips of our own hair would feel after a hair cut. Blunt-cut hair refers to the ‘lower’ cut of the fur. They are much coarser and can feel prickly against your skin. Imagine brushing cropped prickly hair against your face! Blunt-cuts are widely used in lower  quality cosmetic brushes because they are much cheaper than the first cut. A good way to test is to look at the tips of the hair of the makeup brush. The finely pointed (natural-looking) ones are most likely the first-cut.

The shape and density determine whether they will perform the job intended, effectively and efficiently. You want the makeup brushes to do magic and do it fast! In general, there are three kinds of makeup brush shape – square cut, chisel cut, and round cut. When we talk about makeup brush shape we’re referring to the shape of the tips of the cosmetic brushes. High quality brushes are hand made, not machine cut, as hand shaped makeup brushes have their precious tips (first-cut) still intact. The machine cannot compete with the skillful hands of the ‘masters’. Machines can’t ‘shape’ the makeup brushes without sacrificing (trimming) the soft tips of the makeup brushes. That is why, high quality makeup brushes are hand made hence are usually more expensive

Ferrule (Metal part)

Check that it is seamless. That means exactly that – no seams around it! Most makeup brushes are seamless. Metal types used include Aluminum (usually Aluminum Alloy as Aluminum by itself is impossibly soft), Copper and Brass (strongest). Whatever the metal type, ensure they are double crimped (2 circles around them) to avoid wobbly handles.

Handle

Check that it is made from hard wood and that the length or overall weight feels good in your hand. The length of the handle is a matter of personal choice but usually most pros prefer a brush lenght of around 7”.