Tools of the Trade

Tools are to a makeup artist what a brush is to a painter... Without the right tools, we can't do our job... Believe me, the right tools can make a huge difference in applications... It's like buying a Kancil instead of Mercedes. Which car do you think is the better ride? My advice: buy the best... After all, good tools are investments and the results are incomparable.

There are dozens of different brushes in the market. If you can't afford them all, you'll need to invest in at least 5 of them: a blusher brush, a powder brush, a highlighter brush, a shadow brush and an angled eyebrow brush...

Besides that a good pair of tweezers and eye lashes curler are also important... Some other essentials like powder puff, sponges, cotton buds are inexpensives and should be replaced regularly... And most importantly, dun't share your tools for hygienic purposes.. If you're doing makeup for others (like yours truly), wash your brushes regularly...

What follows is a list of tools that are always in my makeup kit... (will put up pics soon)

1. Blusher brush
-tapered cut with a flat oval head to give the cheeks a healthy glow
Why you need it: allow you to deposit product precisely where you want it to be e.g apple of the cheeks

2. Powder brush
-larger and fuller than a blusher brush with a round head that allows you to apply loose powder over a large area
Why you need it: distributes powder evenly over the face and throughout makeup application, to reset powder and other makeup as it's applied

3. Flat head eye shadow brush
-small, dome-shaped brush for applying eye shadow
Why you need it: perfect for applying eye shadow directly to the eyelid and for blending eye shadows (colours)

4. Contour crease brush
-to add depth and definition to the eyes
Why you need it: to give the eyes more depth, esp for us Asian who has small eyes

5. Foundation brush
-to blend foundation
Why you need it: to apply/blends foundation on specific areas

6. Sponge tip applicator brush
-to apply eyeshadow or as a smudger
Why do you need it: for blending eye shadows or smudging eyeliner

7. Wet eyeliner brush
-fine, pointy tip brush for applying wet eyeliner
Why you need it: for precise application to the lashes, use with wet eyeliner or creme eye shadows

8. Angle brush
-angled tip for the eyes/brows
Why you need it: to create a nice smooth lines for eyes or brows

9. Lip brush
-for applying lip colour/lip gloss
Why you need it: use to line the lips and applying colours evenly

10. Spiral brush
-resembles a mascara wand
Why you need it: to separate the lashes and to remove excess mascara after application

11. Eyebrow comb
-brush/comb for the brows
Why you need it: to shape the brow and make it neater

12. Duster
-to dust away any excess powder
Why you need it: use at the end of makeup application to dust away any excess loose powder and to set the makeup

Other tools:

1. Eye lashes curler
2. Tweezers
3. Scissors
4. Sponges- for foundation/compact powder

*from my own notes