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Ok ‘essential’ is a bit of an exaggeration. Maybe which brushes make life a bit handier? That aren’t foundation that I spoke about here or eyeshadow brushes that I speak about here? That’s more of a mouthful though 🙂 And I promise it’s just a coincidence that I have five here like the other lists.

A blush brush is definitely one of these. It’s handy to have a makeup brush dedicated to this task.

Blush is usually pink or peach and you don’t necessarily always want them colours on the rest of your face, so pick up a smallish, soft brush. One that will fit the apple of your cheeks but still blend the colour in.

A concealer brush is handy, but of course not a necessity.

I know you can just use your foundation brush (or your fingers). It’s handy to have a smaller, dense synthetic brush to apply concealer though. You can get into all the nooks and crannies of you face with it.

A powder brush for me, I think is pretty necessary in this business we call makeup application.

You can have one to apply your setting powder and bronzer or one for each, it’s up to you. I think if you were to have another brush, grab a large fluffy variety and even a smaller one for under the eyes (if you’re feeling really fancy) or like to use a different powder under there like I do. 🙂

Ok contour.

I know not all of us do it, nor do all of us give a crap about it, but if you do and are interested, there is many a brush to help you on your contouring journey.

Flat paint brush types, tapered fluffy types or even small rounded types. There’s one for all! If you want a stronger contour, choose a denser brush like the paint brush, but if you want to add a more diffused contour grab something tapered and soft.

Ok, last unnecessary but necessary brush. One for highlighting.

Again this all depends on your highlighting needs, if you don’t do it, you don’t need a brush and if you just use your fingers, that’s perfectly acceptable. This is just another brush option, if you want one 🙂

As you want to use a light hand with a highlighter…well I’m assuming you do? So a fan brush is a great brush to have (although I cannot find mine to use as an example sorry). Or a mini duo fibre brush works really well, as you can just use the top less dense layer for application. Anything smallish with a soft lightly packed bristles is good for the job really.

What do you think? Too many makeup brushes? If you are a full on makeup junkie, you’re probably thinking eh Gemma where’s the rest of them I know 🙂

Thanks for reading as always and be sure to follow me on social media for the chats. Snapchat is becoming really handy for that. I’m Beautynook over there.

xxx

Sometimes I forget that most people aren’t as obsessed with makeup and beauty products as much as me.I assume that everyone knows all the little tips and tricks that I’ve picked up along the way being a self confessed beauty addict.

This is not always the case, so I’ve set up a new little section to Beautynook called Beautynook Tips (unique name I know 🙂 I just want to keep it simple. Some of it may be common knowledge, some of it may not be, let’s just see where the wind takes us 🙂

So my first Beautynook Tip is going to be How To Keep Your Eyelashes Curled All Day.

I myself have pretty straight boring lashes, nothing to brag about or be proud of, so on a day to day basis I always put a little extra effort in to make them look a bit more full and curled.

Here are my lashes with no product on them:

Pretty bog standard right?

First up I like to give my lashes a really good curl.

I have used so many different types of lash curlers over the years. Some cheap, some not so cheap and my favourite by far have to be the Shu Uemura ones.

Not the most affordable, they will set you back around 20 euro, but whatever way they are shaped they just do a really good job at getting into the base of the lashes and doing the job well. When curling your lashes try to get as close to the base as possible (without hurting yourself of course). When you have all your lashes in the curlers, tilt it upwards slightly to help with the curling. Give the curlers a good few squeezes while you have them clamped on your lashes and hold them in place for a good 20 seconds or so to get the full benefit.

If you find your lashes won’t take a curl particularly well, try heating you lash curlers gently with a hair dryer. Give them a blast for about 5-10 seconds, you don’t want to get them too hot, but if they are heated slightly that will help with the process.

So eyelashes curled…check.

You can see that makes a huge difference already right?

Personally for me, most of the time, I find normal mascaras don’t cut the mustard when it comes to holding the curl in place all day long. This is a personal preference but I tend to go for waterproof formulas. I think as a general rule they hold a curl better and they don’t transfer onto my oily skin. At the minute I am using the Maybelline The Rocket Volum’ Express Waterproof, and I really like it.

I am not too particular about mascaras. If it does the job well, I will use any brand or price point. I am always on the look out for recommendations though so if you have one that you love be sure to let me know 🙂

When it comes to applying mascara I have found that applying from the base of your lashes, and wiggling the wand up to the tip is the best way to apply it. Use the bristles at the end of the wand to get into your outer lashes and fan them out for a more voluminous look. It applies product to every lash while helping to lift them into place before the mascara sets. I know waterproof mascara is more difficult to get off, but if you have trouble keeping a curl in your lashes, give it a go and I promise it will help. Just use an oil when cleaning and it will come off without too much trouble.

So mascara is added to the top lashes.

Ok this step might be a bit over the top. I use a different mascara for my bottom lashes. I know I know how high maintenance of me 🙂

I use the Mac Extended Play Lash mascara on my bottom lashes exclusively for a couple of reasons.

One it doesn’t budge and my bottom lashes notoriously smudge. I don’t find it very beneficial for my top lashes it’s not volume enhancing enough for me.

Also the wand it small and dinky.

You can get in to separate and coat all your little bottom lash hairs easier than with a big giant spooley like the one on the Maybelline mascara. I love having mascara on my bottom lashes I feel it opens your eyes and make you look more awake.

Bottom lashes done.

So lashes are done, but we can do one more step to make our lashes look a little fuller. Tight lining your upper water line really helps darken up your lash line and make your lashes look more voluminous. It’s not hugely noticeable here but I promise it helps. I will be honest and say it doesn’t feel very pleasant when you do it, but after a while you get used to it 🙂 Of course use a waterproof formula eye kohl or gel as you want it to stay put for as long as possible.

I tend to tight line my bottom water line too most days, I personally just feel I look a bit better with it done, so I’ll show you the finished look below.

There you have it, my first installment of Beautynook Tips. It seems like a lot of steps but I reckon I can knock this out in about 5 minutes now and once the mascara is on, it doesn’t budge until you take it off. These are tried and tested products.

If you have any tips or tricks you want to share be sure to add them in the comments below. If you have anything else you would like me to cover, let me know too.

Thanks for reading as always and have a great day 🙂

xxx

Posts

Five Essential Makeup Brushes

How To Keep Your Eyelashes Curled All Day