Even more confusing than the number of makeup products available in the market is the arsenal of makeup brushes all YouTube beauty gurus seem to know like the back of their hands. It’s hard to know where to start in order to conquer the brushes, when fingers seem to do the job just fine. The Week talked to Lemii Tamang in order to find out why it is important to use makeup brushes and the difference it makes while doing your makeup.

Why you need to use them
“Using fingers, or even the wrong makeup brush can change your entire look,” says Lemii. These brushes are made specially to fit into all the nooks and crannies of your face. Each brush targets a certain area and using the wrong ones won’t give as good a result as you would have had, had you used the specific brushes. Among the vast numbers of differently numbered brushes out there, there are a few you should know and have in your collection.

Flawless foundation
The best brush to apply liquid foundation with is a flat brush as it is designed to give you a flawless finish. Those who like heavy coverage should stick to the brush while others who are looking for lighter coverage can go for a beauty blender instead. “If you make sure both are damp, and squeeze any excess water out, your foundation will look more evenly distributed,” she says. If you are using a brush, make sure you get rid of any brush strokes. If blending it doesn’t work, lightly dab over with a sponge or a beauty blender instead.

Concealing right
The concealer brush is broader at the bottom and is pointed towards the tip. This makes it the perfect tool to target specific problem areas like under the eyes or any other blemishes you may have. The point tip also makes sure that it reaches all the nooks of your face, like the sides of your nose. You need to pay special attention while caring for this brush because it comes in direct contact with pimples while you conceal them. “Make sure that this brush is cleaned after every use, even if you don’t clean the other brushes,” Lemii advises.

Correcting mistakes
and more
The fan brush may look wonky and leave you wondering what it may be used for, but it is one of the most versatile makeup brushes out there. One of the biggest reasons you need to have this in your collection is the fact that it makes brushing eye shadow residue from your face very easy after you are done with your eye makeup. It is handy as it helps remove other powder makeup mistakes easily as well. “It also helps spread powder on your face evenly and no blemish or line is highlighted due to excess product,” she says. However, this brush is widely used to apply highlighter on your cheekbones. It distributes the highlighter so evenly that the highlight looks very natural.

For the perfect contour
The contour brush is angled and is shaped to mimic the angles of the cheekbones. They have soft but dense brushes that allow heavy coverage and don’t let the powder or the liquid run all over the place. “If you use the contour brush, you will realize that the entire process becomes so much easier,” Lemii says. She explains that this is because the brush fits so well under the cheekbones that it carves the perfect path for itself. While blending the contour with the makeup though, make sure you don’t go below the line your draw. You should always blend contour with sweeping upwards strokes.

Apply bronzer, blend,
and more
The kabuki brush has a flat top and is easy to recognize. It is usually the softest brush in the brush-kit. This brush is perfect for applying bronzer, powder and to blend all the other kinds of makeup. “When you load the brush with product and shake the excess away, what you are left with is the perfect amount of product that blends into your skin perfectly,” says Lemii.

The eye shadow duo
Although there are three types of eye shadow brushes you should have if you want to make a statement with your eye shadow skills, you really only need two. They are the eye shadow brush, and the blending brush. The eye shadow brush is flat and short and is perfect to build up the base, and gives you good coverage. The blending brush is small and has a slightly pointy tip. Blend your eye shadow slowly to build color rather than applying a lot at the same time. “You can also use the blending brush to highlight your brow bone,” she says.

 
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