Brush-a Brush-a Brush-a -- Part II

Well, here we are on the second part of our (and I’ve just decided this) three part brush tutorial. Now that we’ve got an idea of the sort of brushes you’d most commonly use, let’s talk price and quality.

Why Are Some Brushes More Expensive Than Others?

These days money is tight and when you’re standing there looking at a virtual wall of brushes you have to wonder: What makes this brush that looks about the same as this one more expensive? Is it better? If it is, why is it better? There are usually three major factors in the price and quality of a brush.

1.) The first thing that usually figures into the value and quality of the brush is the kind of hair the brush is made out of. If it’s a natural hair brush (the soft makeup brushes), the price can depend on the type of hair it’s made from. With natural hair brushes there are a number of different types: Pony, Camel, Goat, Kolinsky Sable, Squirrel… and a good many more.

Important Note: No animals are harmed in the making of these brushes! The brushes on these site are cruelty-free. The hair is cut from the animal, but they are not killed for it. So please trust me when I say they may have a new do, but they are still in good care.

Pony
Pony hair actually doesn’t come from baby horses, but from a horse that is at least two years old. It’s very strong but also soft. The highest quality comes from the belly of the animal and is often blended with other hairs for less expensive touch-up brushes.

Camel
Camel hair brushes are actually not from an actual camel. It’s a ‘trade name’ that was given from Mr. Camel who invented them. This means it’s a blended brush usually mixed with pony, goat, and squirrel hair. These are usually made into a wide range of different makeup brushes.

Goat
Goat hair (Capra) is the most commonly used hair type in making cosmetic brushes since they are the least costly to produce and the hair is the easiest to obtain. The softest goat hair is the first-cut with the tips still intact. Goat hair makeup brushes from the blunt cut are used in the manufacture of mass produced, lower quality brushes. The higher quality is hand-made like any other high quality cosmetic brush to preserve the delicate tips.

Kolinsky Sable
Kolinsky is not the name of the guy who invented this type of brush. Actually it's the Russian name for mink. It’s a species of mink found in cold regions of Russia and China. Brushes made from Kolinsky sable are the softest and the most expensive. Each Kolinsky hair has a naturally long fine point tip and a thick 'belly' and is known for it’s cone-like shape. No other sable can match the length of the Kolinsky sable. They have a have a tendency to snap back to its original shape when bent, but it’s still wonderfully soft.

Squirrel
Let’s start off with me telling it's a bad idea to think about catching squirrels to make yourself a home-made makeup brush then have an interesting pet to talk about in social situations. It’s not that kind of squirrel you saw eating an acorn this morning by the road, plus catching one could lead to a whole issue of bites and angry squirrels. Only the long-haired squirrel has the right kind of stuff for the softest brushes out there and it's not an eyeball sort of differentiation. With that said…

Squirrel hair brushes are the softest you’ll find. Squirrel is naturally very fine and relatively thin when compared to sable, but it has no springy-ness to it. Although soft squirrel hair is relatively thin, it still has a thick 'belly' hence has a cone-like shape with the tip coming to a fine point. This is why 100% all pure squirrel makeup brushes are extremely soft and my personal favorite PR brush to finish off any beauty makeup. They just feel so darn luxurious! They also work very well on sensitive or delicate skin with my clients that are cancer or burn survivors.

2.) How the hair is attached to the handle of the brush. The ferrule is the metal piece that the hair is crimped or glued into. Higher quality brushes are double crimped and seamless to keep the hair from shedding and the handle from wobbling later in the life of the brush. If better care is taken with this step the brush may be more expensive, but should have a longer life.

3.) The last major reason for price is often times the culprit of name branding. Just like cosmetics, it’s all in how the brush is marketed and if you’re paying for a fancy name or a super shiny handle. The more some companies spend on ads and show-y flash will usually affect the price of a brush.

As you can see there are a number of factors that will work into what quality and price point your makeup brushes can be. You don’t always have to go for the most expensive. It really depends on what you want out of your tools. Now that you’ve got a bit more knowledge under your belt you can feel more confident in your hunt for the right brush.

Game On: Powder Puffs VS Powder Brush

"Makeup!" You can almost hear the loud call of the director's voice and see the explosion of powder as this giant pillow of a powder puff smashes a performer in the face. That's the image most people have in their heads of the old skool powder puff, but is that how it really works? Why would you want to use a puff and not the ever popular powder brush?

Almost every girl out there has a powder brush, but do we really know what it's meant for? The easy answer would be "to apply powder", but there's a lot more detailed look at that brush sitting in your makeup drawer.

So let's take a look at what each product is really designed for and how in the world we're supposed to use these tools.

Powder Puffs
Webster's dictionary defines a powder puff as: a small fluffy device (as a pad) for applying cosmetic powder. Now that's a pretty broad generalized definition. Puffs are designed to hold powder inside of them and when you tap them, the powder is released where you need it. They are generally used best with either pressed or loose powder, when setting a cream foundation or as a quick way to cut shine. The plus side of using a puff to set your makeup is that you're setting the makeup so it doesn't crease or move. It'll secure your makeup for a much longer wearability time.

Pressed Powder
This is probably the most common type of puff people have used. It's that tiny little puff that comes with a pressed powder/cake powder compacts. You just swipe it across the powder and swipe it across the face for quick touch ups. Simple and easy, no instruction really needed.
The one thing to keep in mind is to change that little puff out every few weeks. Bacteria can build up and cause break outs or other skin irritations. The replacement puffs are really inexpensive (unsually a dollar to three) but we tend to hold onto those little buggars like they're gold. It's funny how we may be willing to spend a good portion of our hard-earned money on a powder but we don't replace a very inexpensive little puff.

Loose Powder
The first time I ever attempted trying to use one of these I tapped my loose powder onto it and tried to get it to my face. Needless to say, I got powder all over my face, my new black dress, and my new black heels.
Yeah, no. I thought to myself, This is totally not cool . It wasn't until I started training to be a makeup artist that I learned how to properly use a puff. Of course I had been doing it all wrong.
With loose powder the key is that after you tap the powder onto the puff, you fold it in half (like a taco) and rub the powder into the puff (almost like rubbing out a stain). This way all the powder is inside the puff and you can easily transfer the puff to your face. Then tap the puff on your face and press the powder into the makeup. Tah-dah! Now it works like it's supposed to and you're not surrounded by a halo of powder dust!

Powder Brush
This is probably one of the most requested brushes people ask for in a makeup store, but most people aren't using for the purpose it was originally created for. Yes, powder brushes are great for applying very light amounts of powder, usually from a pressed cake.
I like to use small powder brushes to set makeup under the eyes with loose powder so it doesn't cake up on the delicate skin. I press the brush against the makeup and give a precision powder without applying too much.
If you're touching up for a little shine here and there, that's great! I use it on set all the time just for that purpose.
Did you know though, that powder brushes are actually meant to remove powder? That's right, it's meant to sweep away any access powder left over from a powder puff that may be laying on the skin. If you're trying to set a foundation with a powder brush by sweeping it around, you're just dusting the powder on the surface of the skin and not settling it into the makeup so the makeup may still smear.

If you look at both tools, they're used in combination for a flawless makeup finish! It's not really a versus story at all but a fanatastic team-up!