which make up brushes for a novice?

[peggyblackett]

I've figured that at the age of 37 I should really master the art of applying eyeshadow. I've been told its all about the brushes you use, so what should I buy?

Bobbi Brown and Mac brushes are lovely.

I have a BB eyebrow brush, Mac foundation brush, a shaped blusher brush and a Mac eyeliner brush (for gel eyeliners and a bushy one for smudging)

I have others but tend not to use them.

Just realised you were specifically asking about eyeshadow.

I have a thin brush for gel eyeliner, a bushy domed brush to blend and smudge. I find that I generally prefer a sponge tip/finger to apply eye shadow all over to get a stronger colour.

You'll definitely be able to get a better result with decent brushes, but what brushes you will want to buy will depend on the techniques you want to use. MAC brushes are generally considered to be the gold standard but I'd suggest the studio and studio pro lines from www.crownbrush.co.uk. They are much more affordable than MAC brushes, if you go to make up artist trade shows they always seem to have the busiest stall (I know, I've had to queue in the past) and the quality of those particular lines is pretty damn good. Infact, they actually manufacture some brushes for the likes of MAC and Bobbi Brown, so buy the unbranded versions direct for much less.

Ooh thank you both!

Which brushes should I get to get started with? I am sooooo novice. Are there any books/sites I could read to stop me looking like a bad tranny (I am super tall so this is a real risk).

Agree re crown brushes but real techniques from Sam chapman brushes are brilliant. Available from boots and they do an eye set, also a base set etc. boots often do 3 for 2 on them so maybe worth getting them like that and having a base set, eye set and a set for a pressie. They come in a great little case too so would be giftable.

Top tip tho is its hard to work with dirty brushes so clean them often! Johnsons baby shampoo is ace but don't get the metal bit holding the bristles too wet.

25 refundable make up done by most mac counters. Explain exactly what you want and then get a couple of key shadows from there against the make over fee. As long as you explain what you want the artists are brilliant. Ie say I want to make eyes look bigger, greener, less dark etc. then get the real techniques brushes.

Lots on here recommend bobbi brown but I don't really like the eye looks their artists do. Always a bit much IMO. Some bb eye products are ace tho. The long lasting cream shadows are lovely and good on their own or as a base. Don't crease.

re the bobbi brown brushes- i bought the eyeliner brush (a few years ago- £17!!! so will be even more now!) to go with the eyeliner gel thing (so spent about £37 if i recall on feckn eyeliner, def not worth it). Anyway- after a few months, the bristles came away from the stick, no def not impressed at all.

The ones I use at the moment are the body shop- have had them for years and still going strong. They are often on 3 for 2 or similar deals.

Check out Sali Hughes' videos on the Guardian, she is my guru for make-up.

second the body shop brushes- for eyse i have an eyeshadow brush and a smudger thing as well as an angled brush.

Real technique brushes in boots are pretty good, good value for money. Face brushes are especially good. I have some expensive brushes (mac BB etc) and reach for the Real Techniques more. Plus they are synthetic, so easier to clean!

I have just looked at the crown brushes website that LtheWife linked to- OMG, I didn't ever imagine that there was such a huge variety of eyeshadow brushes you could buy! I'm confused just looking at them!

Real Techniques brushes (available in Boots and online-not sure about where else) are, IMO, the best. They're considerably cheaper than MAC and BB, which I also love, but the quality is exceptional. They're all synthetic but equally good with creams and powders, wash really well and don't moult at all. I really, really recommend them! (I'm a make up artist with gazillions of brushes, and they're the ones I use most often.)

I've got a socket brush and eye powder brush from Clinique. I am devoted to them, but the socket brush is the sky plus of make up brushes.