Makeup Brushes: The beginning of an era

164000 year old makeup was first discovered by archaeologists in a South African cave, which was nothing but powdered rocks. By 40000 BC, when the modern living began, humankind eventually began to feel conscious about their appearances. It was then and it is now that the global beauty market is estimated to reach about $ 265 billion in 2017. It was the early 1900’s when the world was introduced to brands like Maybelline, Elizabeth Arden, Max Factor and many more. I look back in time and I wonder when were the makeup brushes and tools really introduced? Well, at least I know that the first mascara wand inside tubes came in 1958.

When I began using makeup, I’d usually do it with hand and whatever applicators were pre-provided. However, it began to look messier and I would lose patience and wanted a faster alternative. Hence, I took resort to makeup brushes. Now, when you look around in the market you will find two kinds of makeup brushes. The cheaper ones and the professional ones. Even as a beginner I knew if I bought the cheaper ones, they will not be great for my skin and plus wear out in no time. And this indeed happened with a brand I first bought called Vega. No matter what brushes I bought from them, I was always disappointed. Then one day while I was shopping something from The Body Shop, I glanced on their brushes. The Body Shop brushes were much softer, held their shape and looked to be of great quality. So I bought their eye shadow blender, powder brush, powder puff, body brush and the foundation brush. It’s been about a year now and all of them are still intact and work really well.

Makeup brushes you need

Now, that was not enough for me. I was looking for more such tools and makeup brushes so I went around looking for more brands. Here are the brands I use brushes from: PAC Cosmetics, Real Techniques, YBP Cosmetics, Beauty Blender, Sephora, Colorbar and The Body Shop. However, I then got this little addictive to the whole idea. Instead of having a few, I bought quite many brushes at once. I completely know that I don’t need them, but I still buy them. But you don”t have to do that. I think one only needs some basic tools to achieve a flawless look. So let’s discuss the brands and brushes that are available in the Indian market. I will also mark the ones which I feel you should use and are “Highly Recommended”.

PAC Cosmetics

I think the first brush I began using by PAC was last year just as soon as they had launched. All their brushes are fantastic. They are dense, the brush quality is really great, you can easily clean and maintain them and blend real well. I had some problem with their blender first but the new blender that they have launched is much sturdier and works much better. The best part about their tools is that they have made it really accessible as they are all decently priced. Here are the brushes/tools I would recommend you all to buy.

  1. PAC Beauty Blender: Retails for Rs. 485 (just as the old one did).
  2. PAC Brush 045: This is a special fan brush. I love using it for applying highlighter on the bridge of my nose and under the eye area. It retails for Rs. 350.
  3. PAC Contouring brush 063: This one has short bristles and really works great to get a sharp contoured look. It retails for Rs. 795.
  4. PAC brush 391: It retails for Rs. 645 and is ideally great for eye shadow blending.
  5. PAC Foundation brush 003: This retails for Rs. 1075 and is a fantastic foundation brush. And I love how soft it feels.
  6. PAC Master Stroke Brush Kit: Now honestly, this is my favourite set of brushes. They work really well with your 360 makeup requirement. They are a really good quality dupe for artis brushes. The whole set retails for Rs. 6350 which is really good value for money.
  7. PAC Makeup Sponge/Puff: When they launched this I really felt this was a boon in disguise because the PAC makeup puff is a really good quality powder puff. And it only retails for Rs. 150.

Real Techniques makeup brushes

There are a handful brushes I really like from Real Techniques. You should know that because they are professional makeup brushes, a lot of makeup artists in the film industry use these. The quality as well as its make is really refined and works amazing for months.The brushes I personally use and you can get are:

  1. Real Techniques Expert Face brush: I use this brush for foundation application as well as blending concealers or contour lines. This retails for Rs. 405.
  2. Real Techniques Powder Brush: Dust off excess compact or conceal your foundation with a layer of powder, you will love using this powder brush. Retails for Rs. 488.
  3. Real Techniques Setting Brush: This is an ideal brush for setting your concealer as well as baking. Retails for Rs. 849 (you can find it on a lower cost often on Amazon.in)
  4. Real Techniques Sculpting Brush: Great for sculpting your face and blush. Retails for Rs. 595.

YBP Cosmetics

There isn’t much I’d like to say, instead have a look at this descriptive review of my experience with the YBP Makeup sponge. They are available in two variants:

  1. Lust: An all rounder makeup sponge, retails for Rs. 1099.
  2. Naked: For sensitive skin, retails for Rs. 1099.

Beauty Blender

This is the best beauty blender available in the market and honestly, the longest that has been with me. It retails for Rs. 2361 and is definitely one of my prized possessions. Buy here.

 The Body Shop, Colorbar and Sephora

These makeup brushes can be easily found at their dedicated stores. I feel the Sephora ones are a little too expensive in India, but are definitely of a really great quality.

Brands I am looking forward to try

1. Lottie London

This is a recent launch in India and I am really looking forward to try theirs as I have heard a lot of cool things about their quality. Buy them here.

2. Morphe Brushes

I have added it in my cart just waiting for the payment to clear. Got it struck from my wish list. Here’s what I bought: Morphe Brushes.

Trendogue Recommends:

  1. Someone who uses makeup every day must clean their makeup brushes once a week without fail. You don’t want you face to be victim of fungal infection and what not.
  2. Do not share makeup brushes ever.
  3. The basic makeup brushes that one really needs are the following:
  • Foundation brush
  • A beauty sponge
  • Concealer brush
  • Powder brush
  • A fan brush
  • All over eye shadow applicator
  • An eye shadow blending brush
  • A kabuki brush
  • An angled brush
  • A smudger brush
  • A lash and brow comb
  • A spare mascara wand

Anything more than this is just not necessary.

So what brushes do you have in your vanity? Is it ideal for one to have more brushes? If yes, why? Tell us in the comments section below. Share, comment and like!

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