Makeup brushes can be a jungle, so how do you think? Now I thought I would go through everything you need to think about with makeup brushes!
Nanshy (adlink) is a cruelty-free makeup brush brand from the UK with really good makeup brushes in synthetic hair!
Here is a long (!) Post with everything you need to know about Nanshy's makeup brushes. Which make-up brushes you should choose for your particular products, how do you use each brush and how should you take care of them so that they are both hygienic and long-lasting :)
Everything you need to know about makeup brushes!
Wash makeup brushes – Makeup brushes for base makeup – Makeup brushes for eye shadow & lips
Synthetic hair or real hair?
At Creative Makeup, we only use synthetic makeup brushes. A common rule in makeup is to have makeup brushes with real hair for dry products such as powder and eye shadows, and makeup brushes with synthetic hair for creamy products such as concealer and liquid foundation. A long time ago, this rule was correct in that the synthetic brushes were not as developed but were more reminiscent of paintbrushes. Today, however, there are synthetic brushes that are as soft, fluffy and smooth as real hair, so that rule is not quite true today.
We advocate brushes with synthetic hair both from an animal friend perspective but also when it is much easier to maintain synthetic brushes. Real hair gets worn more easily, just like our hair on the head, and needs to be washed with shampoo and conditioner and preferably hair wrap as well. Synthetic brushes are made of plastic and can be cleaned with ordinary detergent without it tearing on the make-up brushes.
How to wash makeup brushes in the best way?
These synthetic brushes can be washed with ordinary detergent, but to get the makeup brushes clean faster, it is more effective with a special cleaning to wash off makeup. For example. Nanshy Makeup Brush & Sponge Cleaning Soap (adlink). A soap that is 100% natural and vegan with coconut milk and vitamin E oil.
How to use:
- Moisten the brush with lukewarm water. Let not the make-up brushes are soaked before, then the glue can dissolve.
- Massage the cleanser into the brush without rubbing unnecessarily much. The more you rub and ruffle the straws, the more you wear the makeup brush.
- Repeat until the makeup brush is completely clean
- Let dry lying on e.g. a towel. If the make-up brushes dry standing up, the water runs down and dissolves the glue where the straws are stuck.
How often you should wash your make-up brushes is different depending on what you use the brush for. For creamy products such as foundation, it is optimal to wash after each use as a lot of dirt and bacteria grow in the cream. It is also quite quick-washed after just one use as you do not have any dried makeup, so it goes pretty fast.
For make-up brushes that are used for dry products and sweeps on the skin and are not massaged in, for example the blush brush and eye shadow, you do not need to wash as often. 1-2 weeks apart is appropriate if you put on make-up every day. The more often you wash the make-up brushes, the less you have to work to get them completely clean, which saves both your energy and the durability of the brush.
Preferably store the make-up brushes in a separate place, e.g. standing in a glass. Then they are kept fresh longer than if they are in a dirty toiletry bag.
If you store the make-up brushes in a clean place and wash them regularly and in a gentle way, you will extend the durability of the make-up brushes. Even make-up brushes with good quality will be itchy in the long run if you do not take care of them.
Which makeup brush should I choose?
Having good make-up brushes simplifies the make-up routine enormously! Even for an experienced makeup artist, it is difficult to make an even base on the face or a soft fade on the eye shadow without good makeup brushes.
It's also a matter of having the right brush for the right thing. And each brush does not necessarily have only one area of use but can be used for more things, for example I often use Nanshy's lip brush for cream eyeliner and the Shader brush for eye shadow for my concealer :)
What each brush is good for and even more tips on areas of use, I will now go through brush by brush in the entire range! All make-up brushes are available for purchase separately, but there are also ready-made kits, which gives a cheaper price per piece.
Makeup brushes for base makeup:
Nanshy Angled Airbrush (adlink)
Description: This is a round makeup brush with a sloping flat top. The fact that it is skewed makes it easier to access e.g. under the eyes but it is also a matter of taste how you want to hold the brush compared to the brush "Flawless Foundation" which is not skewed.
Liquid foundation: I use it mainly for liquid foundation and you can apply both with circular movements or with sweeping movements.
Nanshy Flawless Foundation (adlink)
Description: A round brush with a completely flat top.
Liquid foundation: I use it mainly for liquid foundation and you can apply both with circular movements or with sweeping movements.
Dryga foundations: It works for all types of liquid foundations, but I mostly recommend it for slightly heavier foundations that are not so light in consistency. It also works well in terms of results, but very light foundations are absorbed faster in the brush, so for a more economical use I recommend using "Nanshy flat foundation brush" (which I show later in the post) if you have a foundation with very thin / light texture. But for the result, it makes no difference!
Here I have just applied liquid foundation with Flawless Foundation Brush.
Nanshy Buffed Base Brush (adlink)
Description: A compact, smooth and rounded brush that I think is absolutely optimal for powder products! It is reminiscent of a kabuki brush but is a little more compact and has a long shaft.
Mineral Foundation: I use it mainly for mineral foundation and buffers and massage the foundation into the skin, the result is very even and nice.
Oily he: I also use it to apply powder on very oily skin, then I use a transparent powder and dab on a proper layer all over the face. Then there is a lot of powder that keeps the skin matte longer, while the skin does not look more powdery when you press it properly into the skin. However, I would not dull the skin with this during the day, then I recommend a fluffy brush.
Other: The brush also works as a liquid foundation.
Here I apply mineral foundation with Nanshy Buffed Base for a comprehensive base with mineral makeup!
Nanshy Conceal Perfector (adlink)
Description: A round, soft and compact make-up brush with a tapered top
For more coverage & concealer: Ideal for an extra comprehensive result in both small and large areas. For example, under the eyes and around the nose. A tip is to dab the product into the skin on the area that you want to cover more, then it melts better into the skin and you can more easily apply a thicker layer without getting an unnatural / unsustainable result.
Works for both powder and liquid products.
For me, it's mostly around the nose and under the eyes I want more coverage, then this is perfect!
Nanshy Blush & Bronze (adlink)
Description: An oblique and very soft and smooth brush with rounded edges (unlike Angled Airbrush). The brush is more compact than fluffy and suits you who like to work a lot with the brush and work products into the skin rather than just swiping on it.
Rouge, bronzer & contouring: This brush is made for blush and bronzer. It is very good for you who want soft shadows and easily want to be able to fade out the blush or contouring shade as it is compact and moves pigment more efficiently than a fluffy brush.
All of the above makeup brushes are also available in the Nanshy Gobsmack Glamorous set and are available in both white (adlink) and black (adlink)!
But there are more makeup brushes for base makeup as well:
Nanshy Flat Foundation Brush (adlink)
Description: A completely flat brush that is slightly skewed. Accessible in small areas such as under the eyes but also works great for the whole face. Can be used for both liquid makeup and powder.
Light foundations: It is developed for foundation and is mainly suitable for liquid foundation. It works for all types of liquid foundations, but I mostly recommend it for foundations with a lighter consistency that do not need to be worked into the skin as much, because you brush on your foundation with this and do not work it in with circular movements as with e.g. "Nanshy Flawless Foundation Brush".
In addition, it is a good economical choice for foundation application as it is so flat that it does not absorb as much of the product = less wastage of your foundation.
More coverage & mineral foundation: It also works well for applying more product to areas that need more coverage. For mineral foundations, a rounded brush is better, but to apply more mineral foundation to certain areas as well as around the eyes, etc., it is a good complement!
Multi-brushes: I use this brush for lots of different things. Dab on powder on selected areas, highlighter, clean up under the eyes if necessary. eye shadow has ended up under the eyes when you put on make-up, etc.
Here e.g. I use it to apply Redness Relief Powder on an area with a lot of red acne. Then I wanted to get on a lot of product and then sweep away the excess, and therefore sucked on this powder with this brush.
Nanshy Contouring Brush (adlink)
Description: An oblique brush that is soft and smooth and quite fluffy.
Contouring: Optimal brush for contouring! Easily sweeps on the contour shadow for a soft and nice color and gives good precision under the cheekbones.
More fluffy than "Nanshy Blush & Bronze" and suits you who like to sweep on your shadows while Blush & Bronze suits you who like more to work with the brush and fade out the shadows more. Which of these is best is just a matter of taste.
Rouge: Also works for blush for you who like to use the same brush for several areas.
The cheekbones are the most common place to do contouring. If you have difficulty knowing how high up / far down the shadow should be laid, I usually follow the angle from the top of the ear and down to the corner of the mouth, it is a helpful guideline for many!
Nanshy Blush Brush (adlink)
Description: A rounded, fluffy brush.
Rouge: Perfect size for applying blush on the cheeks and gives an even and nice result by easily swiping over the skin.
Powder: For those of you who like smaller powder brushes, it also works well for this!
Other: Works well for all types of powder products that you sweep on the skin, e.g. highlighter, bronzer, etc.
Exactly how to apply the blush is a matter of taste. I usually start by putting it on the apple cheek itself about two fingers from the nose (because I want the most color up to the eyes) and then I sweep with the brush out along the cheekbones.
Nanshy Large Powder Brush (adlink)
Description: A fluffy and quite large makeup brush that easily sweeps on powder products on the skin.
Powder: Perfect for applying powder all over the face. It is soft enough to apply the powder gently without moving your base makeup underneath. Also works well to improve the make-up during the day.
Other: Works well for all types of powder products that you sweep on the skin, e.g. highlighter, bronzer, etc. Also in larger areas such as. bronzer in the cleavage or highlighter on the shoulders when you want to be a little extra smart.
A good tip if you are oily in the skin and need to improve with the skin during the day - use blotting paper first and sweep on the powder after that, then the skin stays matte longer!
Nanshy Stippling Brush (adlink)
Description: A stippling brush means that it is quite compact with straws at the bottom, but some of the straws are even longer, which means that the top of the brush is very light with larger spaces between all straws.
Liquid foundation: Great for floating foundations. Instead of massaging your foundation in the face, you can use this light brush that gives an even and almost "airbrushed" result. Best for foundations with a thin formula that does not need to be worked into the skin so much.
Other: You can also use this to apply cream foundations or wipe on powder. I really like to use this to remove eye shadow that has fallen under the eyes when you put on make-up, it removes the pigments carefully without destroying the base under the eyes.
Here's how:
Place a click of foundation on the back of the hand
2. Dab the brush into the foundation so that you have cream on the tops as the picture shows.
3. Dab the foundation on the skin (not hard but only with the tops)
4. Dab out so that it lies evenly on the skin
5. If necessary, you can even out a bit with circular motions as well, but still be light on your hand and work only with the longest straws. No pressure then you can rather use a regular one like Flawless Foundation Brush.
All of the above bass brushes are also available in the Nanshy Masterfull Collection set. Available in both white (adlink) and black (adlink)!
Nanshy Fan Brush (adlink)
Description: A fan brush is a feather light brush that gives a soft result and light color changes. If you use the narrow side and work sideways with the brush, you get precision, and if you turn the brush and use the wide side, you can sweep the product over a larger area.
Highlighter: This is mainly used for highlighter and gives the skin a beautiful glow! Apply to the cheekbones and sweep on the high parts of the face.
Light powder products: Of course, it works for all types of light powder products that you just want a thin layer of, e.g. powder and bronzer.
Love to use this, not only because it is really good but also because it is so cute!
Nanshy Kabuki Brush (adlink)
Description: An incredibly soft and compact kabuki brush that is slightly larger and more compact than many kabuki brushes.
Mineral Foundation: Recommended mainly for mineral foundation and thanks to the fact that it is so smooth and compact, you get a very even and nice result and it is easy to massage the foundation properly into the skin for a more natural look.
Also read my post: Foundation - 9 tips (Using & choosing the right foundation)
Powder: Works for all types of powder products that you want to work into the skin.
Makeup brushes for eye shadow, lips and smaller areas:
Nanshy Lip Makeup Brush (adlink)
Description: A small, flat and narrow brush that gives perfect precision on creamy products. Comes in a metal sleeve to protect the make-up toiletry bag or bag after use. The metal sleeve can also be used to extend the short brush when applied.
Lips: With this brush, it is easy to get sharp contours and perfect precision when you apply both lipstick and lip gloss. In addition to a simple application, many people prefer lip brushes for hygienic reasons, instead of using the lipstick directly on the lips.
Cream eyeliner: This is also great for applying cream-eyeliner and also cream-eye shadow on smaller areas around the eyes.
Nanshy Blending Brush (adlink)
Description: A fluffy, flat brush that is very soft but still compact enough to be able to apply moving pigment.
Fade out eye shadow: Above all, this brush is absolutely perfect for fading out eye shadow!
Powder products: It also works for all powder products you want to apply on small areas. For example. I use it to put matte highlighter along the bridge of the nose, under the eyebrows and in the middle of the chin. And to fix concealer under the eyes. One of my most used makeup brushes!
Nanshy Eyeliner Brush (adlink)
Description: A narrow brush that is soft enough to paint thin and fine lines, but also compact enough to get good precision.
Liquid eyeliner: Above all, this is suitable for liquid eyeliners with a thin consistency (ie not cream eyeliners) e.g. cake eyeliner and plain liquid.
Nanshy Precise Bent Eyeliner Brush (adlink)
Description: A narrow brush that is soft enough to paint thin and fine lines, but also compact enough to get good precision. It is similar to the "Eyeliner brush" except that it is curved in the shaft, which many find easier when you apply because the hand is not in the way and you see fringed more clearly.
Liquid eyeliner: Above all, this is suitable for liquid eyeliners with a thin consistency (ie not cream eyeliners) e.g. cake eyeliner and plain liquid.
Nanshy Angled Detailer (adlink)
Description: A small, flat, slanted brush with perfect precision.
Eyebrow: Perfect for all eyebrow products that are applied with a brush, e.g. brow shadow or pomade.
Eye shadow: Flexible for applying eye shadow on small areas such as along the lashes and under the eye.
Eyeliner: Really good for lashliner (lash marking) and also eyeliner along the entire lash line and it is also possible to make an eyeliner wing. Suitable for both cream eyeliner and liquid eyeliner.
Nanshy Large Shader (adlink)
Description: A flat and very compact but very smooth brush.
Eye shadow: When you need to fade out the eyeshadow extra much, this is great. It moves pigments very efficiently. I usually fade out with a softer brush first and if I need a little more help on the stack, I use this!
Multi-brushes: Above all, I like this to apply different base products on small areas of the face, e.g. concealer, powder under the eyes, etc. It is so compact that you can apply with precision, but you can also tone the product into the skin directly for a soft result.
Nanshy Pencil Brush (adlink)
Description: A rounded, small, compact brush with a narrow rounded top for perfect precision.
Eye shadow: Perfect for applying eye shadow on small areas where you want a soft result that does not get sharp, e.g. in the corner of the eye or to soothe the underside of the eye. It also works well to fade out eyeliner and cream eyeliner for a more smoky look.
Other: Also not completely crazy to cover a small pimple / blemish with concealer!
Nanshy Crease Brush (adlink)
Description: A small, rounded brush that is soft but quite compact.
Eye shadow: Can both apply and fade eye shadow, the rounded top makes it especially good along the globe line.
All of the above small brushes are the remaining makeup brushes in the set Masterfull Collection (adlink)!
Nanshy Tapered Crease Brush (adlink)
Description: A small, rounded brush that is soft but quite compact. Slightly smaller than Crease Brush.
Apply eye shadow: Great for applying eye shadow! It is small and gives good precision when applying several eye shadows next to each other on the eyelid, at the same time as it is rounded at the top, which directly gives a fairly soft result. Applying with a flatter brush is also possible, but then you get a sharper edge and then have to work more with the brush to fade it out.
When you apply eye shadow, you want a brush that is not too fluffy because then it does not absorb pigment, but they must not be too flat, hard and compact either because then it does not absorb any pigment. This brush is a perfect middle ground between fluffy and compact and absorbs a lot of pigment from the shadow.
Fade out eye shadow: I also usually use this to fade out the eyeshadow before I fade out with a larger brush.
Nanshy Flat Definer Brush (adlink)
Description: A flat and straight brush with good precision.
Cream products: Works to apply all types of cream products on medium areas, e.g. concealer and eye shadow primer.
Straight lines: The straight edge also works great when you want to make sharp edges with eye shadow, e.g. a sharp cat eye.
These two makeup brushes are included in the set Eye Brush set (adlink) which also contains the brushes Angled details, Large spades, Mixture and Crease (called Eye crease in this kit but is exactly the same as the one called just crease).
A collage with a super simple make-up where you can see how I use the make-up brushes for the eyes!
- Apply the shadow with Tapered Crease Brush, with dabbing / pressing movements
- Fade out the sharpest edge using the same brush
- Fade the shadow even more in the globe line with Blending Brush
- Use the Pencil Brush in the corner of the eye
- Lashliner with Angled Details
- And wider eyeliner also with Angled Detailer
I use the same principle for more advanced make-up with more different colors as well. This simple make-up was just for you to easily see the principle.
Last brush not included in any kit:
Nanshy Large Blending Brush (adlink)
Description: A flat with a fluffy brush with rather long straws, otherwise very similar to the "blending brush" that I wrote about above. Perfect for fading eye shadow but also applying other powder products such as highlighter on small areas of the face.
Hope you who like to cave in to different makeup brushes thought that the post was interesting, and that someone possibly. got some help along the way too! :)
Also read: 12 simple makeup tips for beginners (step by step)
Hug!
English 
Swedish 
Spanish 
Great post, thanks!
What fun that you think it! :)