My Makeup Brush Collection

When it comes to makeup brushes, I agree that you get what you pay for. One must be ready to shell out a substantial amount of moolah in order to procure a fine quality set of brushes. But thanks to luck, we would sometimes stumble upon some keenly-priced great finds.

So as a general rule for makeup brushes, the more expensive price- excellent quality, and the more affordable- low quality. But of course, there are exceptions.

A famous and in-demand MUA once said, as I attended his workshop, your hands, your fingers are your best tool. Yes I agree with him that the fingers can be your best friend. Just try patting on eyeshadow with the pads of your fingers as compared with a brush. With the former, the color comes up more vivid, more pigments are transferred.

Even when applying foundations, the fingers don't waste thru absorption the product, as compared with using a sponge or brush. Plus when you use it to mix the product, the warmth from the pads of your fingers gives the foundie better consistency and adherence, plus full coverage and not sheer.

There is also another respected celebrity MUA who gave tips on the bare necessities- which are the only FIVE brushes one really needs. 

I am not a professional Make Up Artist and I admit to prefer to use my fingers rather than brushes. Saves me time, money and effort rather than using brushes that I have to wash afterwards, haha. But if one is a professional MUA, I would get that using brushes is better. After all, I imagine as a client, I would shudder if bare fingers were rubbed all over my face!

These are the brushes that I currently own-

Exmon 5 piece brush set.

Limited edition Brush with Fashion. The Body Shop x University of the Arts London College of Fashion.  At first, I thought they were pricey but they were worth it! Kasi this 4 piece travel-sized set costs more than Php 500 sale price na ha e me tig 100 lang di ba, but they got me into loving brushes! They are really sturdy, I mean I have been using them FOREVER and hardly any shedding of bristles or chipping in the handle, plush on the skin, basta they are my FAVORITES! Container has a mirror pa.

Brush set from Penshoppe (been using and washing them multiple times that the paint in the handles are now peeling off). Its pouch has a magnetic closing.  I love its big brush and use it to dust powder, to contour, etc.

Both Penshoppe and TBS casings have an extra slot that I think one can put a sponge inside.

BYS brush set in black tin can.

Complimentary brushes from Celeteque (blue) and Pond's (silver). Quality-wise, they seem pretty decent. They don't look cheap at all since they come in a nice packaging. Freebie brushes, galing no?

Pink brushes in plastic was gratis when I bought Betadine. I could not resist as it comes in my fave color, pink, and with longish handles. Its other brushes were ok except for the powder brush which sheds excessively. Naglalagas nang bongga when I use or wash. Even before getting this, I already spied a lot of hair fall outs in the bag. I should have taken it as a warning that I should expect to find much more shedding in the future.

I do not like to display my brushes uncovered in my vanity table. I want them protected against dust and dirt. The standing plastic I think I purchased it at a Php 88 store and can be storage for spoons/ forks/ toothbrushes, but I used it for brushes. Then I utilized a plastic box which used to house chocolates as my other brush keeper.

The long handled ones here come as a 12 piece brush set. The powder and fan brushes' bristles are
scratchy to the skin, but the eyeshadow brushes are quite good. They come in a big black belt bag that I have misplaced.

5 set China brushes in Dalmatian pattern handle. I prolly should say goodbye to them already (one of them, the handle has separated from the ferrule. Yes, used and abused, my friend).

Then there are the singles brushes I bought from tiangge. The rose for powder, the mermaid for eyeshadow. I love both of them, cute and fluffy. COC / Coringco from Althea Korea which are the paddle brush and the pink heart shaped. I use the heart sideways, cos when I apply blush using its top, it makes TWO streaks.

Dearberry's big powder brush has major shedding issue. But nakabawi naman.  Dearberry's  eyeshadow and angled eyeliner brushes are amazing. Especially the former, just the right dense to blend well, I've been using it to death for the nose line shading hee hee.

Artist Studio dome / kabuki brush from Landmark. (I bought another brush in Landmark, I think it was a flat small one that usually comes free when buying blushes, that I have now tossed out because I was super disappointed at how much it shed).

Marionnaud foundation brush. I prefer using my fingers to blend my bb cream / contour stick but when I do use a tool, it is either this, the paddle brush or a sponge.

Hmm... Typing this, now I realize I don't have a stippling and angled contour brush yet.

Well, there you have it, my humble brush collection. I may update for new hauls... like these:

Sailormoon 8 piece eye makeup brush; Peach-C Daily Mini Makeup Brush Set; Kabuki brush GWP from Maybelline mineral powder; Unbranded long pink 10 pc. brush set.

Sometimes I get amazed when people whip out "expensive" BRANDED brushes, like wow yamanin. But then I find out ang dami palang naglipanang Class A replicas (imitation) online and in tiangges, even in some department stores ha! (Magagalit ang brands pag prinomote natin ang fake, anti-piracy na nga ngayon.)

So, who really cares what our brushes are, if we are more comfortable with fingers than tools, or if we buy cheap rather than high-end ones, we should have the freedom to choose. And another thing important is the mastery in application.

Now I often read that MAC and Bobbi Brown makes great quality brushes, and of course, the luxury Artis brushes! Maybe if I have taken make up artistry as a profession, I might invest in them, who knows? But for now these suffice. They are soft and do the job.

This is HOW I wash them naman. I take care to dry them with the bristles downwards, to avoid the wetness from seeping into the ferrule and weakening the handle. Thanks for reading my brush collection! :)