Angle shader brush

Do you have an angle shader brush? What do you do with it? This is another one of those brushes that most people do not bother with but it is extremely useful.


The aim of this brush is to create the classic 'V' eye-shadow. You can also use it to get into the lid or nasal (nose) creases or use it as an eye contour to create contrasting colours. So next time you are looking for sellotape to create a nice line at the outer edge of your eyes, consider one of these.

Using your angle shader brush to create a lined outer edge
Place the shorter tip of the brush on the edge of the eye then tilt your brush outwards and back in. Continue till you get the result you want.





In MAC language this is the 272/275 (£17.00); Sigma SS275 (eyes kit- $39.00 or complete kit $69.00); Crown brush S214 (£2.70); Jane Iredale eye contour (£8.00); Royal and Langnickel BC500 (£4.89) Bobbi Brown had one of these released with the Ivy Collection for fall 09 but I cannot find it online.

All the brushes above are similar quality (except the crown brush one, which is a lower quality; and the R&L one, which is shorter).

I use the Iredale one just because I am sure it is handcrafted and therefore good for mineral make-up and pigments. It is very good quality and compared to MAC 275 at £17, this is good value for money. A comparable and affordable one I found is Tigi Bedhead sexy pouf angle brush.
It is just the right length and shape to get the effect you want.



It is a little bit less dense than the Iredale one which means it doesn't hold as much powder but sometimes that is a good thing because you get better precision even though when it comes to contouring, it means more effort. It is made of the same hair fibre as the Iredale and MAC and also hand-crafted. At £3.50 (including delivery) it is a bargain.



The R&L one is slightly better quality but it costs more including delivery. You might as well just get a very good one.

Now you can add another great brush to your kit.

Stay beautiful...

Smudge brush

A smudge brush is typically one with short, dense and round bristles used for smudging eye liner. It is one of those brushes that no one every mentions but it is important and very handy. If you are a professional or planning to become one you must have this in your kit.

When creating a smokey eye for instance, you often need to blend the upper lash liner (usually) with the dark shadow at the outer edge. Eye-liners are very hard to blend with a blending brush because of their consistency and this is where the smudge brush comes in. Think of it as the blending brush for thicker consistency products. The alternative to using a smudge brush is to use a smudge foam tip. You can often find one of these on the top of most eye-liner pencils or you can buy it separately but the problem is that it is difficult to clean and even more difficult to manipulate because it is too flimsy.

This is what you can do with a smudge brush:


Before and After using EFNY Phantasm glitter eye liner and Bare ID bloom eye colour.


There are many different brands of smudge brushes out there and they vary in price. Many brands will have a 'smudge brush' that is not typical e.g. Bobbi brown. Make sure you know what you are looking for and buying.
Nars has a very good one but it costs a whopping £36. Others are Laura Mercier (£20), Becca (£17), crown brush (£1.68), Paula Dorf (£18.90) etc



The one I use is from Sephora ($20). I bought it in America and unfortunately Sephora is not available to UK residents. The one by sephora fits the bill perfectly and is just as good as the Nars one, which I use to set the standard because that is a very well made smudge brush.

However I recently discovered one that is so good and so affordable I still can't believe my luck. Bourjois has a blending brush that is the perfect shape and size and I bought it from Superdrug for only £4.80! I still think I'm deaming this up. You can get it online from ASOS for £4.70 but then you'd have to pay for shipping.

The Bourjois one is about the same length as the sephora and both bristles are equal height and equal density.


Now you know you don't have to sweat it to add a great brush to your collection. Just walk into your nearest Superdrug /Boots/ Drugstore X and for less than £5, it's yours.

When it comes to maintenace, wash it like any other make-up brush with a shampoo. If you do not know how to wash brushes here is a video by Lauren Luke showing you how it's done.

Stay beautiful...