Having a variety of quality makeup brushes is sooo important for your beauty routine. Agreed? You’d be surprised at how different brushes can change the way your makeup is applied – and in the end, how you look! Here are some of the most common makeup brushes  – and everything you need to know about using and caring for them:

Beauty sponge

OK y’all, I know this isn’t a brush per say, but it does what a brush can do and more – it’s a MAJOR multi-tasker when it comes to beauty tools. The most common brand that makes these is beautyblender, and a common way to use the handy dandy egg-shaped sponge is for applying and blending face makeup. Try dotting some foundation or tinted moisturizer (I sometimes blend the two) across all areas of your face, and then use the beauty sponge to lightly dab and blend the product into your skin. It’ll give you an airbrushed look and isn’t that what we’re all going for??

Concealer brush

Usually firm and tapered at the end, a concealer brush is the best way to cover up any imperfections that your face makeup misses.Put a tiny dab of concealer to the back of your hand, dip your brush into the product, and then apply to any places you need some extra coverage – like under your eyes, or over any trouble spots, which is my nose for me personally. Speaking of the different coverage spots/uses, I personally have two different kinds of concealer brushes that I think serve different purposes.

• Under eye concealing – I’m sure this is wrong, but I currently just use Bobbi Brown’s foundation brush for my under eyes (shh don’t tell – but it works JUST fine!). Personally, I prefer a wider, thicker brush when applying concealer under my eyes.
• Spot treatment concealing – Personally, I just use my beauty blender again for this because my concealer (in shade ‘Vanilla’) comes with it’s own applicator (well, sort of), so I just use the beauty blender to dab/rub it in. But I’m totally down to try some new products if you have any suggestions? I’ve read raves and raves of reviews about Marc Jacob’s (full cover No. 14) concealer brush, but haven’t had the chance to try it myself. It’s for sure NEXT on my list of products to try!

Powder brush

A big, fluffy brush with a rounded shape – think of a powder brush as one of (if not the most) versatile brushes you can own. Use it to apply pressed powder, loose powder, setting powder, really any type of powder. It’s super, super versatile y’all. For a non-cakey look, just make sure to tap off excess product from the brush before applying it to your face. I have the Sigma F30 Large Powder brush and am obsessed.

Angled face brush

It’s crazy how a little bronzer can really transform your face and overall look, right? So much so that I look back at pics from high school and cannot believe I didn’t use bronzer. To use this brush, just sweep on some bronzer and apply it to the hollows of your cheeks. I’m currently using the Kat Von D Shade + Light Contour Brush, which is a great value because you get two brushes for the price of one. I use the non-angled side of the brush for highlighting my cheekbones.

Blush brush

A blush brush is sort of a smaller version of a powder brush. It’s pretty fluffy and is great for blending on smaller areas of the face (like your cheeks). I like to apply my blush after bronzer – just to give my cheeks a little pop. Start with swirling the brush into the blush and applying it to the apples of your cheeks in a circular motion (p.s. smiling makes this way easier).

Eyeshadow brush

You can probably guess that the intention of an eyeshadow brush is to apply shadow to your lids. The application doesn’t need to be super precise – that’s where a blending brush will come in – so a fluffy version will do just fine. Oh, and the fluffier it is, the more gentle it will be on your eyelids (which will help combat aging)! Honestly, I’m ZERO expert when it comes to eye makeup application, so I’m all ears if you’ve got some favorite brushes that you use? One of my (unofficial) goals in life is to eventually learn how to apply and confidently wear eyeshadow because I’ve never really learned!

Eyeshadow blending brush

This brush is seriously awesome for blending colors on the eyelid. This is the one brush I could not live without – it’s SO hard to apply and blend eyeshadows with a cheap brush for some reason – know what I mean?? After you’ve applied an all-over eyeshadow color, use this to apply additional colors to your crease line and the corners of your eyelid. As you’re applying, try to go in tiny circular motions while you’re moving the brush across your crease line – this will really help with the blending, promise.

Be Sure To Clean Your Makeup Brushes too!

To keep your brushes – and complexion – in tip-top shape, aim to clean your brushes once a week. To be honest, sometimes I don’t clean mine for a month (or two or three…) at a time, which I’m not proud of. Cleaning your makeup brushes isn’t exactly on the top of anyone’s to-do list, but here’s why it should be: BACTERIA. And bacteria leads to breakouts. All kinds of bad bacteria can easily build up on your brushes, and we don’t want any of that.

You can find special makeup brush cleansers, but I always use my normal shampoo (or Johnson’s baby shampoo) or even a gentle cleanser and it seems to work just fine. I’ve also heard AMAZING things about Sigma’s bush cleaning mat – I’ve already got it on my Christmas list for this year (or maybe I can snag it during the #NSALE in July!)

While washing, swirl the brushes in the palm of your hand to help release any old product – for the beauty sponge, just squeeze over and over while rinsing. After you’ve washed your brushes and rinsed them under warm water, lay them on a washcloth to dry. Clean and bacteria free, holla!

Do you have any tips for cleaning your brushes? What is the one makeup brush you can’t live without?

Let’s talk about it!