A guide to 5 must-have makeup brushes
By Carla Snuggs

Have you ever walked into your favorite beauty superstore, looked around at all of the different makeup brushes and felt overwhelmed? There are a so many makeup brushes for different purposes and it can be a bit confusing. Have no fear: Posh Beauty Blog tapped Maggie Cruz, Director of the Marinello Schools of Beauty, Lomita campus, to find out which makeup brushes are must-haves. Maggie is a seasoned industry professional with more than 40 years of relevant beauty experience in the Los Angeles area, so Maggie was the perfect choice. Here are 5 essential makeup brushes and their uses according to Maggie Cruz:

Eyeliner Brush

For eyeliner, whether it is liquid, gel or a powder, a slanted eyeliner brush is a must. It’s small and perfect for laying a line right next to the lid as well as adding wings if you are so inclined! With a liquid or a gel, you just put a small amount on the brush, lay the line from the center of the lid and follow the line of the lid to the ends. If you are a fan of the new ‘winged’ liner look, you can extend it beyond your lid in an upward motion! With a powder, which can be an eyeshadow that you like in black, brown or even an accent color, place some of it on the brush and tap gently to remove any excess and then gently place on the lid in the same way. You can’t just use the powder like a pencil or a brush though, you must pat it carefully in each spot you want it. Maggie’s go to brush for liner is MAC’s slanted eyeliner brush.

Eye Shadow Brush

The slanted eye shadow brush is perfect for laying down shadow that is heavier closer to the lid and then fans out over the brow bone. This brush does a lot of the blending work for you. “I love the angled shadow brush from Sephora for this look; great for smoky eyes! I use a total of three shadows for most of my looks, a light ‘base’ shadow that goes all over the lid and up to the brow,” says Maggie. Then, Maggie uses a lighter shadow on the lid with a blending brush or a smudge brush and then the darker color in the crease with the angled shadow brush. It lays the color darkest in the crease and naturally fans it out to be lighter over the brow bone so you get most of your blending done with this handy little brush!

Powder Brush

The Kabuki brush is a necessity for every makeup artist! It is essential for those finishing touches of powder, bronzer, or a translucent glow. If you only use one brush for your face, it has to be this one. Maggie likes the Kabuki brushes at Coastal Scents, inexpensive and great quality! It is like a little short powerhouse of a powder-puff and it’s essential for the flawless finish you need when your makeup is almost done!

Foundation Brush

The foundation brush is essential for all of us who wear liquid foundation. Your fingers or a makeup sponge just isn’t enough to get a truly well blended look with this type of makeup. Liquid foundation has a tendency to cake up in the little crows feet or areas that aren’t easy to blend with fingers or other tools, so you need a great brush to make sure you have your foundation completely integrated with your skin. The foundation brush from Bobbi Brown is great for this!

Blending Brush

Putting on great shadow isn’t enough. Once you have it on, you must blend, blend, and blend. There is nothing worse than seeing a woman with eye shadow that looks like it has been put on with a crayon! A good blending brush, Maggie’s favorite, is the blending brush from MAC; it is a necessity to finalize a great eye makeup job. “You have to go over the entire eye and blend your look from brow to lid in order to make all those colors meld into one another,” says Maggie

Here are a few of Posh Beauty Blog’s favorite makeup brushes: