CW Beauty Talk: What brushes should I have in a makeup kit?

Hi Ms J,

I love reading your blog and I was wondering if you can give me tips on what to buy for my first brush set. Is it true that natural brushes are better? Buying MAC brush set is too expensive for me so I’d like to know which pieces are the ones I need to start with. Thank you and more power!

– Louie

Hello Louie,

Firstly, thank you for taking time to send a note. It’s been quite a while since I have posted a BeautyTalk post! Haha! Anyways, to your question, while some people would go for natural brushes, I believe the technology for synthetic brushes nowadays are so advanced that it mimics the feel of natural brushes. I’d go for synthetic brushes since they are hypo-allergenic and they dry faster when you clean–and your should clean them at least–weekly.

I would recommend to use Virginia Olsen brushes–not because I lead the production of these brushes, but I know the technology behind it and it really works as promised. It’s soft to your skin yet it packs enough product to make your makeup application efficient. It’s synthetic but Japanese technology and it dries 2x faster than you ordinary natural-bristled brush. Oh, and did I mention that the prices are quite affordable, given that it’s a specialized brush?

As for your basic or startup brush set, I would recommend to get a powder brush, a blush brush, a flat shader brush, a blending brush, a pencil brush, and a lip brush… then you can build it from there as you learn new makeup application techniques.

I hope this answers your question. Don’t hesitate to email back if you want to know more. Happy Sunday! <3

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