Make-up brushes… also known as my magic wands for make-up Okay, so I know they may not be as easy to use for some (like a magic wand) but they sure can work like magic if you use & treat them right. I use a variety of different brushes, I try not to limit myself to just one brand because you tend to find that certain brands are better than others in some aspects.

My first proper make-up brush set was from SEPHORA. It’s a big fat shame that the UK don’t have Sephora stores across the country. I love the place because you get loads of cosmetics brands in one store  HOWEVER there is one in Bluewater shopping mall in Kent! So, my brush set sort of started off like this…

& in a few years it’s turned into this…

I have a lot more brushes now, some from unknown brands which I picked up in various places But most are from MAC, Sephora, & The Body Shop. I’m not done with my collection of wands though, it’s still growing To be honest, I don’t think it’ll stop I prefer many MAC brushes as they’re of high quality, durable & provide a wide range in general compared to other brands. There are 2 brushes that have literally BLOWN me away. These are both my MAC, 187 Duo Fibre (left) & 223 Eyelash Fan (right).

MAC 187 is £29.50 but well worth it! Brushes in general from high end cosmetic brands are fairly expensive but this brush can be used for SO MANY things. It works as a foundation, powder and blusher brush (just to name a few!) Recently I’ve been using it all the time for face powder. It’s great because you can buff products into your skin for light or full coverage. This definitely has to be one of my best buys from MAC ♥

MAC 223 is in fact a MAC Pro brush which I bought tabout a year ago from “The Cosmetics Company Store” outlet at BICESTER VILLAGE. I think I paid about £8 for it & it makes me forget that the eyelash comb exists! You literally just brush your lashes from root to tip once you’ve applied mascara & HEY PRESTO! You’ll have fabulous, separated lashes

I do have some other favourites which I should mention The MAC 224 tapered blending brush & 219 pencil brush are AMAZING eye shadow & blending brushes! I reckon my brushes collection needs more work… I think I can hear MAC calling my name

One thing everyone needs to take note on is to CLEAN your brushes! It REALLY does make a difference when applying make-up, especially your eyeshaddow! I tend to wash mine with MAC’s BRUSH CLEANSER. It’s only £8 & such a fab product! I pour some cleanser into a cup of water & dip the brushes in. They’re left in there for a few minutes before running them under the tap until the water turns clear, making sure all the cleanser is out! It’s that simple, & makes my brushes last much longer

I’ve found that BABY SHAMPOO does the trick too. Just make sure you don’t use other shampoos (like your usual e.g. Pantene or Herbal essences etc.) because they can be harsh on the brushes due to the chemicals within them. Baby shampoo is much more gentle on your precious, expensive brushes. I mix a little bit of baby shampoo into a cup of water and mix it around (like you did when you painted in primary school). Again, after doing that for a couple of minutes I run my brushes under the tap until all the shampoo is rinsed out & the water runs clear.

NOTE: I’ve found that drying the brushes with the head hanging off an edge of a table or something, like this…

… The brushes dry MUCH better than drying them upright & even flat on a table. By doing this, they look & feel brand new Make sure you wash your brushes atleast ONCE every 1 to 2 weeks… This’ll keep the magic in your wands