When shopping for makeup brushes you can choose between a vegan and cruelty-free bristle design or one made from animal hair, says Gita Bass, a celebrity makeup artist. The difference? “If you have a porous, natural-hair bristle brush, that means it’s going to absorb product versus a synthetic bristle brush where the product will sit on top of it,” says makeup artist ShaDara Holmes.
Synthetic brushes are great for cream-based products, says Goodwin. Natural-hair brushes, albeit controversial, are often preferred by makeup artists for their unique ability to distribute powder products on the skin. For instance, as Goodwin describes, goat hair tends to hold a lot of pigment which can be advantageous when applying something like eyeshadow where color payoff is the point.
Regardless of what the hairs are made of, it’s important to invest in quality. “Make sure the bristles are densely packed,” says Bass. When bristles are close together, they will pick up more product which means faster, fuller coverage. Higher end brushes are typically securely held together with a metal ferrule meaning hair is bound, clamped, and then put into the brush. Holmes also pays attention to handles. “You want to make sure that it’s not too heavy for your hand when applying products and it fits well in your cosmetic case,” she says.
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