In line with my previous posts, I am sharing my favorite makeup brushes. This time, I am sharing my favorite brushes to use for applying blush, highlight and contour.

 

The oldest brush in this post is around 11 years old, while the newest is around 2 years old. It’s always best to purchase a brush of good quality because, if you take care of them, they last a really long time.

 

Laura Mercier Cheek Colour Brush

This brush has compact bristles. If I need to apply a pop of color, I use this brush because it picks up more product. The bristles are very soft and feels gentle on the skin. I have had this brush on my kit for 11 years now. As you can see to this day, it has still retained its shape. I primarily use the brush when I am using powder blush. This is made from natural hair and measures around 6.85 inches. The bristles are 32 mm from Ferrule to tip.

 

Japnoseque Kumadori Highlight and Contour Brush

This brush is the “youngest” brush in my kit. Read about my experience with this brush here.

 

Hyakusuke Yachiyo Brush (Large)

This brush is fluffy in nature. I use this when I apply cream/gel blush products. The brush tips are white, so this enables me to clearly see the color I am applying. Before I had this brush, I had trouble applying cream/gel blushes using a brush with dark bristles because I couldn’t see the product on the brush tips. I would end up applying to little or too much; constantly second guessing myself.

Sometime I use this brush with powder blushes that have high shine content. The fluffiness of the brush picks up a gentle amount of product which allows me to layer the color as needed.

One tip, after purchasing this brush, run some superglue along the entire cane wrapped handle. This is just a preventive measure to keep the cane from unraveling.

 

 

Hyakusuke Ita Bake Brush (35 and 45)

Hyakusuke is a local shop in the heart of Asakusa that has supplied local Geisha and Kabuki actors with makeup for more than 100 years. This is where I bought these brushes in 2010.

These two bruhes are almost identical. Both these brushes are made from a combination of goat and synthetic hair. The bristles on both brushes are 22 mm from Ferrule to tip.

The Ita Bake 45 is wider by 10 mm that that of the Ita Bake 35; which measures at 34 mm.

This makes the Ita Bake 35 have a denser and fuller brush head that that of the Ita Bake 45.

I use these two to blend or define contour. These works well with cream/powder contour products.

 

Beau-Temps Fan Brush

I have had this brush for around 10 years. As of this writing, the ferrule is wobbly. So this brush is at the end of its Iife time. I bought this in Vietnam during the early days of my career. I could not find any online content for this brush. I do not know where this was made and my best guess is that the bristles are made from Bager.

This is my favorite brush to use to apply powdered highlights. The bristles are fluffy enough to pick up a gentle amount of shimmer that enable me to layer it as needed on the face.

The brush measures at around 8.8 inches. The bristles are 38 mm from Ferrule to tip.

 

Coastal Scents Round Powder Brush

This brush is part of a 22 piece brush set. Although this brush is named a powder brush, I use this for applying and blending liquid contour / cream products. The bristles are made of synthetic fiber which do not absorb the product. The bristles are easy to control and maneuver, gliding easily along the hollow of the cheeks, the jaw line or by the hair line.

 

See some of these brushes in action on my makeup videos 50’s Inspired Make-up Look and Red Carpet Inspired Glam Party Look.

I am currently not familiar how much these brushes cost individually. If you are interested, and if applicable, do click on the names of the brushes to be taken to that brand’s main website.

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Let me say that the products I am using has worked for me and it might not necessarily work for you. Always be discerning when purchasing makeup tools, cosmetics or skin care products. Always read the label and the literature! Always do a patch test before you purchase a product for the first time to see that you are not allergic to any of the ingredients listed.

This is not sponsored. The products that are shown here are the products that I always use, love and live by.

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