Day 3- Because You're Worth It

Another thing that I hear from fellow mommies is- I just don't have the time to put on makeup.  This makes me sad.  As mommies and wives, we make time for everyone else and fail to remember to take care of ourselves.  I don't care if it's makeup, doing your hair, showering or sipping your favorite beverage, take some small moments daily for yourself.  You will be surprised how much better of a mommy you will be if you take those small minutes.  When I take the time to do my makeup I feel more confident and I think its important for our kids to see us as the amazing confident beings that we are.  By no means am I saying that we should wrap our self confidence around what we look like but I know that when I feel like I look better, I feel better.

Ok, stepping off of my soap box today I want to talk about one of the most important things for your makeup arsenal- BRUSHES.  Think of painting a home or a canvas.  You wouldn't do it with a small scratchy sponge- so why are you doing your makeup with them??  The brushes that come prepackaged with your makeup should be immediately thrown out or given to a small child to play dress up with.  They will never provide you with great even coverage, they are not large enough and they can sometimes irritate your skin.  Get rid of them.  Now!  In order to have the look you want- you need the proper tools to do the job.  Again- you dont have to go out and spend hundreds and hundreds of dollars on pro makeup brush sets.  There are a few brushes that you should absolutely have in your kit.  I will let you know some optional ones as well.
MUST HAVESA large fluffy face brush that you only use with your powder or powder foundations.  You can use a kabuki style brush too- just make sure that your brush is fluffy but dense with bristles.

A large fluffy brush for bronzer or blush.  Don't mix up the brush that you use for your powder or you could potentially be making your whole face bronzed or blushed- which you don't want.

A large flat bristle dense eye makeup brush.  It should have some curve to the edges to blend out.  This brush should be firm but soft.

A large very fluffy crease or blending brush.  It is specifically used for creating a perfect crease or blending out your eye shadow.  This one is my personal favorite :)

A small stiff  bristle angle tip brush. This will help fill in your eyebrows, create eye liner or you can even use it for a perfect line on your lips.  I wouldn't use the same brush for your eyes that you use on your lips....ewwe.

A foundation brush.  The style of brush you need depends on what formula of foundation you use.  If you are using a mineral or powder foundation- a fluffy complexion or kabuki style is best.  If its liquid or cream- stick with a duo fiber brush.

OPTIONAL BRUSHES
A smaller flat "c" shaped eye brush.  It should basically be a smaller version of your large flat brush.  Its great for adding high lights along your brow or your inner corner.  I prefer this brush to have a slightly pointier tip than your large flat brush....personal preference of coarse.

A pencil or smudge style brush.  This is a great one for a smokey eye.  It helps place and smudge out color under your eye, as liner or in your crease area.  This is another favorite of mine.

A "spoolie"  is technically not a brush- picture a dry mascara wand.  Its great for brows.  You can brush your brows out and blend the powder in for a more natural look. 

A lip brush is an absolute must have IF you wear lipstick.  I only put it on the optional brushes because I know most moms don't wear lipstick daily.  I would stick with either an small angled tip brush or a small thin synthetic fiber brush.  If you are putting one in your "to go" makeup bag- get a retractable one.  This keeps it clean from the debris floating around in some of our purses. (not MINE of coarse...yeah)

THAT'S IT!  If you don't typically wear makeup or own any brushes, six sounds like a lot- but I promise its not that bad.  Don't get overwhelmed thinking that you need to purchase a huge 30 piece rolling bag set.  Leave that for professionals that actually NEED that many.  I would suggest a case though- its better for the brushes not to get demolished from rumbling and tumbling around.

When making the decision on a type of brush to buy- there are only a few things to consider.  FEEL the brush.  If it scratches your hand- imagine what it will do to your face.  Make sure that it feels nice and dense.  and don't be scared to rough the brush in your hand a bit to make sure it's not going to shed all over you.  There is nothing worse than doing your makeup and looking down to see a hairy chest. :)  If you are starting out and are on a tight budget- I say go for the e.l.f. brand.  None of their brushes are over $3 and they are actually ok.  If you already have a great brushes and you are ready to upgrade- I would suggest Sigma brushes without a doubt.  They are really well made by hand, they are all vegan and I cant say enough good things about them.  They run from $9 to $19 which is a STEAL compared to Mac brushes.  You wont regret it- and your not skinning a badger for your makeup brushes!!

Once you have your brushes, you must remember to take care of them.  Store them in a case of some sort and don't forget to CLEAN THEM.  You can get away with just rubbing them gently on a baby wipe (a MUST for eye brushes- not so much for powder or blush) daily after use.  Twice a month- you gotta clean those babies out.  Think of all the bacteria that can get trapped in there.  If you let it just sit- bacteria is going to grow and then you are wiping it all over your face- EWWWEEE!  So you can youtube for an instructional lesson on how to wash your brushes if you need to SEE it done.  Basically, you are going to use a sink with warm water, rinse each out thoroughly.  Use either a baby shampoo or another gentle soap and agitate the bristles.  Rinse them back out until the water runs completely clear.  Reshape the brushes and let air dry COMPLETELY before you use them again. 

And there you go- all you could ever imagine knowing about brushes!  Whats your favorite brush?  Where do you buy your brushes?  Do tell!!