I recently found this article on FrugalFace.com and thought it would be nice to publish here.  I want to preempt the article by saying that natural hair brushes are really the best, and I do carry good quality brushes for an affrodable price.

BRUSHES

Which brushes are really necessary? Quality brushes are a good use of your money with a high pay off. Brushes will affect how the make-up looks on your face more than the products themselves. They can also last for years. Even inexpensive ones ( I have five brushes that were all under $10 each that I have been using and washing for about 15 years). However, you do not necessarily need very many, or need to spend a lot of money. The one brush I believe every woman must have is a full-sized blush brush (unless you use only cream blush). This is the only way to apply powder blush correctly. The applicators that come with blush are only useful for touch-ups if you can't fit a full-sized brush in your purse.

Even if you apply your powder with a puff, a powder brush is great to brush off the excess. I prefer just to use the brush to apply it (except under the eyes I use a tiny puff to set the concealer).

Even if you use sponge-tips, you should at least get one eyeshadow brush to blend the edges of your eyeshadow. It is much easier to just put the shadow on with the brush in the first place because it blends the shadow as you apply it. However, I know the technique of using a brush will always elude some of us no matter what all the make-up artists say. I have fewer eyeshadow drips when I use a sponge-tip. I use both for different things. Sponge-tips can work well for applying a light color over a large area, especially with frosted shadow. But they lay on a thicker layer of shadow than a brush, and they can drag a bit with matte shadows. I use a narrow, pointed, sponge-tip to apply a thick, heavy, dark line of shadow along my upper lashline. I then go over it with a brush to blend and soften the edges. For all other eyeshadow application I prefer to use brushes. They blend your medium to dark shadows for you as you apply them, and it is much easier to control the depth of the shadow with a brush. You can apply a dark eyeshadow much lighter with a brush, than with a sponge tip.Use a brush with your frosted eyeshadow when you want a lighter, more natural looking application.

I also think every woman should have a lip brush if only to get the last 1/2 inch of lipstick out of the bottom of the tube. Generally, you don't need a lip brush unless you wear dark or bright lipsticks, you have trouble getting your lipstick on straight with the tube, you don't use lip liner, or you like to mix and layer lipstick shades (but then you already own a brush).

Optional brushes. Concealer brushes, contour brushes, bronzer brushes, blending brushes, and other specialty brushes are entirely optional. It is just a matter of personal taste and preference. It also depends what products you use, how you wear your make-up, and the shape of your features. Not too many women do contouring these days. Bronzer can always be applied with a blush brush. Eyeliner brushes can double for coloring in the eyebrows, although some women prefer the slanted brow brushes. I just got one of those square-shaped brushes for lining the eyes with eyeshadow and I love it. I highly recommend it for making a precise, defined line. I have never been able to figure out just what those flat fan-shaped brushes are good for. One sales associate said it was to be used with their loose powder blushes for a very sheer wash of color. I just don't see how that shape could apply the color evenly. I would avoid these. I always did fine applying my concealer with my finger. Then I found out that if I use a synthetic brush to apply it, I will not use up as much product as with my finger. Since I use a very expensive concealer, I now use a brush. But I didn't have to go out and buy one. I found in my stuff a very, very old small synthetic eyeshadow brush that I got from my mother. It is so old, it has a red handle and came with a Maybelline eyeshadow. This just goes to show how durable some cheap brushes can be! It is actually working out quite well and it is easier to reach the inner corner of my eye than with a finger. The brush applies the concealer thinner, smoother, and more evenly than my finger, and I am discovering that I don't have to apply as much as I had thought. A brush gives you  more control and you don't end up wiping off what you just applied like you can with a finger.

How many brushes do you need? It depends on how many different colors you wear. Most women only need one blush brush. I have two because I have a light blush and a darker one. You can always wipe your brush with a tissue before using a different color, but this does not always work well with eyeshadows. I suggest you have a separate brush for light, medium and dark shadows. That is if you wear all three. It depends how many different depths and colors of shadow you wear. You only need one lip brush. The color wipes off with a tissue so easily.

What to look for in a brush. Brushes are supposed to be soft, but somewhat firm. Avoid "floppy" brushes. It does not matter what kind of hair it is. How it feels is what is important. Test it if you can. I mean actually apply make-up with it, don't just brush it across your face. Also check to make sure it is not loosing bristles and that they are firmly glued in. Look in the mirror at the size of the brush compared to the area of your face you will be using it on. Your eyeshadow, blush, and lip brushes all need to be appropriate sizes to match your features. I'm finding that I have better control with the long-handled brushes, but they are more difficult to store and carry. Do not waste your money on a set of brushes, buy individually only the ones you need. Do not necessarily buy all your brushes from the same line either. That line might make an excellent blush brush, but a poorly shaped eyeshadow brush. Examine each brush individually. If you want to get a better idea of what a good quality brush should look and feel like (or wish to really splurge on brushes), go to the Bobbi Brown counter and feel the Blush Brush ($42) and the Powder Brush ($62). MAC and Stila also have some very nice, exquisitely soft and silky brushes. Don't forget  to brush them across your face. They feel so good you may want to get your make-up done!

I like to use blush brushes for both blush and powder. I find most powder brushes too large and awkward to reach in all the contours of the face. They can also deposit too much powder on the face. An added plus is that blush brushes are usually less expensive. I also prefer these two brushes to be very soft and silky and not super firm. I find that with a firmer brush I tend to pick up too much blush and the color goes on heavier than I like. Eyeshadow brushes need to be soft, but firm, and have a rounded edge. A flat edge will not blend the edges of your shadows well. Look for a retractable lipbrush or one with a secure cap. You don't need the mess. A lip brush should also be soft, but firm. If your lip brush does not have a cap, you can try using a pen cap or an old metal or plastic cap from an eye or lip pencil. I cut a 3 inch corner off a plastic sandwich bag and wrap the tip of my lip brush in it to keep powders from my other brushes from sticking to it. I change it every time I wash my brush.

Specific low-priced brands. Brushes do not have to be expensive to be good quality and last a long time, but it is difficult to shop for brushes at the drugstore since you cannot touch them. There are several inexpensive obscure brush brands at the drugstores, and almost all of the super inexpensive lines such as Jane, Nat Robbins, Prestige (their new brushes look very promising), and M Professional carry brushes. The only ones I have tried are the blush and eyeshadow brushes by M Professional ($2.50 each), and I really like them. The eyeshadow brushes are truly excellent, but it looks like they may have been discontinued. I also have two fine eyeliner brushes by Nat Robbins that I have had for about 15 years and they are still in great shape. Revlon has a make-up line called Revlon Professional (R Pro) which is sold at some beauty supply stores. I really like these brushes. They let me take them out of the packages and feel them. The word that comes to my mind is "Luxurious." They feel like quality brushes that will hold up over time with soft, but densely packed bristles. They range in price from around $5 for eyeshadow brushes to $9 for the blush brush.

Look for brushes in craft and art supply stores. You can get very high quality brushes for very little money! An added advantage of shopping the craft and art supply stores is that if you need a brush of a more unusual shape or size, you have much more variety to choose from. You can choose how long you want your bristles, how thick or thin the brush, how firm or soft, and you can feel them before you buy. These stores have a great assortment of brushes for every purpose. Sometimes the handles are very long but you can cut them down. I'd seek out a male friend, relative or neighbor with a good set of tools to do it for you. They usually love any chance they can get to use their toys-I mean tools. If you don't know what shapes and size brushes to look for, study the brushes at the department stores first. I just bought some art brushes at a craft store and I am now convinced that all the brushes for make-up and art come from the same manufacturers. I bought an extremely soft goat hair blush/powder brush which compares to Bobbi Brown's, for $6.50. I bought an excellent concealer brush comparable to any $16 brush, for $3.00. I bought a square-shaped eyelining brush (great for making a defined line with shadow) like Stila's and an eyeliner brush shaped like Bobbi Brown's (great for making a thicker, softer line) for around $5 each. In a department store these brushes would be anywhere from $16-$40 and up. The shapes and quality of the artist's brushes are the same as the very expensive make-up brushes at the department stores.

Caring for your brushes. Wash them every so often with a gentle hair shampoo. I often just use soap. Don't waste your money on any special solutions for washing your brushes. It's not necessary. Make sure you rinse the bristles completely. Blot them gently with a towel, re-arrange the bristles in their proper shape, and lay them down flat on a towel to air dry.

Making a poorly shaped brush usable. Do you have a blush or contour brush that you never use because it has a flat top and puts the powder on in a stripe? Give it a haircut! Granted, this suggestion is not for everyone. But if you never use that brush, what have you got to loose? You need to first have a good idea of what a good brush is shaped like, so check out the brushes at the department store counters where you can examine them carefully. Or borrow a friends good brush to use as a model. Go slow and don't go overboard. Hold the brush straight up and use haircutting scissors if you have them. Cut just the very outside layer of hairs. Hold your scissors with the tip vertical, parallel with the brush and cut while moving the scissors up and angling them in slightly at the top edge, rounding off that corner. Begin your cut about halfway up the brush.. Rotate the brush a little bit and repeat the process. Continue working your way around the brush. Check if any areas need to evened out and add any finishing touches. I did this recently with a flat-topped contour brush I have had for years and it turned out quite well. It is now a well-tapered and very usable brush. I should have done this years ago!

I suppose you could also trim down a powder brush that is too large or even cut off some of the outermost layers of bristles completely to make it smaller or thinner. I worry that if you cut too much you could end up with an area of the metal base exposed and scrape your face with it. If you try this, don't cut the bristles all the way down to the base. Leave at least a quarter inch. And don't cut big chunks at once. Just cut a few at a time and taper them, so these shorter bristles will be slightly different lengths and will be softer if they hit your face. No, I have not tried this with any of my old and way-too-monstrous powder brushes. I prefer to recycle them into cat toys. The bigger the better! Do not do this if the bristles are coming out or if the handle is not intact. Wash the brush very thoroughly and rinse it well. Let dry, now torment your cat with it. My cat Trouble loves hers, and I love to brush it on her little face! Disclaimer- No, I have not checked with my vet to see if he approves brushes for use as cat toys. It can only be safer than the feather teasers they sell at the pet stores. My cat bit and chewed off all the feathers- and you know where they went!

You can also easily trim a square, flat-edged eyeshadow brush into a rounded one. I have done this, and the brush works much better now. First round off the squared corners on both ends, then taper the brush slightly along both flat sides near the tip as I explained earlier. Since an eyeshadow brush is so small, you must be very careful to trim only a very little of the outside layer of bristles or you may end up with no brush left.

A use for those little brushes that come with your blush. Use them for when you want to lighty dust an eyeshadow over the entire eyelid, such a with a frosted shadow.

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