Best Makeup Brushes to Apply Mineral Cosmetics

Let me get you some history of cosmetics. Mineral cosmetics were invented and used around the world, since very ancient times. However, with the advent of science and chemistry, more and more cosmetics were manufactured using a lot of chemicals. Chemicals had their own drawbacks, they had damaging side effects on skin and hair; they even led to carcinogenic diseases. You are sure aware of that now!

Hence around the 1970s, mineral cosmetics suddenly started to gain popularity again. And today, they are the most touted type of makeup products. One distinguishing characteristic of mineral cosmetics is that they come in loose or pressed powder form. Therefore, I would suggest the use of best makeup brushes for their application.

Characteristics of Best Makeup Brushes

The makeup brushes for mineral powders are those that have the following qualities:

1. they hold more quantity of the powdered mineral product
2. there is minimum wastage of the mineral product (loose powders can tend to dust and fall off the brushes)
3. they cover a wide surface area
4. they do not cake-in the mineral product on the surface, but are ideal to buff and blend in the powder rendering a flawless look.

I have seen many makeup brushes in the market from leading cosmetics brands. And they do possess some or most of the qualities mentioned above. So they can be used just as effectively for mineral makeup application. However, there is one specific type of brushes which come topmost to my mind when we think about mineral makeup – they are the Kabukis.

The Kabukis

I have done a bit of a research on this product. It seems that women today consider Kabuku brushes to be among the best makeup brushes when it comes to applying mineral cosmetics. The origin of kabuki brushes lies in old Japanese theatre, where they were used to apply heavy coats of natural makeup powders. The backstage makeup had to be done quickly, was expected to have full coverage and had to last for hours and hours on the artists who performed show after show tirelessly.

Kabuki brushes were considered perfect makeup brushes by the Japanese makeup artists too. Kabuki brushes are either natural (made from animal hair) or synthetic (made from synthetic materials like plastic and nylon) – however the best kabuki makeup brushes are usually natural. They have ample bristle heads, too much in fact. Most old, worn brushes shed hair or bristles; kabuki brushes on the other hand remain voluminous for long. They are usually large in size.

Their bristles could either be soft or hard depending on whether they are natural or synthetic. Some have rounded tops while others are flat tops. They come with either long or short handles. Long handled brushes are used for sweeping, brushing effect. Short handled brushes are used for buffing, blending-in effect. They can be used to apply a variety of mineral makeup products, on the face, eyes, lips and whole body.

And don’t forget that makeup brushes need the best care and attention. So cleaning the brushes, storing them in proper place and condition and replacing old brushes is absolutely necessary. Take care of them, and they will take care of you!