Have you ever thought about the pros and cons of using makeup brushes? I mean, we pay good money for them and most times we pick them up and use them without even thinking twice. There has to be more to it than that, right? As much as I love using all sorts of beauty tools, I decided to look into the pros and cons of using makeup brushes so we’re using them for the right reasons and not because we feel it’s just the thing to do. If you’ve been wondering whether you should ditch your makeup brushes or not, read up and let me know what you decide!
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1. CON: It Takes More Time
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One of the rationales for not using makeup brushes is that it takes more time to use. This might not seem like one of the more convincing pros and cons of makeup brushes, but it makes a difference. While it might only seem like you’re saving a minute, when you’re in a hurry to apply your makeup, every second counts. All you’d have to do is wash your hands and apply whatever beauty products directly to the back of your hand or your clean fingers and you’re ready to get gorgeous.
Yes, brushes provide more precision and a smoother finish than fingers.
It's best to clean them at least once a week to avoid bacteria buildup and maintain performance.
If not cleaned regularly, brushes can harbor bacteria that may irritate sensitive skin.
They offer better product application, blending, and a professional-looking finish.
Synthetic brushes work well with liquid products, while natural bristles are ideal for powders.
Using multiple clean brushes is safe, but sharing or not cleaning them can lead to breakouts.
Look for soft bristles, ergonomic handles, and brushes designed for your specific makeup needs.
Quality brushes often last longer and provide better application, making them a good investment.
Keep them upright in a clean holder to maintain shape and hygiene.
Yes, brushes help blend products evenly, promoting better adherence and longer wear.
2. PRO: You Get an Even Application
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Perhaps one of the most convincing reasons to use a makeup brush or sponge is the beautiful, even application that you can achieve. Whenever I didn’t use a makeup applicator, I always had the problem of getting too much product on certain areas and it seemed like no matter what I did to try and even things out, my face would end up looking uneven. Makeup brushes solve this problem and help even makeup novices achieve a flawless look.
Yes, brushes provide more precision and a smoother finish than fingers.
It's best to clean them at least once a week to avoid bacteria buildup and maintain performance.
If not cleaned regularly, brushes can harbor bacteria that may irritate sensitive skin.
They offer better product application, blending, and a professional-looking finish.
Synthetic brushes work well with liquid products, while natural bristles are ideal for powders.
Using multiple clean brushes is safe, but sharing or not cleaning them can lead to breakouts.
Look for soft bristles, ergonomic handles, and brushes designed for your specific makeup needs.
Quality brushes often last longer and provide better application, making them a good investment.
Keep them upright in a clean holder to maintain shape and hygiene.
Yes, brushes help blend products evenly, promoting better adherence and longer wear.
3. CON: You Have to Clean Them
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The part I dread most in my beauty routine is cleaning up all of my makeup brushes. I don’t necessarily want to get old makeup and germs on my skin so I do it, but I could certainly live without having to clean every last one of my eye shadow, blush, contour, powder and foundation brushes!
***
Sure, you can use those cleaning mats and solutions that promise to make the process painless, but it still feels like a chore. And don't even get me started on the drying time! You'll have to find a spot where your brushes can hang out, potentially for hours, before they're ready for use again. Sure, clean brushes mean a flawless application and better skin health, but the trade-off is significant if you're not the type who finds washing and organizing your tools therapeutic. If only they could magically clean themselves after each use, right?
Yes, brushes provide more precision and a smoother finish than fingers.
It's best to clean them at least once a week to avoid bacteria buildup and maintain performance.
If not cleaned regularly, brushes can harbor bacteria that may irritate sensitive skin.
They offer better product application, blending, and a professional-looking finish.
Synthetic brushes work well with liquid products, while natural bristles are ideal for powders.
Using multiple clean brushes is safe, but sharing or not cleaning them can lead to breakouts.
Look for soft bristles, ergonomic handles, and brushes designed for your specific makeup needs.
Quality brushes often last longer and provide better application, making them a good investment.
Keep them upright in a clean holder to maintain shape and hygiene.
Yes, brushes help blend products evenly, promoting better adherence and longer wear.
4. PRO: Build Coverage
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Another one of the reasons to use a makeup brush is that you can easily build coverage. Yeah, you can do that with your makeup sponge or your fingers, but it’s so much easier when you’re using a makeup brush. Although all of those tools can give you control over where and how much product you apply, a makeup brush gives you the most precision in this case.
Yes, brushes provide more precision and a smoother finish than fingers.
It's best to clean them at least once a week to avoid bacteria buildup and maintain performance.
If not cleaned regularly, brushes can harbor bacteria that may irritate sensitive skin.
They offer better product application, blending, and a professional-looking finish.
Synthetic brushes work well with liquid products, while natural bristles are ideal for powders.
Using multiple clean brushes is safe, but sharing or not cleaning them can lead to breakouts.
Look for soft bristles, ergonomic handles, and brushes designed for your specific makeup needs.
Quality brushes often last longer and provide better application, making them a good investment.
Keep them upright in a clean holder to maintain shape and hygiene.
Yes, brushes help blend products evenly, promoting better adherence and longer wear.
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5. CON: Using Your Fingers Heats up Makeup
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One of the most common and compelling reasons to use your fingers to apply makeup is that you can warm up the beauty products on your fingers so that it “melts” onto skin. I think I’ve read this tip from pro makeup artists a gazillion times and it’s true. Dick Paige of Shiseido says using fingers to apply product allows makeup artists to “connect to the ‘canvas’ he or she is working on and use it as a guide for where to apply the product.”
Yes, brushes provide more precision and a smoother finish than fingers.
It's best to clean them at least once a week to avoid bacteria buildup and maintain performance.
If not cleaned regularly, brushes can harbor bacteria that may irritate sensitive skin.
They offer better product application, blending, and a professional-looking finish.
Synthetic brushes work well with liquid products, while natural bristles are ideal for powders.
Using multiple clean brushes is safe, but sharing or not cleaning them can lead to breakouts.
Look for soft bristles, ergonomic handles, and brushes designed for your specific makeup needs.
Quality brushes often last longer and provide better application, making them a good investment.
Keep them upright in a clean holder to maintain shape and hygiene.
Yes, brushes help blend products evenly, promoting better adherence and longer wear.
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6. PRO: You’re a Germaphobe
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If the thought of using your fingers to apply your makeup grosses you out, using a makeup brush is probably the best option for you. Remember that if you aren’t cleaning your makeup brushes, you can be doing as much as damage as you could be with dirty fingers. However, if you have acne-prone skin that you want to keep as clean as possible, some people prefer to stick with makeup brushes so there aren’t any chances of contamination.
Yes, brushes provide more precision and a smoother finish than fingers.
It's best to clean them at least once a week to avoid bacteria buildup and maintain performance.
If not cleaned regularly, brushes can harbor bacteria that may irritate sensitive skin.
They offer better product application, blending, and a professional-looking finish.
Synthetic brushes work well with liquid products, while natural bristles are ideal for powders.
Using multiple clean brushes is safe, but sharing or not cleaning them can lead to breakouts.
Look for soft bristles, ergonomic handles, and brushes designed for your specific makeup needs.
Quality brushes often last longer and provide better application, making them a good investment.
Keep them upright in a clean holder to maintain shape and hygiene.
Yes, brushes help blend products evenly, promoting better adherence and longer wear.
7. CON: the Cost
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Let’s be honest, a major drawback of makeup brushes is the cost. I know you have to pay for good quality, but my heart breaks a little when I see the price tags of most makeup brushes. Sure, there are some good lower-cost options out there, but I seem to go through them pretty fast, so sometimes it’s not really cost-saving. Don’t get me wrong, ladies-I don’t mind spending money on makeup brushes that do a good job and last, I just hate the high cost!
Yes, brushes provide more precision and a smoother finish than fingers.
It's best to clean them at least once a week to avoid bacteria buildup and maintain performance.
If not cleaned regularly, brushes can harbor bacteria that may irritate sensitive skin.
They offer better product application, blending, and a professional-looking finish.
Synthetic brushes work well with liquid products, while natural bristles are ideal for powders.
Using multiple clean brushes is safe, but sharing or not cleaning them can lead to breakouts.
Look for soft bristles, ergonomic handles, and brushes designed for your specific makeup needs.
Quality brushes often last longer and provide better application, making them a good investment.
Keep them upright in a clean holder to maintain shape and hygiene.
Yes, brushes help blend products evenly, promoting better adherence and longer wear.
8. PRO: You Use a Lot of Powder Products
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No matter whom you ask, most will agree that beauty products that are in powder form, such as powder foundation, setting powder, powder blush, powder eye shadow and so forth, all look better when they are applied with a makeup brush. If you use a lot of cream-based products, using your fingers will help blend them onto your skin seamlessly.
Yes, brushes provide more precision and a smoother finish than fingers.
It's best to clean them at least once a week to avoid bacteria buildup and maintain performance.
If not cleaned regularly, brushes can harbor bacteria that may irritate sensitive skin.
They offer better product application, blending, and a professional-looking finish.
Synthetic brushes work well with liquid products, while natural bristles are ideal for powders.
Using multiple clean brushes is safe, but sharing or not cleaning them can lead to breakouts.
Look for soft bristles, ergonomic handles, and brushes designed for your specific makeup needs.
Quality brushes often last longer and provide better application, making them a good investment.
Keep them upright in a clean holder to maintain shape and hygiene.
Yes, brushes help blend products evenly, promoting better adherence and longer wear.
9. CON: It Looks Too Perfect
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Is it possible for makeup to look too perfect? According to some makeup artists, a big con to using makeup brushes is that it can look too perfect and contrived. Makeup guru Pat McGrath feels that using fingers to apply and blend makeup looks more effortless and modern. She used her uneven application of eye shadow at Miu Miu’s spring 2014 show as an example. “We wanted it to be slightly faded in the center, not perfect. It wasn’t about, let’s make the most perfectly shaded eye socket. That’s great for an Instagram of one eye, but no one wants to live like that.”
I know we spend a time a lot of time and money procuring products for our ever-expanding beauty collection, so I thought you might find these pros and cons of using makeup brushes helpful. Do you have any thoughts on this? What beauty tools do you use when you apply makeup?
Sources: thebeautybean.com, birchbox.com, elle.com
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Comments
Michaela: I did not like this article
Michelle: love this article! the pros and cons are so true!
raz: brushes are key to application unless you are going very minimalist that day
Nayeli: the whole "it takes longer" is so false. if you know how to use your brushes correctly then using them at a fast pace should be no problem at all
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