You may think that your make up brush is your best beauty friend but, unless you're cleaning it regularly and correctly, it could be spreading all manner of bacteria around your face and causing spot breakouts.
Think about it; make up brushes are dipped in and out of make up, and swirled around the face where they collect natural skin oils and sweat, which is all then put into the make up.
Brushes are easy to clean though; lay them down in a container with some oil-free makeup remover and warm water. Swish them around occasionally and take out of the mixture after about five minutes.
After this, gently clean the brushes with cleanser until no more make up is coming out of the brush into water. Then lay the brushes on to kitchen towel and re-fluff them as much as you can while they are still wet.
You should take greater care when you clean your brushes if they are natural rather than synthetic, as bristles tend to drop out of the natural ones easier, but they generally hold on to powder better.
There are so many different types of make up brushes. Mineral make up has specialised brushes which distribute the natural minerals evenly around the skin. This kind of make up needs to be buffed on to the skin with a large round brush to build up coverage gradually.
Liquid eyeliner requires a really thin-bristled brush with a larger handle, as well as a steady hand. It's imperative that you lean the elbow of the arm you're using to apply the make up on a hard surface as you do it to avoid wobbling. The bristles on tiny brushes such as this are usually made of sable.
Eye shadow brushes are a must for layering on colour over your lids; using fingers for this will just result in a smudged, less-than-perfect look.
Brushes for concealer are about the same size as eye shadow ones, but quite often the tip will be fashioned from sponge.
Possibly the most important make up brush you will buy is the one you will use for your foundation, blusher and bronzer. These are the largest brushes and should be lovely and soft to touch, and make blending a breeze.
Your overall skin tone and flawlessness is the important backdrop for the rest of your make up, so it's worth investing in a good, large round make up brush to ensure you can make yourself look flawless with ease each day.
Thomas Pretty is a travel journalist with many years of experience travelling and writing about european detinations. Find out more about the bestmake up brush in the business at http://www.crownbrush.co.uk/
