The Ultimate Guide To Makeup Brushes & Tools

The Ultimate Guide To Makeup Brushes & Tools by Anna Hunter* is described as being 'Your essential guide to the tools, brushes and applicators that make ALL the difference'.  Anna Hunter is an award winning Makeup Maniac columnist for Get The Gloss and this guide is the first in a series of practical, download-and-keep guides and a must read!

The guide is broken down into three parts and throughout you will read about:

• The history of makeup brushes and makeup tools 
• The pros and cons of natural and synthetic brushes
• The tools and applicators that will revolutionise your beauty routine from start to finish
• The best methods, gadgets and products for brush cleaning
• The latest makeup brush and tool development and technology set to change the face of makeup artistry
• How to look after those brushes

The guide is a mere 44 pages long and is packed full of advice from top makeup artists such as Daniel Sandler, Kevyn Aucoin, Lee Pycroft, Justine Jenkins and Lou Dartford and is such a good read, I had devoured it within an hour, thoroughly enjoying a break from reading my usual gory blood curdling Crime Thrillers, to something a little more practical, educational and incredibly useful.

The book starts with some historical factors about makeup with a trip back to Ancient Egypt and the wings of Cleopatra's Eyeliner, to 17th Century Rouge and what use a Hares foot had for blusher or Squirrel Hair for makeup setting!.  I was fascinated by the history of make up brushes and the little unknown fact about a little town of Kumano in Japan, where an astonishing 15million brushes for some big brands such as RMK, Shiseido and Suqqu.  

The past I really enjoyed was the Tool and Brush Wardrobe which offered an in-depth analysis of brushes for concealer, your eyes, cheeks, lips, adding a base and eyeliner.  There is a brush or tool to suit every mood, need, technique, trend, face shape and perhaps most importantly, the ones which are right for you. I have now found some more brushes that I feel I need for my growing collection and some that I already have, but perhaps don't really need.

A chapter I think everything should read from this mini guide is called 'Coming Clean' and it is about looking after your brushes and tools and whilst cleaning them might not be exciting, it is one of those essential tasks. This chapter takes you through how to wash your brushes effectively and how you can do it using different products from shampoos, solid cleansers and even foams and brush conditioners.  How and why you should dry your brushes in a certain why and is there finally a way to use a face wipe without being vilified? Well you will have to read this guide for yourself.

You can purchase your copy of this guide here for just £4.95.