Long are the days gone when only one or two brands ruled the world of the make-up brush. There's such a wide variety out there sometimes it's hard to pick and choose your favourites. Do you go for hype? Quality? Old classics? Looks? Natural hair? Cruelty-free? Highstreet? Pro? Budget? Luxury? The possibilities are endless. At an age when cosmetics brands come and go, the competition is fierce and it is hard to deliver anything new or truly amazing.
When it comes to brushes everyone has their personal preference in shapes, sizes, bristle types, etc. but there's definitely one type that has had a growing public demand and in the past few years and has come a long way: cruelty-free, vegan and 100% synthetic brushes. People are conscious of animal welfare and the environment more and more but would this mean that they have to compromise on the quality of their makeup brushes? Not anymore. If you wish to avoid animal hair bristles you don't have to make do with rough, unflexible brushes with a plastic feel that are hardly able to blend products, there are plenty of alternatives. It is a trial and error finding the ones that will work for you but it's so much easier these days and you don't even have to break the bank to get pretty good quality.
Be aware that vegan and cruelty-free are not one and the same, so if you are truly concerned about animal welfare, make sure you read the labels carefully and go for 100% synthetic and vegan. Cruelty-free is a label that companies are free to use even if they still might use animal hair because technically you don't have to test a brush on animals. It's a bit like the 'paraben-free' label: the product itself doesn't list parabens as an ingredient, but the ingredients of the product might have been treated with it. Apart from protecting animals, there are many other advantages of using synthetic brushes: they don't absorb oils, they are easier to clean, they are very durable, cost less and great if you have allergies to certain animal hairs or have sensitive skin.
Here's a few, vegan, cruelty-free and ethical options that I have used and love:
Louise Young - not fully vegan or an eco brand, but one of the more ethical ones, handmade in the UK, responsibly sourced made sure no animals have been harmed or killed for their hair. They use both natural and synthetic hair, there is a nice variety there.
You can find them here.
Eco Tools - cruelty-free and vegan, tree-free using recycled materials and recycled bamboo. This has got to be one of my favourites for quality, variety, price point and for their philosophy.
You can find them here.
Urban Decay - cruelty-free and vegan, using recycled plastic bottles, they have a good variety of soft brushes and they have just released a fantastic, pro range.
You can find them here.
Real Techniques - who hasn't heard of the Pixiwoos and the fantastic business they have built on the success of their Youtube Channel? Their collaboration with Real Techniques has become one of the fastest growing brush brands in recent times and no wonder: the brushes are great quality, cruelty-free, vegan and a dream to work with.
You can find them here.
Look Good Feel Better - I'm all up for getting behind amazing charities like Look Good Feel Better (the only worldwide cancer support charity, providing practical support for women struggling with the side effects from cancer treatments). Bespoke Europe has created twelve handmade brushes using super-soft Taklon bristles making them allergy free, cruelty free and suitable for sensitive skin. 8%-12 % of the sales go for Look Good Feel Better (I wish it was a little bit more).
You can find them here.
Going vegan when it comes to brushes is a great way to make sure that the sourcing of the bristles doesn't involve cruel treatment of animals and I love that I can make a choice. The fact that a large number of brands realize the importance of animal welfare and opting out from taking part in senseless animal abuse and are more inclined to make ethical choices shows that companies are more willing to be influenced by public demand and be innovative about their products rather than following sometimes archaic corporate behaviour.
Other cruelty-free, vegan options: Illamasqua, Zoeva, Two Faced, OCC, INIKA, Aveda, The Body Shop, Kat Von D Beauty, Origins, It Cosmetics, Artis, Tarte.
Louise Young is an industry veteran and is famous for her own brush line and compact make-up range. I haven't tried them before, so here was the chance. Having been served by Louise Young herself was an added bonus. Picked random ones I liked, and I got the brush belt free.
LY24B – made of natural hair, fine liner brush, very small, so excellent for small eyes and detailed liner work (£9.00)
LY17 – made of natural hair, quite stiff-bristled, so it's great for packing on colour on the eyes or even use it as a lip brush (£10.00)
LY45 – made of natural hair, great for eye shadow application and minimal blending (£17.00)
LY46 – made of natural hair, ideal for eye shadow application and minimal blending (£19.00)
LY51A - synthetic, perfect for powdering, highlighting, or buffing in cream products(£19.00)
LY04A - synthetic, super soft, perfect for powder blush application (£17.00)
My favourite from the line-up is the LY04 and LY24A but all seem to be high quality make. I love the colour of the handles too it makes the brushes look very sophisticated. I already decided that my next buy will be the foundation brushes.
Available to order here
Trying to avoid total bankruptcy I didn't even go near the Hakuhodo stand...okay, I did for a bit...just to run my fingers through their blusher brush that I have my eyes on for ages...but then I quickly tore myself away from their delicious looking stand because I kept hearing 'Buy me! Buy me!' repeatedly in my head. I had to resist.
Onto the next stop: Love Make-up and Ben Nye, phew, I feel saver here.
These practically packaged micro milled loose powders have been legendary in the media make-up world for long (maybe less used on the fashion scene) behind the scenes until Kim Kardashian's make-up artist brought them into the maintsream and became widely used by the general public too. These powders are incredibly lightweight, silky and are perfect for mattifying. They work best on normal to combination to slightly oily skin. If you want to add a bit of warmth to light complexions use the Banana Luxury Powder – it works well as a highlighter and contour on the right skin tones and counteracts redness too. I had to stock up on these, they are very handy products to have, not to talk about the price point! A massive amount of 3oz./85grams is only £15.95 at PAM and the shelf life is 30 month. The Luxury Powers are available in 8 other shades, on certain websites due to the high demand, there are restrictions: max 2 x1.5 oz or 1x3 oz per order! Please note that these products contain talc and parabens, so avoid, if you're not okay with those. Available to buy here and here
As a make-up artist, I can't have enough bags and pouches to keep my kit tidy. There are so many brands offering great options, MFUE, PAM, Zuca, Stilazzi,Monda Studio, Zoeve, Paris Berlin, Screenface, My Kit Co, Boots. It is very much of a personal choice, you don't have to go crazy on the price. I was in the mood to try the MUFE ones and bought some IMATS ones for fun, but it really doesn't matter until your kit is clean and tidy. MUFE Danys Pouch available here the pencil mesh bag here
I have a lip balm obsession for years now. Why I haven't tried the Dr. Paw Paw balms yet? I can't explain. Dr Paw Paw is a multi-purpose light, non-sticky, soothing balm that comes in three coloured tubes: yellow for the original balm, red and peach for the tinted ones. Paw Paw stands for Carica Papaya, a fruit jam-packed with nutrients, antioxidants and vitamins C and B that help repairing, moisturising and soothing the skin. It also contains aloe vera leaf juice, another source of essential nutrients, vitamins, minerals and antioxidants that protect form damage, hydrate and sooth the skin. I went for the red tinted one, it can be used ony lips and cheeks. This is a perfet holiday multi-tasking product, available here
I've loved the Make-up Artist Magazine for a long time. I remember back at collage looking forward to get my hands on the new editions in the library and poring over the work of both fashion and film make-up artists. Editor-in-Chief Michael Key, who is also the executive producer of IMATS has done a lot in terms of celebrating the work of make-up artists and making sure the public and the industry acknowledges this awesome group of professionals who usually are just quietly working away behind the scenes. The magazine is full of valuable industry info (fashion, beauty, film theatre), very educational and is a must have for make-up geeks who are interested in all aspects of make-up artistry. There was a great deal offered at the Make-Up Artist Magazine stand: buy three and get four free with gold pro-card, so I managed to get my hand on a few back issues I wanted. The Andrew Gallimore cover was a must!
You can subscribe here
