BLENDING BRUSHES

1. First be sure to use a good eyeshadow base so that your eyeshadows stay put. While many bases are colorless or made in “nude” shades, there are some like MAC paint pots that come in a variety of shades that can make your eyeshadow more vibrant and pop.

2. Where you place shadow colors is important since darker colors make things look smaller and lighter colors make things appear larger. So for instance if you have close-set eyes, you’ll want to avoid applying darker colors on the inner portions of the eyes as this will make the eyes seem even more close-set. Highlight shades (either very sheer shimmery eyeshadow in beige, gold, or silver; or an eyeshadow or concealer about 2-3 shades lighter than your skin tone) go on the brow bone and in the inner corners of the eyes.
3. Apply lighter colors first especially if your eye brush collection is limited. And be sure to dust the brush into a towel or paper towel to remove the previous color’s remnants off the brush.
4. When you apply color move the brush in a very quick and small circular motion. Use an eyeshadow blending blush like MAC #224 for softer blending or a densely packed one like MAC #217 for heavier blending. Avoid “muddying” colors by blending lightly at the line where they meet. If you have trouble with bigger brushes, use a smaller blending brush like MAC #231.

Some other blending brushes that are excellent are sigma brushes. Everyones eyes are different shapes and sizes so what might be a perfect brush for me might be too small for you. But it is good to have a range of blending brushes you can achieve different looks.

The smaller and denser the brush is the more it is going to blend in one spot and not blend a large area. The larger and softer the brush is, it will blend a large area and is good for smokey eye looks.