makeup brushes 101

What happens when a hairdresser walks into a room with one disgruntled makeup artist and one of the most legendary models in the industry? Well, if you're Rae Morris, you switch professions. In '93, the young hairdresser was styling for the 'Model of the World' Pageant whilst judge (the one and only) Naomi Campbell was having her makeup done across the room. "Suddenly there was a flurry of angry voices and her [Campbell's] makeup artist headed out the door," Morris claims. And with the words "Fix my lips," Morris's fate was sealed. Within seconds, paparazzi flooded the room, landing her face and makeshift makeup application on tabloids overnight.

Since then, the Aussie has trained under Richard Sharah (the man who created the legendary Ziggy Stardust makeup on Bowie) and has had her fare share of celebrity clientele including Miranda Kerr and Cate Blanchett. Now, Morris is coming out with the first ever magnetic makeup brush line to keep all of your essential tools in one organized place.  If you're lazy (like me) and think whatever is lying around your beauty cabinet can be your one-trick pony, Morris is here to prove you wrong. "The biggest misconception about makeup application is that you can achieve a flawless face with your fingers and a few Q-tips—So not true!"

Moral of the story: If you want a red-carpet flawless face, the more brushes, the better. Don't worry if you're completely clueless on where to start, we got the 4-1-1 from the artist herself on which brush to use for different makeup and gained some awesome insider application advice along the way.

Bronzer

To get the perfect bronzed look that so many of us love, use Kabuki brushes (Deluxe and Mini). They're perfectly shaped to apply the most flawless, naturally blended bronzer onto your cheeks. 

Pro Tip: For natural-looking bronzed skin, apply a bit around your hairline.

Foundation

Use the Holy Grail of makeup brushes, the Radiance Brush. It’s the softest foundation brush on the market, and you can use it with every existing type of foundation.

Pro Tip: The "airbrushed" look comes from the softness of the brush. So the softer the bristles, the easier it is to buff foundation into the skin. 

Blush

Not all faces are the same, so tailor your blush brushes specifically to your face. Either use a Mini Kabuki Brush for a more petite face or the Deluxe for a larger one.  

Pro Tip: Tapered end brushes, like the ones mentioned above, can double for contouring. 

Eye shadow 

Morris' absolute must-have for eye shadow is her Deluxe Point Shader Brush! The pointed shape will never give you the harsh edges you would otherwise have to blend with all square or flat head brushes.

Pro Tip: When you use a brush with a pointed shape, it blends in half of the time of any standard makeup brush, creating perfect sockets with just a few strokes. 

Concealer 

This brush must be synthetic. The reason for this is that it’s impossible for synthetics to absorb product. So, how this works is that a synthetic Concealer Brush is super efficient in picking up and holding the product, but it distributes all of it onto the skin, perfect for hiding blemishes. 

Pro Tip: You want ALL the product to go onto the skin and not be absorbed by the brush.

Bonus: It’s really important that when trying new looks always make sure you choose the right color palette for your eyes. The simple rule follows: Choose an eye shade that matches your eye color, or use the complete opposite.