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Jun 20, 2012
Jacqueline S.
I am building my make up kit to start working as a freelance artist and was wondering what MAC brushes are absolute essentials when starting out.
Any other brush suggestions welcome as well! :)
Jun 20, 2012
Brandy R.
Honestly, MAC brushes are not what they used to be. They are no longer hand made, but are now mass-produced and made by machines. The quality has gone down tremendously and you don't get your money's worth. I highly recommend brushes by Royal & Langnickel - they have been in the brush business for quite some time and also make professional makeup brushes. They also offer a professional discount as well, You can find out more information here - http://www.royalbrush.com/beauty/pro/perks.php
But in general, to start out with, here is what I would recommend based on my professional experience:
a few good foundation brushes (domed synthetic ones are great for getting an airbrush finish)
a domed powder brush
an angled and a domed blush brush
general all-over face blending brush
pointed and small flat concealer brush
larger flat concealer brush (these work great for applying eyeshadow primer and eye cream)
crease eyeshadow brush
a few different sized eyeshadow brushes (small, medium & large)
angled and flat eyeliner brushes
angled brow brush
lip brush (you can get disposable ones, but they don't work as well)
metal tooth eyelash comb (disposable mascara spoolies also work)
Hope this helps!
Jun 20, 2012
Amanda B.
I dont know anyone who started out as a freelance makeup artist with mac brushes. Dont get me wrong they are awesome brushes. But the career path you have chosen is not the career where you get the big money starting out. In my case it took awhile before I started making little money which in turn had to put back in my kit. I started off with ELF brushes theyre cheaper and still of good quality. I wish you the best of luck
Jun 20, 2012
Jacqueline S.
@Brandy - thank you very much! Your post was very helpful and appreciated!
@Amanda- I am a MAC girl, always have been. The price of the brush wasnt the issue, the quality and performance of the brush is. And I have acouple MAC brushes but they were purchased awhile ago as a gift from my husband and its time for me to replace them. I have been using a wide variety of brushes and most recently using Smashbox.
Thanks for your info, Ive never bought an ELF brush so maybe I will check them out.
Jun 20, 2012
Brandy R.
Absolutely Jacqueline! Also, you should check out the post I just put up about how to clean, disinfect & condition your brushes - you might be able to salvage those ones you think you need to replace! http://www.beautylish.com/t/rxarg/how-to-clean-disinfect-condition-makeup-brushes
Jun 20, 2012
Amanda B.
then of moneys not an issue mac is a deffinant. I like smashbox theyre ok bobbi brown and mac in my experience have been the best
Jun 20, 2012
Vanessa P.
if you are a beginning artist i wouldnt recomend to spend a lot of money on mac brushes or expensive brushes. I started out with elf flat eyeshadow brush, other brushes from target that are good and cheap are from up and up, Crown brush as well has cheap brushes and lastly if your near a costco every now and then they have brush sets and those are the cheap brushes I use and work out GREAT for me! Remember you need to focus on other products as well other than brushes because in the beginning your barely making enough just to complete your kit. Hope this helped!
Jun 20, 2012
Jesscia C.
Get the sigma pro kit and you are good to go!
Jun 21, 2012
Lauren N.
MUD (Makeup Designory) brushes are fabulous! They have been featured in mags like Vogue and Allure. They are similar in cost to MAC brushes, but the quality is so much better to me. I have only had to replace maybe 4 in the past 5 years, and those were mainly the lip and eyeliner brushes which get used the most.
Jun 21, 2012
Jacqueline S.
Wow! Thank you ladies! Much appreciated info!
Jun 21, 2012
Jacqueline S.
@ brandy r- I am checking out your blog now! Thanks girl.
Jun 21, 2012
Livvy P.
Jun 22, 2012
Mari F.
Sigma!!'💚
Jun 22, 2012
Mari F.
Sigma!!
Jun 22, 2012
Brandy R.
Absolutely chica! Although, my website crashed yesterday and I'm still waiting for my server company to restore it. I'm hoping it's back up tomorrow!
Jun 22, 2012
Tia B.
I have a varietyof brushes from Stila to Sephora to Nars to Paula Dorf
You will decude in short handle or long handle its whatever your comfortable with
Jun 22, 2012
Jacqueline S.
@ brandy - Any luck with your site?
Jun 22, 2012
Jacqueline S.
@ Livvy- thanks for that pic! I like the look of those :)
@ Tia - I completely agree. I def have favorites but need to expand my collection.
Jun 22, 2012
Brandy R.
Not yet :( I'm anxious for it to be back up though!
Jun 22, 2012
Melinda J.
Currently most of my brushes are M.A.C, only because I worked with the company for about 7 years. Now that I am freelancing I am experiencing and loving other lines. I have added the following to my collection: E.L.F, Crown, Royal & Langnickel, Bdellium and Sonia Kashuk
Jun 25, 2012
Andrea F.
Yeah, you don't have start off with MAC! Unless you have tons of money to spend! But there are a lot of other options so you can have have more money to use in other areas too. Check out Crown Brush, Sigma, Real Techniques, Coastal Scents +++
Jun 25, 2012
Sofia B.
I dont really know about the inexpensive ones but i have a big spending problem so I bought a blending brush from Sephora is amazing! around $24
Jun 25, 2012
Billi L.
Yea I agree with what the other ladies have said, Mac is not the best. I would recommend Sigma to start off with and then once you get more experience then you can venture into more expensive brands. I'm actually thinking of trying out real techniques. Have any of you ladies tried them? What do you think of them as a long term investment?
Jun 25, 2012
Brandy R.
Jacqueline-
That brush tutorial is back up that I posted before. Here is the new link for it:
http://blog.brandymrich.com/?p=15
Sorry for the delay!
Jul 11, 2012
Shulamith B.
Ebay has good values on Smashbox brushes, many of which are deeply reduced overstock items from QVC specials, and the entire Bdellium line is on ebay as well as Amazon.. You'll also find deals on ebay in lesser known brands such as Cargo, Paula Dorf, Sue Devitt and Stila.
Beware of buying MAC, Bobbi Brown, Trish McEvoy, Shu Uemura and Nars brushes on ebay because most of them are fakes.
If you have a Costco card, keep an eye out for Costco gift sets at Xmas because they're made by the same company that does Adesign, Kevin Aucoin and a lot of Sonia Kashuk. http://reviews.costco.com/2070/11707295/kirkland-signature-cosmetic-brush-set-reviews/reviews.htm