When you’re doing makeup professionally, your brushes get put through a lot. Mine certainly do!
On a busy wedding morning I can be working through several faces. Some of my brushes are being washed six or seven times in a day, so I need them to do more than just look nice in a makeup bag. They need to perform properly, wash well and, most importantly, last.
That’s exactly why I created my own professional makeup brush collections for my brand Jewel Cosmetics and why they’re now the only brushes I use in my own kit.
Why I decided to create my own makeup brushes
Before Jewel Cosmetics, my brush kit was basically made up of individual brushes I’d collected from lots of different brands over the years.
And whenever somebody came to me for a makeup lesson, I’d find myself saying:
“You need a brush like this one…”
Then writing down the name of one brush from one brand, another brush from somewhere else and another one from a completely different set. It wasn’t exactly simple.
I knew which brush shapes I reached for constantly as a professional makeup artist, so when I created my own collections, I wanted to take all of that experience and put together sets that actually made sense. Not twenty random brushes you’ll never use.
The brushes you genuinely need to create a full makeup application, whether you’re a professional artist or simply want a really good set for doing your own makeup at home.
The brushes I use in my professional bridal kit
I currently reach for two Jewel Cosmetics collections in particular: the Black Brush Collection and the Walnut Brush Collection.
I don’t have a kit filled with other brush brands that I occasionally swap in. My Jewel Cosmetics brushes are what I use every day when I’m working with my clients.
When I was choosing the types for the collection, I wasn’t thinking about how many brushes I could put into a set. I was thinking about the brushes I actually reach for when I’m doing makeup. That distinction is really important.
A brush set can look impressive with 20 or 30 brushes in it, but if you only ever use six of them, what’s the point? I wanted mine to be practical.
They’re designed to withstand professional use
One of the things I’m probably hardest on in my whole kit is my brushes. They’re used constantly and they’re deep cleaned constantly.
Some of the Jewel brushes in my own kit are now years old, and they’re still going strong despite the amount of use they get. That was massively important to me when developing them.
Professional makeup artists need brushes that can withstand repeated cleaning without constantly shedding, losing their shape or needing replaced.
And if you’re buying a good-quality set for yourself, you should be able to expect the same longevity.
How I look after my brushes
There is one really important thing to remember with any makeup brush.
Don’t soak the ferrule or the handle. The ferrule is the metal section between the bristles and the handle, and getting water inside it repeatedly can weaken the adhesive holding the brush together.
When I clean mine, I concentrate the water and cleaner on the bristles only, rather than submerging the whole brush.
I use the Jewel Cosmetics Brush & Sponge Cleaner, rinse the bristles thoroughly and then allow the brushes to dry properly.
Look after them this way and a really good set of brushes can last you years and years.
Good makeup starts with good tools
Products obviously matter, but the tools you apply them with make a huge difference too.
So when I recommend them, it’s not because my name happens to be behind the brand.
It’s because they’re genuinely what I use.
If you’d like to see the brush collections I use in my own professional kit, you can shop the Black and Walnut Jewel Cosmetics Brush Collections online.
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