Whether or not you like a multi-step routine or a easy mushy sculpt, contour brushes are your finest guess for nailing your liquid, powder or cream contour – and the important thing to a seamless make-up base. With A-Listers like Kim Kardashian and Hailey Bieber taking the method to new heights, extra outlined cheekbones, jaws and noses are on everybody’s wishlists – and it seems that utilizing the best brush could possibly be the distinction between a clear contour and that dreaded muddy end.
“Denser brushes which might be filled with bristles assist to thinly layer product on to the pores and skin and are significantly good with cream formulation,” explains make-up artist Rose Gallagher. Want one thing extra pure? “Go for a fluffier brush, as a result of each sweep provides solely a mushy wash of color.”
As somebody who has usually swayed in the direction of extra natural-looking make-up, I discovered myself a little bit nervous on the prospect of contouring – however as soon as I picked up my make-up brushes and gave it a go, there was no turning again. Particularly as a result of it’s now simpler than ever to look sculpted and snatched, due to an entire host of expertly-designed contour brushes which have each full glam girlies and people who are inclined to preserve issues a little bit extra low-key lined.
Initially, contour brushes had been made from animal hair – as a result of the pure texture helped with a extra flawless software, particularly when it got here to powders. However today you’ll discover that the majority are cruelty-free, and are as a substitute constituted of artificial bristles. Make-up artist Monika Blunder explains: “They’re vegan and are often simpler to wash and sooner to dry in comparison with pure fibres. They’ve come a good distance in the previous few years so generally you’ll be able to’t even inform the distinction between pure and artificial bristles.”
That will help you discover your choose, we have put collectively a carefully-curated record of one of the best contour brushes in the marketplace, together with MUA-created favourites (taking a look at you, Mario Dedivanovic), cult manufacturers and brushes that received’t break the financial institution. We’ve additionally taken the time to scour by hundreds of buyer critiques and take a look at the choices beneath first-hand. Under, we have included all the things that you must find out about contour brushes, with expert-led data and your burning FAQs answered. So, buckle up and get scrolling…
Greatest contour brushes at a look – our high picks:
- Greatest contour brush general: Kevyn Aucoin The Duet Contour Brush, £42, Area NK
- Greatest inexpensive contour brush: e.l.f. Contouring Brush, £6.50, Amazon
- Greatest contour brush for sculpting: Morphe R3 Precision Pointed Contour Brush, £15, Morphe
- Greatest contour brush for nostril contour: Uncommon Magnificence Liquid Contact Concealer Brush, £17, Sephora
What’s a contour brush? Which one ought to I exploit?
Contour brushes are available just a few totally different sizes and shapes, with every one giving particular outcomes. “You will discover some brushes which might be extraordinarily dense with a flat high, which tends to create a sharper contour line. These are often designed for cream contours,” says celeb and royal make-up artist Hannah Martin. Contour brushes like these can usually be named basis brushes and are helpful throughout your base make-up in addition to for sculpting. “Pointed brushes are nice for focusing product within the hollows of the cheekbone, whereas the commonest angled contour brush can come both tightly or loosely sure and in a variety of sizes to get into the nooks and crannies of the face,” Hannah says. These can generally look extra like an angled blush brush, besides the bristles are sometimes extra densely packed collectively.
With regards to selecting which contour brush to make use of, you’ll want to think about a few issues: am I utilizing a powder, cream or liquid method – and which a part of the face am I contouring? When you’re utilizing a cream and contouring the cheekbones and jawline, Monika suggests selecting a “barely bigger brush, on the denser facet” like a big angled contour brush, whereas if you happen to favor powder formulation you’ll be finest off going for one thing that appears extra like a powder brush – fluffier and softer than your extra conventional sculpting brush.
For nostril contour, it’s all about precision. Based on make-up artist Ruby Hammer MBE: “a small, exact brush is finest for managed, outlined, chiselled areas just like the nostril and eyes.”