Face Good

There’s a Chinese saying that goes ‘工欲善其事，必先利其器' (gong yu shan qi shi, bi xian li qi qi). It means if you want to do the job well, you need quality tools (equipment and methods). The same goes for make-up! Even with the best eye shadow, blush etc, you need to best tools to execute them for optimum effect!

Today, I was clearing out my old beauty products and tools (if you recall, I mentioned in a previous article (link) that these things can’t keep for too long for hygiene purposes) and I thought I should give a little spotlight to my trusty make-up brush which I’ve been using for about 3 years!

I am changing it now because the brush has become a little splayed recently. I feel rather sad because it was great when it lasted, and it was cheap! I'll probably get the same one if I can find it!

I used it as a face brush to apply my powder foundation. It produced a very natural effect. It is also very soft despite being synthetic (probably feels like fine animal hairs, but body shop doesn’t use animal products, so it’s all good), springy and never sheds.

I also like how portable and hygienic it is. It has its own retractable casing, so no worries about exposure to dust or water.

However, I would not recommend it for blushing, especially if you’re using pigmented blush. This brush has the tendency to streak, so if you’re using non-natural colours on your skin, the unevenness will show up. Also, the retracted mechanism has a tendency to get stuck, so you have to be gentle and patient when dealing with it!

Colours do liven up a dull face, but the inappropriate use of too much make-up makes you look as though you're trying too hard.

It’s not hard to get carried away with your make-up when you’re dolling yourself up for a glamorous night out. This seems especially the case with face blush. An overdose of face blush can make you look as though you've just got two pink patches rather than a pretty glow, as discussed my previous article.

If you’ve accidentally applied too much blush and have no time to re-do your face, here's what you can do to ease the colours. If you’ve applied too much powder blush, dab transparent loose powder over the powdered parts of your face. If you used liquid or cream blush, use a little water or cleansing milk to lighten the colours.

Rosy cheeks are the embodiment of good health. If you want your skin to look radiant, those lovely pink hues on your cheeks can’t be missing! If you don’t have naturally rosy cheeks, that’s when blush comes to the rescue!

Does applying powder blush make you look like you’ve got two unnaturally pink patches on your cheeks? Using powder blush does come with practice. If you’re not adept with your brush strokes or use too much blush, the result may be less than desirable.

If you’re having problems with powder blush, try switching to liquid or cream blush. They are easily mixed and blended with your skin color, giving a more natural look of subtle but healthy rosy tints. Complete the process by using a flat foundation brush to sweep away excess blush.