Back to Basics: Blending

Blending can be one of the most difficult aspects of applying makeup. Blending depends on the brushes you use, the makeup (quality) that you use, technique, & practice.

Let's start with makeup, shall we?

I'm not going to go through all the different brands of makeup and all that, but a lot of times, you pay for what you get. Higher quality (and often higher priced) eyeshadow have a lot better blendability (um, is that a word? It is now). This is something you'll just have to play around with.

Second: Brushes.

This is a biggie. There are a million different types of brushes and a million more places to purchase them. Obviously MAC brushes are going to be top notch, but there are a lot of lower cost options out there (without sacrificing quality).

In my opinion, the two most important types of brushes you should have for shading your eyeshadow are these: Flat Brushes and Rounded Brushes (And you'll find that brushes all have a ton of different names, just notice the shapes :))

FLAT BRUSHES

Flat brushes are used basically one way: a side to side windshield wiper motion. The shorter and stiffer the bristles, the more you're going to be able to blend out. You can also do side to side and up and down, but don't use circles with these flat brushes or you'll tear up your eyelids! Ouch! If you have a harsh line you really need to tone down, these will probably do the best.

ROUNDED BRUSHES

My favorite brush is that white one in the middle. It's just a Sonia Kashuk round crease brush. This is wonderful for blending in the crease. The bristles are really soft and therefore blends color out beautifully. Another way to use a rounded brush: Dip your brush in a darker color, then on the outer corner of your eye, draw a 'C' from the outer edge of the crease, down to the corner of your eye.

After that, you can either use a windshield wiper motion, a side to side motion, or my favorite, little circles. When you use this brush to blend with circles, it really softens your look and blends the color out.


These are some of the basics you need to know for blending. But I think what it really comes down to is practice.

I know it's probably difficult to picture what I'm saying, I'm terrible about explaining things, I will make another blending tutorial this weekend for you!

Love,
Sarah