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What are Eyeliner Brushes?

Nychole Price
Nychole Price

Eyeliner brushes are used as an alternative to a pencil because they apply eyeliner in a precise fashion without bumps and skids. An cosmetic brush eyeliner resembles a paintbrush, with a plastic or wooden handle. Many of these brushes are made of natural hair from ponies or goats. This style of brush tool is used in addition with liquid, gel, powder and cream liners. There are several types of eyeliner brushes including angled, fine, superfine, smudge and ergonomic brushes.

Angled eyeliner brushes are the most commonly used. They are also known as bent and slant brushes. The biggest benefit to the angled brush is that a person is able to apply the liner while looking in the mirror and without her hand getting in the way. This style brush can be used with all types of liner. A bent eyeliner brush usually costs around $20 US Dollars (USD).

Many eyeliner brushes are made of natural hair from ponies or goats.
Many eyeliner brushes are made of natural hair from ponies or goats.

Fine eyeliner brushes are used for creating thin, yet controlled, lines on the upper and lower lash lines. Fine brushes can be used with liquid or gel liners, to create a dramatic effect, or with dry, powdered liners for a soft appearance. This style of eyeliner brush costs around $10 USD.

Superfine eyeliner brushes are most often used in professional applications. Due to the fine, tapered bristles, this brush type is best for creating dramatic effects around the eyes. They are often used in conjunction with dark, wet eyeshadow, as the thin line is barely visible with light shades. This style of cosmetic brush costs around $6 USD.

Some eyeliner brushes are angled in order to make application easier.
Some eyeliner brushes are angled in order to make application easier.

Smudge eyeliner brushes are used to create a warm, smoky effect around the eyes. This type of brush has a sponge style tip, instead of the standard natural hair. Smudge brushes are most often used with powdered liner, as wet liner would smear instead of smudge. They are also very effective at blending the eyeliner into the lash line. This style is cheaper at approximately $2 USD.

Sharing make-up brushes with other people may spread bacteria and irritate eyelids.
Sharing make-up brushes with other people may spread bacteria and irritate eyelids.

Ergonomic eyeliner brush tools are designed for comfortable handling. They are often wider at the base, meaning the user will experience less discomfort; this also allows the brush to stand on its end when not in use. Ergonomic eyeliner brushes have flat, square bristles, meaning the product can be easily applied closer to the lash line. This style of brush is perfect for applying cream style liners. A standard ergonomic eye liner brush will cost the user approximately $8 USD.

Discussion Comments

Raynbow

A good tip for finding the best eyeliner brushes for your makeup kit is to avoid those that are very cheap. I often use cheap eyeliner brushes, but they never last long. Another problem with them is that the bristles have the tendency to shed. This is particularly annoying when one falls in your eye when you are applying eyeliner.

A good rule of thumb to follow when buying eyeliner brushes is to look for a set that is priced in the middle of the available price range. For example, brushes that are only a few dollars each probably won't be very effective, but those that are very costly may not be in your budget. Expensive eyeliner brushes also don't work any better than a good, medium priced set in my opinion.

Spotiche5

I have used many different types of eyeliner brushes, and I have found that those that are very fine and thin create the best lines. Whenever I have used an eyeliner brush that was too thick or fluffy, I would get a line that was crooked or too harsh. Thin eyeliner brushes give you more control, and allow you to create a line around the eyes that is as thin or as thick as you want.

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    • Many eyeliner brushes are made of natural hair from ponies or goats.
      By: LittleSteven65
      Many eyeliner brushes are made of natural hair from ponies or goats.
    • Some eyeliner brushes are angled in order to make application easier.
      By: Mikhail Malyugin
      Some eyeliner brushes are angled in order to make application easier.
    • Sharing make-up brushes with other people may spread bacteria and irritate eyelids.
      By: Minerva Studio
      Sharing make-up brushes with other people may spread bacteria and irritate eyelids.
    • Eyeliner may help enhance a person's eye color.
      By: Antonioguillem
      Eyeliner may help enhance a person's eye color.