By Sheila Arkee
One lesson I’ve learned through the years of my makeup wearing life is that brushes do not need to be confined to certain areas of the face. For instance, eye brushes don’t always have to be used as shadow brushes. Case in point, the MAC 217 brush.
I happen to <3 the 217 brush for blending and placing color in the crease. Fluffy and compact, it makes for a beautifully blended eye.
Due to its very nature of fluffiness and compactness, I’ve also found that it works well for applying concealer underneath the eye. In fact, the 217 brush is ideal for placing concealer underneath the eye because it helps the product go on light as a feather with an airbrushed effect.
Back in my makeup snobbery days, I used to SCOFF at people who used sponge tip applicators to apply their shadow. I would turn up my nose at those people who were refused to get with the picture and use a brush just like everyone else.
This attitude went on until I met an artist who had the most beautiful, gorgeous, well-blended eye shadow I’ve ever seen. Besides having an obvious gift, she shared with me her secret trick – sponge tip applicators for laying the shadow down on the eye.
Go figure.
She would use brushes to blend, of course, but the main event happened with sponge tip applicators.
I have to admit, I still mainly stick to brushes, but when I want a really intense application, I’m all over the sponge tip shadows.
Do you use your brushes for uses other than what their labeled as?
I haven’t really used any of my brushes for other purposes, but it’s nice to see other uses. I wouldn’t have thought of using the 217 for concealer.
The only sponge tips I have ever used are the ones that came with drugstore eyeshadows. However, this was when I was a teen. I find their small size hard to work with. A long handled one might be better.
How do you clean a sponge tip applicator?
obviously you can just toss the cheapies but occasionally you do find a long handled that isn’t meant to be tossed.
Deb – You’re right about the long-handle! I used one by MAC that seems to be discontinued, but I found a couple of replacements -
http://www.qvc.com/qic/qvcapp.aspx/view.2/app.detail/params.aol_refer.false.tpl.detail.msn_refer.false.item.A181673.ref.GBA?cm_ven=GOOGLEBASE&cm_cat=Beauty&cm_pla=Cosmetics&cm_ite=A181673
Something you can find at a craft store! http://www3.towerhobbies.com/cgi-bin/wti0001p?&I=LXLLA2&P=FR
Ninjagato – I just wash it the same way as I do my other brushes. I dip the brush in some shampoo in my hand and rinse and dry. Works fine and the sponge tip doesn’t crumble!