Did you know that the makeup brush you use to make yourself beautiful each and every morning may very well be just as important as the product you use? It’s true! Without a fantastic makeup brush, your makeup can go from potentially stunning to being “blah” and improperly applied to your face.

Whether you are a beautician, makeup artist, or an every day woman at home wanting to look great, you can have professional makeup brushes to help improve and enhance your look. A few of the most popular choices for professional makeup brushes include:

A foundation brush: These brushes usually are flat in shape and have elongated bristles.

Eyeliner brushes: These are used to both apply liquid eye shadow and to blend eye shadow around you eye area so that you can get that sultry “smoky” look.

Powder brush: This brush is used to lightly dust powder onto your face. This brush helps set your make up and eliminate shine. Women often use it for bronzer or any sort of “shimmer”.

Eye shadow brushes: Most women have at least 2 or 3 eye shadow brushes. These brushes are crafted in such a way so that your lid is properly covered in color.

A blush brush: This is perhaps the most famous of them all! The blush brush is dome shaped and rather large in comparison to most of the other brushes.

So do all of these extra brushes mean that you should still use the makeup applicator that comes with that eye shadow, that powder compact, and that blush that you buy in the store? NO! Toss out those useless applicators and switch to professional makeup brushes! Once you use professional makeup brushes, you will see the difference and you will never return to those sponge or cotton-based cheap applicators ever again.

Now, not all professional makeup brushes are created equal. The better ones can last up to 2 years, while the cheapest quality ones will maybe make it to 6 months. Look for brushes that have wooden handles and that have bristles that are made of real hair; NOT plastic or any other synthetic materials. They may cost more, but in the long run you’d spend more money replacing the cheap brushes than buying the better quality ones.

What is key for your professional makeup brushes is that they are handled correctly. This means that you should be washing any brushes that come in contact with liquids (such as your foundation brush) every day, and any other brushes that touch powder or dry makeup every 1-2 weeks. Washing your brushes helps keep the bristles strong and healthy, as well as prevent the growth of bacteria that can destroy and dry out the brushes as well as cause pimples and breakouts. You can wash your brushes with your shampoo or facial cleanser (hey, if it can remove makeup from your face it should be able to remove it from your brushes) and, once lathered and rinsed off, lay them out to try on a clean, dry towel. Once they’re dry, they’re free to be used again!