If there’s one brush that confuses women more than any other, it would be the fan brush. They’re included in most brush sets, yet almost always go unused. While it did take me some time to warm up to them, I now find myself reaching for fan brushes quite a bit. Check out my tips for using a fan brush:
Contouring
The fan brush is a great tool to use when you want to subtlety contour your cheekbones. When you turn it to the side, the bristles of the brush lay perfectly inside the hollows of your cheek. With a powder contour on your brush, flick your wrist back and forth a few times and you’ve got yourself a foolproof contour line.
Highlighting
Just as you would use the fan brush to contour, it works the same to highlight. Apply powder highlighter (I like Albatross by NARS) by dusting the tops on your cheekbones with tips of the brush. The fan design covers a large area and also ensures a lightweight, soft application.
Clean Up
The flatness of the fan brush makes it ideal for whisking away errors. If you have any makeup fallout under your eyes, or if you applied too much powder, it’s easily swept away. Think of it like a broom for your face.
Mascara
I love using mini fan brushes to apply mascara. They deposit less product so you’re left with a really natural, pretty lash. It’s great for no-makeup, makeup days and especially on bottom lashes. I also like using the mini fan brush on men with light eyelashes. I very lightly paint brown mascara at the base of their lash for a little bit of definition near the eye.
1. REVOLUTION Ideal for light powdering, bronzer or highlight 2. MAKEUP FOREVER the thickness and firmness of this brush is great for sculpting and contouring. 3.LOUISE YOUNG great for bronzer, blush, highlight and contour. 4. ART STORE art stores are my favorite places to buy smaller fan brushes for mascara. They’re cheap and they carry all different sizes. 5. BDELLIUM TOOLS love this small fan brush for applying mascara.