We are very pleased to be offering a fantastic line of synthetic, genuinely cruelty-free mineral cosmetics brushes. 

Until recently, the general consensus was that to achieve the best results, mineral cosmetics should be applied with natural bristle brushes made from squirrel, badger, goat or pony hair. As vegans and everyone else concerned about the welfare of animals will be happy to hear, that is no longer the case. Synthetic brushes are today's tool of choice for applying mineral cosmetics.

The line of synthetic brushes we carry has been in development for three years and is designed to be the ultimate choice for softness, ease of use and flawless application. 

Brush basics
When we use a kabuki or flat-top brush to apply mineral foundation or finishing powder, we tap a little powder into the container lid, swirl the brush into the powder, hold the brush so the bristles are pointing upward and tap the end of the brush handle on a flat surface to settle the powder into the bristles. Then, we glide the brush over the skin using gentle, downward and outward strokes.

Loose minerals are the purest, most non-irritating cosmetics available, but aggressively buffing the minerals onto your skin may be irritating to sensitive skin and is not necessary. Buffing is usually stressed by companies whose foundation includes bismuth oxychloride; ours does not.

As with all loose powders, avoid whisking minerals into the air and inhaling them.

You may prefer to apply your foundation using a dampened flocked cosmetic sponge (ours are latex free) for added coverage of blemishes and sun spots.

Applying eye shadow and eye liner
For eye shadow, we use a firm shadow brush, and to apply minerals as eye liner, we use an angled liner brush (though you can also try the thin edge of a foam applicator). For more drama, try wetting the applicator. The mineral shades will appear bolder when applied wet.

Don't forget about your fingertips
Your clean, dry fingertips are gentle, give instant sensory feedback about the contours of your face and come in several different sizes. They are always at hand, you’ll never forget them, accidentally drop them or find yourself rummaging through your bag in search of them. They are eminently reusable, Earth friendly, and like the rest of you, they were a birthday gift. 

We often use our fingertips to apply cream blush or blend a little foundation with a few drops of facial serum in the palm of our hand, and then apply it with our fingertips. The result is a dewy finish. To set the foundation and give it a matte finish, we press finishing powder into place with a latex-free, flocked sponge.  

Cleaning your brushes
You may clean your brushes with any mild, gentle, natural, liquid cleaner. There are many natural shampoos on the market that work well. Please do not allow water to get into the ferrule at the base of the bristles and remember not to soak your brushes under any circumstances. To dry the brushes, lay them on their sides (over the edge of a countertop if you like) to ensure that the ferrule stays dry.

Whichever tools you choose to use, be sure they are clean before you begin. Tap only as much mineral powder as you intend to use into the lid of your sifter pot and discard any excess when you are finished. Inert minerals have an indefinite shelf life and will not support bacterial growth as long as you keep the contents of your sifter pot clean and dry.

Creative inspiration
For a wealth of ideas and inspiration, we suggest skipping over to the Web site for your local library and placing a hold on any book by Kevyn Aucoin. His books are invariably all checked out, but in time, your turn will come, and they are well worth the wait.