Highlighters & How I Apply Them

Hope you had a great Easter!

This week is all about highlighters! I'm in love with highlighters lately (cue the heart-eyed emoji).. Highlighters are used to give a nice glow to the face, it's almost a dewy-looking finish without having dewy skin. They're especially beautiful with a summer glow!

Here are all the ones I have tried. Keep reading to find out my favorites, how I apply them, and SWATCHES :)

So how I apply a highlighter is with either a fan brush like this pink one from BH Cosmetics, or a small tapered brush like the Sigma F35. Honestly I like using the F35 better than a fan brush to apply most days because it applies more product. 

I tap the brush into the highlighter (tap off the excess) and then brush on the top of the cheekbones, bridge of the nose, and cupid's bow (and sometimes the chin). Applying in these areas will really complement your face. If you don't want attention drawn to your nose or chin don't highlight those areas. 

Sand from Anastasia Beverly Hills contour kit in light is great for just a very subtle, soft, natural glow to the skin. This highlighter doesn't come off as pigmented as others when you apply it with a brush. If you want more color payoff apply it with your finger :)

I use this on days when I'm not wearing much makeup or underneath these other highlighters. $14

NYX highlighter/illuminator in Ritualistic is a gorgeous silver highlight with a little gold reflect. I wouldn't recommend this for dark skin tones because it could come off too white and look chalky. 

This was the first highlighter I ever tried and I loved it! Plus it's really affordable. If you're just starting with highlighters and don't want to splurge, try the illuminators by NYX! $8.99

When I got this highlighter from theBalm this was all I used for months! Meet Mary-Lou Manizer ;) I just love theBalm products because they all have a great sense of humor & adorable packaging. This one is more expensive but I absolutely love it (comparable to Becca Shimmering Skin Perfector in Moonstone). This one has more of a golden glow to really complement that tanned skin! $24

I want to cry because as you can see, I opened this today and it was shattered (probably from traveling home)! I pressed it back together the best I could :( 

This is the heaven of all highlighters for me right now, Becca Shimmering Skin Perfector in Opal. This is a "golden opal pearl" color, it's absolutely stunning. I am SO, SO, SO in love with this!! I took Jaclyn Hill's recommendation on this and I don't know if I could live without ;) Opal is a bit pricey but totally worth it, highlighters last a very long time. 

For paler skin I would recommend the color Moonstone. $38

Now another stunner, Hourglass Ambient Lighting Powder in Luminous Light! This is my most recently purchased highlighter and I have just been alternating between this and Becca Opal. 

This gives a very natural and gorgeous glow. Jaclyn Hill always recommends this for brides because it just looks like you're "glowing from within." I wear this more than Becca Opal because it's just so natural looking. Some days I'll apply this and then later if I go out at night I'll apply Becca Opal. Again, this is on the pricier side and I'm sure there are some comparable products, but If you want to splurge, I highly recommend! $45 

Here are some swatches of all the highlighters I mentioned! The top is with the flash on, and the bottom is in natural lighting.

Thanks so much for reading this post! I hope you loved it and maybe learned something new!! Follow Pretty and Put Together on Instagram, Twitter, Pinterest, and like on Facebook to stay updated on the latest posts :) Click on my name below to follow my personal page! xoxo

Makeup Brush Collection: Eyeshadow/Brow Brushes

Hello beauties :)

Now that I've shown you the tools I use for my face, I'll show you the tools I use to decorate my eyes! This post will be a bit longer because I have a lot more eye brushes, sowy!

First, this brush is an absolute MUST-HAVE! This fluffy, rounded, synthetic brush has saved my eye-makeup. The reason? BLENDING. If you know anything about eye makeup you know how important it is not to have harsh lines (unless you are doing a cut crease or something)! 

This is the Sigma E40 Tapered Blending brush. I would recommend this to anyone and everyone. This brush is my favorite, and if I had to pick only one brush for my eyes, it would be this baby. It is effortless to blend out and diffuse your eye makeup with the E40. 

Always Google discount codes before purchasing! This brush retails for $16.00.

Another brush I use for more precise blending is this one. This brush has much shorter bristles than the E40, and is very affordable!

This is the e.l.f. Studio Contour Brush. You can purchase this brush at WalMart, Target, or online. Although I haven't used it for contouring my face at all, I find it useful to blend out shadows in the crease. This synthetic brush could be used for liquid or powder products on your face or eyes.

This e.l.f. brush retails for a mere $3.00!

This is another great brush for shadows in the crease. This brush comes to a point at the end so it's great for creating a cut crease or just precise placement of shadow into the crease of the eye. Because of the sharp point on this it could also be used to smudge shadows on the lower lash line.

This is the BH Cosmetics Smudge Brush from the 12 Piece Pink Brush Set. This brush is also made with synthetic bristles. 

This brush set retails for just $10.95 on the BH Cosmetics website! That is less than a dollar a brush! Not to mention they are pink :)

I use this dual ended rose-gold brush to pack shadows onto my lid area. The smaller end of the brush could be used to apply a highlight on the brow bone. 

This brush actually came with the Naked 3 Palette from Urban Decay. This exact brush is not available on it's own but a similar brush is available on their website. I usually don't even use the brushes that come in eyeshadow palettes but this one is really nice!

The duo ended brush similar to this one retails for $20.00 on the Urban Decay website.

 

This brush I use to pack on shadows onto the lid area as well. It is a flat, rounded brush that could also be used for highlighting or putting shadow precisely into the crease with just the tip. 

This is the Small Eyeshadow Brush from the BH Cosmetics 12 Piece Pink Brush Set. I definitely use this brush everyday! It's great because it can get right into the inner corner of the eye. I use this brush when applying pigments because it's the perfect size for placement on the lid.

Again, this brush set retails for $10.95.

This is a larger version of the brush above. I also use this brush to pack eyeshadows onto the lid. It is flat and rounded as well.

This is the Eyeshadow Brush from the BH Cosmetics 12 Piece Pink Brush Set yet again! This brush is good for packing shadow all over the eyelid, but it can be harder to get color onto the inner corner because this brush is larger in size. 

 

This brush is flat, tiny, and comes to a slight point at the end. I actually don't use this brush as much but it's great for applying shadow on the inner corner of the eye or the lower lash line. You could also use it to highlight the brow bone. 

This is the Fine Eyeliner Brush from the BH Cosmetics 12 Piece Pink Brush Set. I have never used this brush for eyeliner because I find that it isn't quite flat enough for precise eyeliner application.

This tiny brush is angled, so it's great for applying shadow precisely to the lower lash line. 

This is the Angled Eyeliner Brush from the BH Cosmetics 12 Piece Pink Brush Set. Again, this brush is too fluffy for me to use it for liner on the lid area, but I use liquid/gel eyeliners. 

This brush is another absolute MUST-HAVE for me! The tapered pencil tip of this brush allows for so many uses. I use this to blend out shadows on the lower lash line, to apply a highlight to my brown bone and inner corner, and to pack on shadows to the outer corner of the eye. 

This is the Sigma E30 Pencil brush! This brush is also really soft :) 

The E30 retails for $14.00 on the Sigma website. Sigma always has coupon codes so again, don't forget to Google them! 

This brush has really short bristles that are slightly rounded. I use this brush to smudge out shadows on the lower lash line. I do have to say, although the bristles are soft, be careful how much pressure you apply because this brush can feel like it stabs you ha! You could also use this to smudge out shadow or liner on the upper lash line.

This is the e.l.f. Smudge Brush. I have used this every day since I got it for my lower lash line! 

This brush is just $1.00!! I found it at WalMart. It is also available at Target but I did not see it on the e.l.f. website, so maybe it is being discontinued :(

This tiny little pointed brush came for free with a Sigma order :) I was really excited to get this brush because I had wanted to start winging out my liner. 

This is the Sigma E05 Eye Liner brush. Normally it doesn't come in this cute pink color or mini-sized unless you get it for free. I actually don't gravitate toward this brush as much because I found another brush I like better for winged liner that you will see. But it's all about personal preference!

The E05 retails for $14.00 on Sigma Beauty's website. Sigma offers a different free product every month with a qualifying purchase. 

This brush is another one of my absolute favorites! I'm sorry the picture here isn't great, just click on the bold words to see the images on the websites they are sold. I use this brush to do a winged liner or just a simple liner. This brush would also be awesome for shaping your brows! 

This is the Sigma E65 Small Angle brush. It's perfect for winged liner because the shape of this is angled and very thin. But this is also a pretty firm brush so you have a lot of control with the shape of your liner. 

The E65 retails for $14.00 on Sigma Beauty. 

This is just a simple tool I have to comb through my eyelashes if they get too clumpy. If you don't have one of these for your brows you definitely need one for that reason as well :)

These Spoolies/Mascara Wands are available in packages on Amazon or at Sally's beauty supply.

A pack of 12 wands is $3.59 at Sally Beauty Supply.

 

Now onto the brow brushes! I use this thin, angled brush to shape my brows! I seriously love this brush.

This is the Angle Eyeshadow Brush from Ulta. I actually really like the short handle on this brush because I feel I have a lot of control of it when shaping my brows. I use a brow gel to shape my brows, but this brush would work great with powders as well. Obviously you could use this brush for liner if you didn't want to use it for brows :) 

The Angle Eyeshadow Brush is available online or in stores for $5.99 at Ulta Beauty.

Here is another spoolie brush, but this one I angled and use it for my brows! Using a spoolie on your brows before applying brow products helps in deciding where to place product. Using a spoolie after applying product will help blend out your brows and make them look more natural.

This is the Spoolie brush from the BH Cosmetics 12 Piece Pink Brush Set, yet again!

Lastly, this skinny flat brush! You're probably wondering why this brush is in the brow section of my brushes... I use this brush to carve out my brows and correct any mistakes I made. I put a little concealer on the back of my hand and then use this brush to further shape around my brows. 

This is the Flat Eyeliner Brush from the BH Cosmetics 12 Piece Brush Set. I used this brush before on my lower lash line, but I found I like it a lot more to shape my brows! This brush would be really great to apply precise shadow to the lower lash line! 

In case you are wondering, the container I have the brushes in came from Target and it's actually a cotton ball/q-tip holder that comes with lids! You can find really cute containers at The Container Store that could be used for makeup brushes as well. 

WOW thank you for getting through this post with me if you have made it to the end! I hope you enjoyed and learned something new. Thanks for reading!! Be sure to follow us on Instagram. Twitter, Pinterest, and like us on Facebook! 

My Makeup Brush Collection: Face Brushes

Meet my babies!!! Haha 

For this post I'll just be doing my face brushes so this isn't forever long. The little holder these brushes are in is from Target and it's actually meant to be for cotton balls and q-tips.. But it works even better for makeup brushes if I do say so myself :) 

So... Here we go. I just wanna mention that some of these brushes are dirty from using them so, I'm sorry!

This is an update to my foundation brush. I started using this Sedona Lace brush when my Sigma F80 brush got a little run down (after about a year). This is the FB 07 Flat Top Buffer, I love love this brush! It is so soft and applies foundation so beautifully. This brush is really dense, but not quite as dense as the Sigma F80.

I use this for liquid foundation every day. I press the foundation into my skin with this rather than buffing it in in a circular motion. This is great for liquid foundation because it is made with synthetic hairs so that the product is not completely absorbed back into the brush during use! 

This is $18.95 but I got it during a 1/2 off sale.

Here is my favorite brush to apply concealer with. This is the Sigma F86 Tapered Kabuki. I use this to apply concealer on my eyes, under my eyes, between my brows, and my chin. This brush is extremely dense.

This brush is also synthetic so it's ideal for applying cream and liquid products because it won't absorb too much of the product.

This brush is $24.00 and there are always numerous coupon codes available for this brand, they usually change every month. Just Google "Sigma coupon code" to find an active code (Retail Me Not is great)! 

I use this big fluffy tapered brush for setting my under eye area and other areas where I applied concealer. This brush is meant to use with powder products. 

This is the Sigma F25 Tapered Face brush. The recommended use for this brush is to contour with, but as I said I use it to set the under eye area with powder. This is great because the tapered shape of this brush fits right into the inner corner of the eye and other hard-to-reach areas of the face. 

This brush retails for $33.00 and I got it as a gift for Christmas. Again, be sure to Google coupon codes first! 

Okay, this gigantic brush is my favorite!! I use this all over my face to apply powder. Obviously, this brush makes it so easy because it's so huge. This brush is also incredibly soft, it literally feels like I'm petting my cat.. Okay not weird.

This is the It Brushes #211 All Over Powder Brush. This brush is synthetic brush hair and ideal for powder application. For the size of this brush being so large it is very lightweight. The hairs of this brush are so so dense and fluffy.

This brush is sold exclusively at Ulta stores online and in-stores. It retails for $40.00 What is great about this brush is that for every purchase IT Cosmetics will donate one brush to the Look Good, Feel Better program to help women face the effects of cancer treatments and gain more confidence! I thought that was very sweet. 

I use this brush on days when I want more of a harsh contour for my cheekbones. The shape of this brush allows for a very precise application and a straight line if you want your contour to be more noticeable. 

This is the Morphe M460 Flat Contour brush. This used to have the writing on it saying what brush it was but that quickly washed off, maybe they have changed how they do that since then but that's just something I noticed. However, I still love this brush and use it all the time.

This brush retails for $13.95. Morphe also has a few other great contour brushes available! 

I use this brush also for contouring/bronzing. I realize this brush isn't ideal for bronzing because it's flat and doesn't give a very natural bronze to your face. I am still searching for a good bronzer brush! I do love it for contouring though! This brush is also fairly dense!

This is the very very affordable e.l.f Studio Powder Brush and I get mine at WalMart or Target. This brush is really great because you can use it for liquid or powder products. It is an anti-bacterial, synthetic, Taklon brush.

This brush retails for $3.00!!! Seriously, I know. It's awesome. So, if you can't afford an expensive foundation brush I would recommend this one for that as well. 

This brush is perfect for applying blush, not to mention that it's super cute. I love the pink dip-dyed tip!

This brush is not available for individual sale because it only comes in a kit. This is from the BH Cosmetics 12 Piece Pink Brush set. I really love BH for their brush sets because they are so beyond affordable and good quality. 

This brush kit retails for $24.95 and is currently on sale for $7.95!!! For 12 brushes! This brand always does amazing sales so check out their other kits as well.

This is a brush I recently purchased and started to use to apply my blush. This is super soft and of course I love that it's pink! 

This is the Real Techniques Blush Brush. This brush would also be great for contouring. This is made with synthetic bristles and therefore is 100% cruelty-free. The handle of this brush is really comfortable to work with. 

This retails for $8.99 and I got mine at Ulta! Love this brush. 

This brush is one that I don't reach to so often. But, this is great for applying highlighter and ensuring that you can't be too heavy-handed with it. The shape makes it easy to highlight the cheekbones and bridge of the nose. This brush could also be used to contour the nose.

This brush is also from the BH Cosmetics 12 Piece Pink Brush Set and is the fan brush.

The kit is available now for $7.95!!

This brush right here is the reason I don't reach for that fan brush too often. I use this brush to highlight my cheekbones, bridge of the nose, chin, and cupid's bow. The tapered shape again allows for easier application to those hard-to-reach areas.

This is the Sigma F35 Tapered Highlighter. I know that some people also like to use this to set that under eye area as well. I just love to use it for highlighter :) 

This brush retails for $24.00, be sure to Google a coupon code before purchasing!

Lastly, here is a brush that I used to always use to apply my powder. I haven't reached for it as much since I purchased the IT Cosmetics #211 though. This brush is great for powder, liquid, or cream products and also for blush. 

This is the BH Cosmetics Duo Fiber Stippling Brush. This is one of the first "professional" brushes I ever purchased and I have always been in love with it. The duo fiber brush is made with both synthetic and natural hair fibers. So, this brush may absorb more than a purely synthetic brush. The white, longer hairs are synthetic and the black hairs come from the belly of a goat. This brush isn't particularly super dense. 

This retails for a whopping $3.95 right now on the BH Cosmetics Website!!

So that is my face makeup brush collection (the ones I actually use anyway)! Also, If you're wondering where the sticker on my brush holder is from, it came with a purchase I made through Time Los Angeles, which is a company that makes makeup-themed products. 

Thanks for reading this post, I hope you enjoyed & learned something! Be sure to share this post with all your friends! You can follow us on Instagram, Pinterest, Twitter, and like us on Facebook!