The Kabuki Brush
The Kabuki Brush
For both regular women going out for the night, and makeup artists working on a celebrity’s makeup, the Kabuki Brush is a popular brush choice for applying mineral makeup – and its composition goes hand-in-hand with mineral makeup for the protection and nurturing of beautiful, healthy skin.
These brushes are short brushes with rounded tips, and they are typically made of the softest fibers. Kabuki brushes originated in Japan with the beauty rituals of early Kabuki and Geisha theaters, and they were originally intended to help contour and define the cheekbone.
Though they may come in different sizes, the most ideal ones fit comfortably in your hand and can be used for the application – not only of your mineral foundation, but also any blush, setting powder, or any other face colors you may prefer.
Why This Brush?
The Kabuki brush is the must-have, all-purpose brush without which no makeup accessory kit is complete. A quality kabuki brings makeup application to a completely different level. Often made with a luxurious, full head of incredibly soft goat hair (other types of animal hair are also available), they apply your makeup smoothly, contouring in such a way that the skin will look noticeably different when makeup is applied with a Kabuki brush than any other type of brush. These brushes may be used not only on the face, but also for makeup application anywhere on the body.
Many Kabuki brushes are even made especially for mineral makeup application. The wide dome allows for a fabulously smooth sweep of makeup or powder. They consistently distribute the right amount of pigment for beautiful recession contouring. It softly sculpts the face for great effect.
Great for use with bronzers
Anyone looking to maintain that healthy summer glow during the autumn and winter months should give a try to a Kabuki for bronzer application. Bronzers are much more natural especially when a Kabuki brush is used.
When shopping for this brush for bronzer application, make sure to choose one that works well for both the body and the face. Some smaller brushes may not work as well for bronzer dustings on the cleavage and shoulders, for instance.
What to look for in a Kabuki brush:
Like the one described above, the best Kabukis are made with a very soft animal hair. If you’re looking for a more affordable Kabuki brush, it is less likely that the brush will be made with animal hair, but you should try to avoid those made with any synthetic materials.
More affordable brushes may also come in a retractable version, though the higher-end brushes do not. If you’re not interested in an animal hair brush, high-end brushes not made with animal hair are also available, without any of the hygiene or animal rights issues that may be associated with brushes made from animal hair.
Caring for your Kabuki
It is important to care and clean your Kabuki brush regularly; this not only preserves the authenticity of your makeup color, but also prevents your skin from exposure to germs and bacteria that can build on the brush over time.
Cleaning your brush is similar to other makeup brushes. You should clean the bristles with gentle soap and water, and then make sure you rinse the brush very thoroughly. Stick your wet Kabuki upright into a cup, and allow it to air dry completely. Caring for your mineral makeup brushes ensures great makeup application – as well as excellent longevity.
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hi there just would like to know why a natural kabuki is better than a synthetic.thankyou
Synthetic brush bristles are softer and smoother upon touch. Now I know that natural hair bristles can also be very soft, but at first touch, synthetic brushes are softer and appear more shiny. Natural-haired brushes feel just a tad rougher compared to synthetic-haired brushes. That does not mean they are better; just that they are meant for different uses.
Synthetic-Haired Makeup Brushes are Man-made, using either nylon or polyester filaments. Common types are taklon and nylon. These are very similar to the taklon or nylon paintbrushes you see at art stores. Less prone to damage from makeup and solvents. Easier to keep clean compared to natural-haired brushes as the filaments do not trap or absorb pigment. As the bristles are very smooth, they don’t hold powders very well. Thus, they are better suited for soft layering of powder, or best for application of creams (liquid/cream foundation, cream blushes, cream eyeshadows, etc).
Natural-Haired Makeup Brushes. Natural-haired brushes are made from natural hair like squirrel( very soft) , badger (firm), pony and kolinsky. Slightly more difficult to care for compared to synthetic-hair brushes. Used for powder makeup applications – face powder, powder eyeshadow, powder blush. You can learn more about the different types of natural-haired brushes from Urban Apothecary.
In general, synthetic-haired brushes can come in a slightly more colourful variety (I’ve seen them in brown, pink, blue, white, etc) compared to natural-haired ones (mostly black, brown or white).
With synthetic-haired eyeshadow brushes to apply powder shadows you may experience a lot of powder fall-out upon application. Also, using a synthetic-hair brush on powder (loose or compact) gives a sheerer cover, whereas the natural-haired one packs more punch per application.
Hi Angela,
The difference between a face brush and a kabuki brush is that the kabuki brush packs more coverage onto the skin, whereas with a face brush, you’d just want to sweep some powder onto your face to set your liquid foundation. A light sweep of powder will do to avoid the cakey look, and a face brush does just the job.