TOOLS OF THE TRADE! SATURDAYS AT SEPHORA!

Tools of the Trade - Brushes Every Woman should have in her Arsenal! Every Saturday Kate brings you the best of Sephora as only an insider can!

BFOK (Boyfriend of Kate) has a son who just turned three a couple weeks ago. So, I don't really know anyone with tiny kids anymore so clearly I jumped at the chance for fun to buy him a little birthday present. And give it to him early just so it was his favorite toy for a couple of weeks! His dad always works with tools. His grandfather who he adores does wood-working as a hobby so he has tools too. But Tyler needed some tools! So I got him this set that had a little tool box with a hammer and screwdrivers (Phillips AND Flathead!) And a a wrench and a saw (that makes noise!) and nails and nuts and bolts. Oh, and he LOVED it! I was told that he even slept with his tools laid on the bed next to him for a couple of nights. Score!!!! Every man, little or big, needs his tools...even if he's a total klutz...you still need a screwdriver and stuff...assembling ikea furniture. Changing batteries in garage door openers. Well, so does every girl! I've assembled this little list of some must-have "tools" for us girls in the beauty department store!

#1 The softest fluffiest powder brush you can find. I haven't found a single one that beats my Stila #8 Powder brush. It's soft silky hairs are perfection. Stila makes a mean brush, by the way. Tarte doesn't make their powder brush anymore. So I will have to treasure my vintage one and not actually recommend it to you ;).

#2 A good sharpener. You're sure to wiggle your almost-perfect eyeliner line if you haven't sharpened your pencil in a month. There are some A, B, and D list sharpeners and not much in between. You're best bet is the Anastasia sharepner with its double openings for fat and skinny pencils. The Duwop Beauty Blade is a B-lister. A tip though, sharpeners dull after about a year and it's worth your money in Urband Decay 24/7 pencils to just replace them at least once per year, if not twice. Another tip, if you ever buy the Eyeliner pencils from E.L.F. cosmetics--the sharpeners that come with are amazing (even though they're only skinny)! And you only spent $1!

#3 The Sephora Brand Platinum Blush Brush #49. This is an angled blush brush with super soft taklon fibers. It applies powder blushes and highlighters beautifully. It also works great on creams - especially Tarte cheekstains! "The angled bristles fit perfectly over the cheekbone, which makes pronouncing your cheeks especially easy. The anti-bacterial bristles are made of nylon and resist residue so you don't have to clean the brush as often as you would with natural fibers." You can get the fibers their original ivory-white again with the Sephora (or any) brush shampoo.

#4 The Tarte Smudger Eyeshadow Brush. Firstly, its an easy $15. Secondly, its genius. It's very small and the hairs are very short. Perfect for getting the smoky look of shadow liners without accidentally smearing it all over your eyelid. Its also amazing for getting underneath the bottom lashes. This version has very soft squirrel hairs. It also comes in a taklon version (for liquid and creams) on one end of the Double Duty Eyelining Brush (also by Tarte) for $23. While the other end is home to the traditional flat eyeliner brush (which I love for a sleek, slim line). And, never one for economy, I own both of these brushes. I use the natural squirrel hair brush at least 5 of 7 days during the week.

#5 Smashbox Blending Brush #03. This is a wide, fluffy brush. It's great for a slight even distribution of color all over the lid. I also like to use it as an under-eye powder brush to sweep on eye brightening powder, buff out concealer, or to sweep away "shadow fallout." $32 is a little bit more of an investment but Smashbox brushes are nearly unparalleled in quality. Any of their eye brushes are fantastic.

Last but not least, some makeup brush care need-to-knows!

All synthetic fiber brushes (concealer, foundation, cream shadow, etc) can be sanitized with alcohol and cleaned with any mild soap.
Natural hair brushes need a little bit more TLC. NEVER use alcohol on them...it breaks down the hairs. You wouldn't put it on your own head! Neither would the squirrel or sable who grew them for your own beauty! All you need is a little squirt of your own hair shampoo. Gently massage a tiny amount into the hairs as you run it under the faucet (on low). Keep rinsing until the water runs clean. Gently squeeze the excess water out and lay brushes flat to dry on a paper towel.

Do this and your brushes will be happy and work for you for a long time!

What brushes are in your arsenal?