Remember when I posted on my Facebook page about how I was spending time in Portland with an AH-mazing hair + makeup artist?? And how I had some AH-mazing beauty tips?? Get ready, because this is the first of many tips and product recommendations from her.

A week and a half ago I was out in Portland for my full-time job. I work with commercial photographers and production companies out of LA to manage large-scale photoshoots for Harley-Davidson. While on-set, I got to meet a lovely local hair + makeup artist – Kelly Peach. Side note – I totally love her. She’s adorable, has killer dance moves, and was cracking me up the whole time! Oh, and did I mention how gorgeous she is? Anyways, one of my favorite things about being on these shoots is talking with the hair + makeup artists about, well, hair and makeup :) Kelly gave me sooooo many amazing recommendations. The first recommendation I’m bringing to you is Sigma makeup brushes!

I’m relatively new to using brushes to apply makeup (started within the past year or so), but have quickly learned to LOVE it! My first brush was a blush brush. I bought it because the blushes I was purchasing didn’t come with a brush, and I also hate the brushes that most blushes come with (think Revlon). I immediately fell in love with how the brush applied my blush so much nicer, and I had way more control over how much and where it went on. That led me to find a brush for my pressed powder. I used to use the little puff guy but I didn’t love how caked on the powder always felt. I bought one cheap powder brush from Ulta and hated how it applied my powder. I went from way too much coverage to not enough coverage. I finally went into Sephora (my fave makeup store ever) and talked to someone there. They began to blow my mind with all the different blushes available just for powders. They explained how different brushes allow for different amounts of makeup to be applied to your face. For my needs (some coverage but keeping it on the light side), she recommended a kabuki brush and OMG I LOOOOOOOOOOOOOOVE it!! To start, I just bought the Sephora Collection version. It’s dense enough to hold the makeup, and the coverage is perfect.

Anyways, from talking with Kelly and my favorite LA makeup artist, Danielle Decker (aka: Double D), they’ve taught me the importance of buying good brushes. Good brushes…

// are made of natural hair, which results in softer brushes allowing for a more natural finish to your makeup
// have soft brushes that won’t scratch you
// blend nicely
// retain its shape
// don’t shed
// last a lifetime

While I love my Sephora kabuki brush, I’ve noticed over time that the bristles shed (especially when cleaning them). To my last point, good makeup brushes should last a lifetime. After seeing how it began to shed and also look a bit of shape, I decided it was time to buy nice brushes…. which brings me to my OBSESSION OF THE WEEK! Finally, right?

Kelly recommended Sigma brushes. From her experience, they’re high quality, soft, won’t shed, and will last forever. I got a blush brush, a kabuki powder brush, and concealer brush. You’ll be surprised to see that they’re not as expensive as you’d think :) So far, I’m in LOVE with them!! They’re so amazing.

AND while shopping, I found this cool tool to help clean my brushes…

Awesome, right?? Watch this video to see how it works. I used it last night and it was soooo much easier than how I cleaned my brushes before :)

Enough rambling! If you’re looking for new brushes, I couldn’t recommend these enough :) And it comes with a backing by a professional and fabulous makeup artist!