10 Fun facts about Make-up brushes
Posted on December 10 2020
We believe that applying make-up should be a fun and enjoyable experience. The sheer variety of techniques you can perform with make-up brushes is nothing short of an art form. So, with that in mind, we want to share with you some of the most interesting fun facts about make-up brushes so that you can better acquaint yourself with your collection.
- The word ‘cosmetic’ comes from the Greek word ‘kosmos’ which means ‘Of this world’.
- Woman in the early 20th century would apply mascara by placing the end of a tiny brush into warm water, dragging the bristles firmly across a cake topped with soap and pigments, and then applying the remaining mixture onto her lashes.
- Nobody knows how far back make-up brushes go. But a bronze make-up brush was found in a Saxon cemetery dating back to 600AD. Talk about longevity!
- One in four women have never cleaned their make-up brushes. Instead, they tend to throw out perfectly good make-up brushes that could theoretically last them for years to come providing they were cared for. Think about how much money gets wasted!
- Queen Marie Antoinette is famous for her flawless make-up. A lover of the finer things in life, she used a huge powder brush to apply her pale white powder and get that famous royal look. She then used a small, pointed brush to apply a heart shaped beauty spot next to her lip – a symbol that, at the time, was meant to suggest she wants to be kissed.
- Ever noticed your mascara drying out? It’s almost certainly to do with the way you’re using the brush. Pumping a mascara brush into the tube invites in way too much air. The air then reacts with the mascara and causes it to harden.
- As the market became more saturated over the last two decades, make-up brush companies have had to become far more creative about what they offer. As well as providing all the basic (and not so basic) brushes, they also now sell brushes to put on face masks, brushes to apply moisturizer, and brushes to exfoliate. Basically, there’s a brush for everything!
- A massive 82% of surveyed women say that they feel guilty about throwing out old make-up brushes or expired make-up because it feels like waste. This can then cause acne outbreaks and a ‘dirty’ looking complexion.
- 87% of surveyed women think that it is better to buy separate make-up brushes rather than use the ones supplied with make-up. This could be because, sometimes, make-up comes with a brush that is not quite the quality required for effective application.
- While tens of thousands of make-up brush factories exist worldwide, the brushes typically remain hand made. This is due to the delicacy of arranging the brush hairs which are also trimmed by hand.
Make-up brushes continue to be a staple product within any person’s bathroom. Click here to discover our popular make-up brush collections and some of our new make-up brushes and sets.
