October 28th, 2021
There are so many beauty tools on the market these days, it can be quite overwhelming. We spoke to two professionals to get their advice. MUA Saffron Hughes, from FalseEyelashes.co.uk talks us through the tools she always makes sure are in her kit, and CEO of Rubis Tweezers, Fides Baldesberger, shares some great tweezing tips.
Brush cleaning mat
Osca brush cleaner £17.99
Keeping your makeup brushes clean is one of the best things you can do to prevent breakouts and the spread of germs. However, it can be a hassle! Before brush cleaning mats, I would stand in front of the sink for hours swirling dirty makeup brushes in the palms of my hands. Not only did this cause dry skin, but the process felt like a hassle which put me off cleaning my makeup brushes. Brush cleaning mats aren’t new to the market, but they are a must-have. The different textures on the mat are designed to deep clean both face and eye brushes. They feature suction cups for secure placement on any sink and cut the process of washing your makeup brushes by half! As well as this, you are protecting your hands by using the mat to scrub the brushes, rather than your palm.
Soft crease brush
Nanshy Crease Brush £5.95
Many people just their fingers or a flat eyeshadow brush to apply eyeshadow. Both techniques are great, however they can leave harsh lines in the crease or limit the makeup look to only one colour. Soft crease brushes are fantastic for buffing eyeshadow into the crease, and therefore softening harsh lines for a seamless look. Offering smooth transitions with their ultra-soft bristles, you can blend different eyeshadow colours together too. Simply apply the main eyeshadow colour to your lid with your finger, and then with the soft crease brush, create depth by adding a slightly darker shade to your crease. Finish by blending with a windshield wiper motion. Good colour combinations include pinks with purples, golds with blacks, greens with blues and yellows with reds.
Facial roller
Revolution Jade Facial Roller £15
Facial rollers are becoming popular in spas and at home, helping give consumers a more youthful appearance. It is a tool that helps circulate blood flow in the skin, reduces puffiness and promotes lymphatic drainage. For the best results, cleanse your skin then use a jade roller to apply a sheet mask to the face. Using circular motions whilst the sheet mask is on helps the beneficial ingredients seep into the skin. Take the sheet mask off, and then use upward motions to stimulate the lymph nodes that drain fluids and toxins from the face.
Beauty blender
Blisse Beauty Blender £8
Beauty blenders are hardly a new and exciting makeup tool. After all, it is only a sponge. However, there is a reason many people have continued to repurchase the beauty blender over the years. Arguably, a beauty blender is the only beauty tool you really need in your makeup bag! The base of the sponge can be used to apply foundation to create an airbrushed finish, the sides can be used to blend contour and blush, whilst the tip is perfect for spot concealing or applying powder underneath the eyes. Just be sure to air-dry your beauty blender before placing it back in your makeup bag, as you do not want mould spores forming and your investment down the drain!
LED Nail Lamp
LED nail lamps have been on the market for a few years now, but they have become more and more affordable. LED nail lamps have had a major impact on the way people do their nails at home. One of the biggest benefits of LED nail lamps is that you do not need a UV/Gel lamp for curing which can cause skin damage. This is because the light from an LED lamp works directly with your polish, so there is no need to cure your gel nails under a UV light anymore. As well as this, LED nail lamps offer salon quality gel manicures for a fraction of the price and without having to leave the house. Whilst it may be a larger investment, the benefits make it a beauty tool worth spending your money on.
Eyelash curler
Ardell Precision Eyelash Curler £9.99
There is a reason why eyelash curlers are still so popular. They are very easy to use, even for beginners, and give the eyes a totally different lash look. There are two different types of eyelash curlers, manual or electric. If you’re a beginner, I would recommend starting with a manual eyelash curler to give you more control when lengthening and lifting your eyelashes. When used properly, electric lash curlers are totally safe to use every day as they do not apply intense heat onto your real eyelash hairs. Heating your eyelash curler with your hairdryer is never advised, as this can weaken and cause damage to your real eyelash hairs. Simply rest your eyelashes between the cushioned eyelash curler clamp. Look down to ensure you are getting as close to your eyelids, without clamping onto the skin. Gently squeeze the curler shut for 30 seconds and then release, before applying mascara as usual.
Dermaplaning tool
Finishing Touch Flawless Dermaplane Glo £19.99
As the beauty industry has developed, dermaplaning tools have become available for use at home. Dermaplaning is a gentle facial treatment that exfoliates the outer layer of the skin to reveal a fresher, brighter complexion. The affordable tools have multi-uses to either remove unwanted body hair, exfoliate dead skin cells, prep the base for flawless makeup application or shape the eyebrows! Easy and comfortable to use, the dermaplaning process provides better absorption for your skincare products as well, leaving your skin radiant and peach-fuzz free! They are perfect for carrying in your travel bag for on-the-go touch ups too.
The tool we can’t live without are our tweezers. We asked CEO and Owner of Rubis, Fides Baldesberger, how to keep eyebrows in tip-top shape.
Hair has three cycles of growth, explains Fides. If you see a hair at the surface, two others will follow soon after. One will crop up in about two weeks, while the other you won’t see for 6-8 weeks. To ensure your brows are always in shape, go by the following maintenance schedule: shaping – every 3-4 weeks; tweezing – pluck regrowth every 2 or 3 days to keep things tidy/maintain shape and trimming – once a month.
To shape brows, Fides advises to use a clean spoolie, brush the brows up and trim any excess hairs poking up with the Rubis Colibri Scissors (£23.50) as they offer precise trimming without going blunt. Then, brush the hairs downward and trim any super-long strays. After you’re trimmed up, use tweezers to nix any hairs that fall outside your brow map.
When tweezing, Fides’ biggest tip is to use a slant-tipped tweezer, like the Rubis Classic Slant Tweezers (£21.50). Not only do these tweezers carefully remove the faintest and the stubbliest of stray hairs, but they help to avoid breaking off the hair close to the base and causing unnecessary pain with their secure grip. Get close to the base and always tweeze in the direction of hair growth. Follow any plucking with aloe vera to sooth the pores.
Fides says: I think the biggest mistake people make when trying to take care of their brows at home is over tweezing. Many people try to create perfect brow symmetry, but no one’s brows are perfectly symmetrical. What ultimately happens is you’ll continue to remove hair, trying to get them even, and by the time you’ve finished, your brows have become very thin, without that being your intent.
Plucking one hair at a time and then standing back and reviewing in a mirror will help to stop over plucking. Also avoid plucking out a new brow shape by over plucking underneath your brows. Focus on the strays, and if in doubt use a brow pencil, powder, or pomade to draw in your natural shape and give you a clear indication of what hairs to avoid.
Rubis has become synonymous with quality across the globe, garnering cult status amongst editors, MUAs, celebrities, and beauty tastemakers. Vogue named the Rubis tweezers the “best of the best”. Bobbi Brown declared that the Rubis is “the Ferrari of tweezers” and Rosie Huntington Whitely said she couldn’t have survived lockdown without them.
This year the brand are marking their 60th anniversary, and to celebrate they have released a special pair of rose gold tweezers, complete with embedded ruby. The first precision tweezers were developed to place ruby gemstones into watch movements, which is how the company got its name so this luxury pair pays tribute to the company’s history and heritage. The Anniversary Tweezers (£229) are plated with 0.5 microns rose gold and include a genuine 0.028ct ruby gemstone. Available now from amazon.
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