Something I have come to realise more often recently is that what works for one person, might not work for the next and that’s because each one of us is unique. Now if you hadn’t read the title of this post, you’re probably thinking what kind of phliosophical bullsh1t post have you landed on but hear me out. When you see or read about a product that caught your attention, naturally you become curious and want to learn more about it. But sometimes it isn’t possible to try before you buy so you end up having to hand over your credit card and commit to the purchase before you can decide whether in fact the product is for you. I’ll cut to the chase now.
I have quite small eyes with a small lid space so whenever I’m applying eyeshadow, I find that I have very little space to work within. Now I don’t have a mono lid, but a very defined crease (actually two creases which are very close together) so when it comes to doing any sort of crease work, I have to be very precise otherwise things can get quite messy and I quite often end up looking like I have two black eyes if I use a brush that is too big.
Anyone who knows anything about makeup will probably know about the Mac 217 blending brush and for good reason as it’s a pretty damn good brush. However, I can only put it to use as a final step, once the crease work is done to blend out any harsh edges from the crease to the brow bone. I find the brush is just too big for my eyes to be able to work in a crease. For the actual crease, I have found that the Zoeva 231 Petite Crease Brush to be the perfect brush (not to mention it’s perfectly named as it does what it says). It has a much smaller brush head than the Mac 217 and a lot more tapered which means it’s perfect for precise application. Typically I will use this to get the crease colour on, followed by the Mac 217 to blend out any ‘overspill’.
The other essential brush for those with a smaller lid space or even a mono lid is a pencil brush. Now it can be any pencil brush. I personally have the Mac 219 and also the Zoeva 230 which works eqaully well (at a fraction of the price may I add). Not only is it a great brush for smudging out shadow or liner along your lash lines (top and bottom), but it’s perfect for creating that infamous ‘outer V’ which is essentially connecting the outer edge of your crease with the outer corner of your eye (creating a sideways V shape hence the name). Sometimes when I really want to create a lot of depth, I will use the Zoeva 231 Petite Crease brush first to start the crease but then go in with a darker shade with the pencil brush and work it into the outside corner and then making sure everything is blended out nicely with a clean blending brush.
If you haven’t got any of these brushes, I would highly recommend checking them out. They aren’t just only great for people with small eyes, they are great for those that want more precision in application. I’m thinking of getting back ups of the Zoeva 231 just incase because it’s just that good and I can’t imagine doing my eye makeup without them. I’d even go as far to say that it is definitely in the holy grail territory!
Have you tried the Zoeva 231 petite crease brush? I’m intrigued to find out if those with not so small eyes think of them.