Spectrum Brushes Tutorial: Achieve Stunning Makeup with Cruelty-Free Brushes

I was fortunate enough to be invited to a recent event put on by Spectrum Collection Brushes. It was a fabulous evening of cocktails and beautiful flowers, all inspired by the ornamental makeup brushes that Spectrum make. Spectrum was started by two sisters from Barry (of Gavin and Stacy fame), they specialise in Instagram worthy makeup cruelty free and vegan brush collections. The brushes are very affordable, at around £5.99 for an eyeshadow brush. They look and feel a lot more expensive. The Glam Clam set you can see in the picture above goes for £59.99 and the 12 piece Marbellous set below is £64.99. The brushes are extremely soft, pretty and make a great gift.

Spectrum are a very modern brand. The event had its own hashtag and the tutorial was streamed live on Facebook, with the founders fielding questions from fans from around the world. The aesthetic really taps into the 2017 girly vibe that you can’t help enjoying. Mermaids, unicorns and marble aplenty.

At the very fabulous Spectrum evening they put on a live makeup tutorial explaining how to use the brushes. Here is the long and short of it-

Spectrum Makeup Brush Guide

The lovely Spectrum MUA, Sophie, did an amazing job transforming her model (who was pretty stunning to begin with). I learnt a lot during the tutorial and I’ve changed the order I do my makeup since. This is the look she created- a berry eye with a glowy complexion.

1. Start with brows– I never would have thought to do my brows first, it’s a genius idea. Sophie used the Spectrum A11 Brow brush and A14 angled definer with Anastasia Beverly Hills Dipbrow.

   

2. Conceal the eye area– This is the bit that really freaked me out. Sophie took Nars creamy concealer in a really pale shade and concealed the whole eye area, including the lid, using Spectrum B03 Buffing ConcealerBrush.

   

3. Eye makeup– The MUA used berry and burgundy from the Anastasia Beverly Hills Modern Renaissance Palette (specifically Love Letter, Venetian Red and Buon Fresco) and blended using the B06 soft tapered blender

   She used a lot of product to begin with and blended it out with soft circular strokes way up to the brows. Sophie also used Spectrum C06 blunt soft blending brush and C08 wide blending brush to really create a perfectly smooth colour gradient. She used the most soft strokes and really took her time. Using A07 short stubby colour applicator she applied pink gold Inglot loose pigment to the lid and blended. She took the colour across the lower lid using the A23 Flat Definer

   

4. Liquid eyeliner– using the Spectrum A09 angled liner Sophie deftly lined the upper eye. The A09 has a bend in the handle, designed to create easier access to the inner lid. This is a handy trick which makes liner less of a fiddle.

   

5. Clean up– The great thing about doing the eyes first is that you can just take a wipe and clean off any smudged or dropped eyeshadow without ruining the base.
6. Primer– The Spectrum D03 Duo fibre large strober brush was used to apply Illamasqua Radiance Veil to the whole face. The Radiance Veil gave the model’s complexion most stunning natural glow.
7. Foundation– I normally put my foundation on first, it was really interesting to see how changing the order gave a much cleaner appearance. Sophie used the D05 Duo fibre stippler to really buff the product into the skin. She took off the excess with the damp Spectrum Unicorn Tears Wonder Sponge.

   

8. Contour– First using the Spectrum A00 Powder brush to outline the whole face with Anastasia Beverly Hills Contour kit. Then the A05 Angled Blusher brush to contour cheekbones.
9. Blush– The Spectrum A05 Angled precision blush brush is perfect for swirling on a light blush of Illamasqua blush in Allure 

   

10. Highlight– This was a whole operation using different products and brushes. The effect was satisfyingly impressive. She used the Spectrum B08 Medium fluffy blender and ABH Glow kit shade Dripping in gold to accentuate the cheeks, Cupid’s bow and edge of the nose. Then went in with the Spectrum A10 Small fan brush and Urban Decay Aura Palette to further emphasise the glow.

    

11. Setting– Use the Spectrum C02 Flat Contour brush for a light dust over with colourless loose powder.  I really like the look of this brush, so firm and soft. The Spectrum MUA swears by Gerard Slay All Day setting spray to set the makeup and help take down any powderiness

    

12. Lips– Last but not least, Sophie did a nude glossy lip to pair with the bold berry eye look. She used Urban Decay Lipliner in Liar and Urban Decay Sheer Lipstick in Liar with the Spectrum A16 Lip brush.

    

The model looked amazing and I learnt a lot. The bit that struck me most was the bright white concealer she used all around the eye area. It looked insane on its own but with the rest of the makeup atop, it gave a clean bright base. It’s a tip I’ve been using since. Spectrum have their own favourite brushes- the B06, B07, B08, the Bombshell set and the 35 piece White set. These are the products that sell best and sell out. I like the look of the C02 Flat contour and the C06 tulip shaped contour.

Spectrum brushes do some really pretty, lustworthy brush kits. The brushes are extremely soft and make it easy to blend makeup beautifully. I’ve had some Spectrum brushes as a gift and have used them daily since I got them. And they come from Wales, so that means they’re lush!

Spectrum brushes are available from LookFantastic.com and cost from £3.99