Picasso

Picasso sits in the tools-and-accessories part of makeup, not the colour cosmetics part. The catalogue is brushes for the face and eyes, makeup spatulas, an Airpuff sponge, and even blotting paper, the kit you reach for to apply and blend, separate from whatever foundation or blusher you actually own. Reading a Picasso product means looking at the tool's job: a blusher brush, a concealer brush, an eyeliner brush, a spatula for scooping cream product. The brand is a place to upgrade your application rather than your makeup bag's colours.

The face brushes are the backbone of the range. The PONY14 Blusher is a cheek brush built to deposit and blend powder or cream blush without harsh edges, and the 270 Concealer Brush is the smaller, firmer tool for pressing concealer into a precise spot like under the eyes or around the nose. Face brushes vary by how dense and how soft the bristles are: a fluffier head diffuses product for a soft wash, while a denser head packs pigment for more coverage. Match the brush to the finish you want, not just the product category.

For eyes, Picasso offers both single brushes and curated sets. The 717 Eyeliner is a fine brush for drawing a clean line with gel or cream liner, the kind of control a felt-tip pen cannot match once you want a custom shape. The Traveler Eye Mini Brush Set of 3 bundles smaller eye brushes for shading, blending, and detail in one go, which is the easy way to cover the basics if you are starting out or building a travel kit. Smaller eye brushes give you placement control that a single large brush cannot.

The spatulas are one of Picasso's signature tools and the most underrated part of a kit. A Makeup Spatula, including the Curved Makeup Spatula and the FB11 Spatula Brush, is used to scoop cream foundation, balm, or palette product onto the back of your hand or a palette so you mix and apply hygienically instead of dipping fingers or a brush straight into the pot. The curved shape scrapes the last of a product from a jar, and using a spatula keeps a cream product cleaner and lasting longer. If you use pot or jar makeup, this is the piece most people skip and then wish they had.

The Airpuff Premium Pro is Picasso's take on the makeup sponge or puff, used to press and blend foundation or cushion product into the skin for a smooth, skin-like finish. A puff or sponge gives a different result from a brush: it sheers product out and melds it into the skin rather than painting it on, which is why many people use both at different stages. Dampen or use it dry depending on the coverage you want, and wash it regularly since sponges hold product and need cleaning more often than brushes.

The Hugray Note Paper is blotting paper, a quick way to lift excess oil and shine through the day without disturbing the makeup underneath. Blotting paper is the touch-up tool you keep in a bag rather than at the vanity: press a sheet onto the T-zone, lift, and your makeup stays put while the shine comes off. It is a small, cheap add-on to a Picasso order that earns its place in a handbag, especially in warm weather or for oily skin.

Several Picasso pieces carry the PONY name, including the PONY14 Blusher and the PONY14 Mini Blusher. PONY is a name well known in Korean makeup circles, and a collaboration line usually means the tools were chosen or shaped with a working makeup artist's preferences in mind, bristle feel, head shape, the way a brush sits in the hand. If you want the brushes most associated with the brand's reputation, the PONY pieces are the obvious starting point, with a full-size and a mini option for the blusher.

How you buy depends on whether you are kitting out a vanity or a travel bag. For a home kit, single full-size brushes, a face brush, a concealer brush, an eyeliner brush, plus a spatula and a puff, give you the most control and longevity. For travel or a starter set, the Traveler Eye Mini Brush Set of 3 and the mini blusher pack the essentials into a smaller, lighter footprint. We list 58+ Picasso tools in total, so you can mix full-size pieces for the looks you do most with minis for the road.

Good tools last for years if you look after them, so clean brushes regularly with a gentle wash, reshape the head while damp, and dry them flat so water does not loosen the glue in the ferrule. Sponges and puffs need washing more often than brushes because they hold product. Picasso is a Korean brand, and we list its tools with the same handling as the rest of our Korean catalogue, so the brush in your order is the brush you chose. Treated well, a brush is a one-time buy you keep through many makeup bags.