8 Makeup Brush Essentials

Good makeup brushes are so important to getting a flawless makeup application.  The quality of your brushes can really make or break a look.  You can spend a ton of money on the actual makeup itself but without good brushes, it's pointless! 

This post was hard for me to write, I had long list of my favorite brushes and I knew I had to drastically narrow down the list.  I kept having to ask myself, if had NO makeup brushes what would I find to be essential.  So I narrowed down the list and narrowed again and.... finally, here are the 8 essential brushes that I think everyone needs.

 

Eyes:

 

 

 (MAC 239 brush $25 / Sigma E55 $10)

1. Flat Shader Brush: This is the brush you want to pack and place color on the lid.  I can also work for smudging color along the lower lash line and highlighting underneath the brow.

 

 

 

 

(Mac 217 $23 / Sigma E25 $10)

 2. Crease and Blending Brush: I love this brush!  I actually have the MAC 217 and two of the Sigma E25 brushes.  They are identical.  If you could have multiples in any style brush, this is the one!  I keep one always clean so I can use that purely for blending and fading color out.  The other two I use for defining and applying color to the crease.

 

 

(Sigma E30 $10)

3.  Pencil Brush: I LOVE my pencil brush.  This is the perfect brush to smudge and define the lower lash line.  I also use this to define the outer V and crease.  It works great to smudge darker shadow on the upper lash line as a soft liner.

 

 

 

(MAC 266 $20 / E65 $10) 

4.  Eye Liner Brush:  This type of angled brush works great for gel or cream liner.  My favorite way to use this brush is with dark brown eyeshadow to make my top lash line look fuller but still natural.   I also use this brush to fill in my eyebrows too!

 

 

Face

 

  

(Hi-def Angled Blush Brush from Walmart-$5.97 / Real Techniques Blush Brush from Ulta $8.99)

5.  Blush Brush:  There are so many different types of blush brushes.  I think the type of blush brush you choose whether angled, flat, denser or fuller is up to your personal preference.  I am actually enjoying both of these brushes, even though they are so different.  I use the angled brush when I want a stronger, more pigmented blush application and when I want an everyday flushed look I use my Real Techniques. 

 

 

(Elf Complexion Brush $3.00)

6.  Powder and/or Bronzer Brush:  Once again there are so many different types of brushes for applying face powder.  I'm not really picky when it comes to a simple powder or bronzer brush.  I think my ELF one works great and it's only $3!

 

 

(Real Techniques Setting Brush from Ulta 7.99)

7.  Setting Brush:  I don't have a lot of brush options for this because I think Real Techniques has the best one out there.  This brush is so versatile.  First, it's great at setting your foundation and concealer.  This brush is smaller than most and because of it's size, it fits great under the eyes and around the nose.  Sometimes over powdering your face can look cakey and this brush really helps to keep you focused on the areas that need the powder instead of dusting your whole face in a fine layer of unnecessary powder!  This also works great for applying powder highlighter to the tops of your cheeks and for getting a really defined contour.

 

 

Real Techniques Expert Face Brush from Ulta 8.99 / Sigma F84 $18)

 8.   Foundation Brush:  I couldn't decide whether to include this type of brush on the list because if you didn't have a foundation brush, you could always use your hands but I think there is a airbrushed finish you can get from a good brush that you can't get from your hands.  Plus, I really hate getting foundation all over my hands!  These two brushes are my favorite for the job!  They also do great at blending out concealer as well.

OR
Beauty Sponge: Another great option to a foundation and/or concealer brush is a good beauty sponge!  I know this isn't a brush but I couldn't help but mention this.  The original Beauty Blender is known as the cream of the crop in the makeup world but I have yet to try it.  Maybe one day...  Until I'm willing to spend $20 for a darn sponge, I recommend the blending sponge that you can find at TJ Maxx or Marshall's by the brand Revive.  I believe I paid $3.50 and it works great.  Beauty sponges work best when dampened, just squeeze out the excess water.  Also, if using a sponge to put on your foundation, you want to use bouncing/patting motions to blend the product.  The finish it gives is AMAZING!


My Favorite Brush Brands:

Sigma (Website): Sigma is having 20% off now thru July 29th!  Use checkout code: SBAP20
Real Techniques (Ulta)
Elf (Target or Website)
Sonia Kashuk (Target)
Sedona Lace (Website)  Very similar to Sigma brushes, maybe even a few $ cheaper!
Costco for their occasional sets, they are good quality!