My Must-Have Makeup Brushes

I uploaded a video a couple of days ago about my must-have makeup brushes so here is the accompanying post for those of you who prefer reading than watching. Also here you will find a list of the brushes I mention along with close up pictures. These beauties have made applying my makeup a dream - long gone are the days of applying makeup with your fingers and using those crappy little eyeshadow sponge applicators that came free with the product (thankfully!).

Powder Brushes

When I look for a powder brush the first thing I check is how soft it is and I try to figure out if it will shed much - powder brushes are notorious for this. These four are brushes I use daily and do the job perfect. I use the first two for either blusher or bronzer, the  third one for packing on powder - it does a great job at this because of the material of the brush hairs but minimises "cake-y-ness" and the last angled one I also use for either blusher, bronzer or sometimes highlighter.

Left-Right

1 & 2 Fralein 38 degree powder brushes, 3: Real Techniques Powder Brush, 4: Sigma T40

 

 

Foundation Brushes

I have never been a fan of applying my foundation with my hands - it just never turns out as flawless as I want it. In my opinion the best way to work the foundation into your skin is to use a brush - in specific a synthetic hair brush like the ones shown below. The first two are some of my favourite brushes I have ever owned - I treasure these babies! The synthetic hairs and the density of the brushes make putting on your foundation the easiest job in the world, they basically do the work for you. As for the flat foundation brush positioned third I only used this for either mixing shades of foundation, dotting the product on my face (not blending) or for applying a liquid highlighter. The last brush pictured below is probably my favourite brush out my collection. I use this for applying and blending concealer, highlighter and cream contour colours. It really does a fantastic job at blending those smaller areas.

 

Left-Right:

1: Sigma F84, 2: Sigma F82. 3: Sigma F60, 4: Real Techniques Deluxe Crease Brush

 Precision Brushes

These brushes are the masters of precision! I use these everyday for an array of tasks. The first brush is great for getting in at the inner corner of the eye, under the brow-bone and even down the nose/hollows of the cheeks for a very thin contour. The middle brush is targeted at brows but I find myself using this for eyeliner more often. Some may debate it is too large for that purpose but I find it works just fine and the weight of the handle provides a steadiness that I definitely need when doing liquid eyeliner. The last brush which resembles a paint-brush is what I use for filling in my lips and creating a really perfect lip-liner.

Left-Right:

1: Sigma E30, 2: Real Techniques Brow Brush, 3: Unknown- bought at market

 

Blending Brushes:

Of course everyone knows by now that a blending brush  is perhaps the most essential makeup brush to have. I could not live without these! Sigma do particularly great ones, the bristles are incredibly soft and only shed a little bit when freshly washed. Also all of these brushes have lasted me over 3 years now - just goes to show you if you take care of your brushes they will last you - making them a worthy investment in my opinion. I find the first three pictured also very useful for blending underneath the eye. The middle two are great for the outer-v part of the eye because they are slightly angled as well as on the brow bone. And then of course the two larger blending brushes towards the right are perfect for blending out the shadow on the top lid.

 

Left-Right:

Numbers 1-3  & 5 were purchased at a market they have no brand name, 4: Sigma E70, 6: Sigma E35, 7: Sigma E40



Shader Brushes

 I find shader brushes really useful for packing a lot of colour on the lid. The density and shape of these brushes make them perfect for just that. I also find myself using them to place colour on the lower lash-line - mostly just the first MAC brush pictured as the other two are too large for that job.

 

Left-Right:

1: MAC 239, 2: Sigma E55, 3: Unknown

 

 

So that is it for my must-have brushes that make my life that little bit easier! I hope you enjoyed this rather lengthy post, if you want to check out the Youtube video I'll have it below.