The Only 8 Brushes You Need in Your Makeup Bag
Anyone who has had their makeup done by a professional makeup artist knows that our kits can be pretty intimidating. We have more brushes at our disposal than Morphe so it’s easy to assume that as a makeup enthusiast, that you also need a huge range of makeup brushes to create a lovely makeup look at home! Well, I’m here to tell you that isn’t the case.
But using the right makeup rushes really can make a difference, even in the hands of amateurs, and can help anyone get a polished look that makes the most of both their features and their favourite products. Using the right tools not only makes our makeup look better, it means we don’t waste product.
I’ve narrowed it down to the eight must-have brushes you’ll find yourself using again and again. Trust me — it’ll help you avoid wasting time and money on brushes bound for the “I don’t even remember what that’s for” pile.
And always remember that brush maintenance/cleanliness is key. Brushes can last a really long time if you take good care of them. I’ve had some of my professional brushes for over a decade and they’re still as good as new.
At least twice a month you need to give your brushes a nice wash with shampoo and leave them out to dry. They’re going to last longer and you’re going to get better makeup application that way. See my post on how to wash your brushes without ruining them here.
All of the brushes I will be speaking about are personal favourites and are from My Kit Co however please note that I AM NOT sponsored or paid by any brand and none of the links are affiliates. They links to the brushes on the website but there are alternatives out there.
1. Buffing Foundation Brush
Using a foundation brush is one of the best ways to get a flawless, professional-looking finish. A brush allows you to apply a light, even coat that’s always streak-free, and then blend it into the skin for a barely-there look. My absolute favourite is the Flawless Foundation Brush.
The brush has a gently curved brush head made from Takelon fibers and blends cream, liquid and powder formulas to a high definition finish. The angle of this brush fits snugly into the contours of the face making this a great tool for contouring too.
My Flawless Foundation™ Brush £18.50
Alternatives that you can try:
MORPHE Pro Deluxe Buffer Brush (M439) £17.00
NYX Can’t Stop Won’t Stop Foundation Brush £14.50
HUDA BEAUTY Face, Buff & Blend Brush £22.00
2. Powder brush
The medium My Flawless Powder Brush is perfect for that final touch of translucent powder to set a makeup look or to naturally apply bronzer. The brush is super soft and has a large rounded Takelon fiber brush head that delivers an even blend of powder or cream formulas across the skin. Each bristle has an ultra-fine tip made for high definition skin finishing.
My Flawless Powder™ Brush £18.50
Alternatives that you can try:
MORPHE Elite Precision Pointed Powder Brush (E3) £19.00
TOO FACED Mr. Right Brush £30.00
CHARLOTTE TILBURY Powder & Sculpt Brush £35.00
03. Concealer brush
Some concealers come in a self-applying stick or pen, so this brush is one that many people skip, but that can be a mistake. Concealer brushes can get into those areas that your fingers can’t get into and blend. Especially if you’re a little older and your skin is a little crepe-y around the eye area, in those inner corners, a concealer brush is really going to evenly smooth the product out.
I also like to use concealer brushes around the nose to even out the redness. I prefer to use two different types of brush for concealing: a soft brush like My Smoothing Concealer brush which is a flat-tipped concealing brush that has been created to smooth out concealer to achieve a sheer, natural finish, or a concealer buffer brush like No142 by Zoeva. This style of concealer brush allows you to apply and blend full-coverage products flawlessly, with ultra-fine bristles to distribute the right amount of colour.
My Smoothing Concealer™ Brush £12.00
ZOEVA Concealer Buffer Brush (142) £10.00
Alternatives that you can try:
HUDA BEAUTY Face Conceal & Blend Dual-Ended Concealing Complexion Brush £22.00
HOURGLASS Vanish Seamless Finish Concealer Brush £35.00
4. Blush brush
One brush you should never be without is a blush brush. “The softer the brush, the more delicate the application is going to be. The more dense the brush is, the more colour you’re going to get. Many blush brushes have a slight angle, which follows the natural contour of the cheekbones and helps to ensure you put the right amount in just the right place.
This super soft, synthetic, tapered brush is shaped to fit the contours of the face, whether buffing in powder, applying blush, or even foundation.
The shape and texture of the brush allows for a flawless finish every time.
My Flawless Face™ – Medium £18.50
Alternatives that you can try:
MORPHE Elite Precision Pointed Powder Brush (E3) £19.00
5. Eye shadow brush
You don’t need a handful of brushes to create lovely blended eyeshadow. Just 3 brushes; an eyeshadow brush for packing on the colour, a bullet brush for precise colour application and a blending brush to blend the colour out.You need to look for a brush with flat, rounded bristles and My Shade & Shadow™ brush is your perfect multipurpose eyeshadow brush. This super soft yet densely packed brush picks up product without any fallout and lays colour down beautifully. This simple brush is ideal for applying a powder eye shadow smoothly and evenly over the entire eyelid.
My Shade & Shadow £13.50
Alternatives that you can try:
HUDA BEAUTY Build & Blend Dual-Ended Eyeshadow Blending Brush £14.00
ZOEVA Luxe Classic Shader Brush (232) £10.00
6. Blending brush
My Blending Shadow™ Brush is a must-have in my kit and for those who like to blend shades at the crease of the eyelid for those softly smoky eye looks.
My Blending Shadow™ has a soft full rounded brush head made from natural fiber and is essential when creating natural and more dramatic eye looks and works well with both powder and cream formulas. This is one of those brushes that I always have in both my personal and professional eye makeup brush kits. It is ideal for blending eyeshadow and applying highlighter to make your makeup pop.
Pro – My Blending Shadow™ £16.00
Alternatives that you can try:
ZOEVA Luxe Crease Brush (228) £10.00
URBAN DECAY Pro Tapered Blending Brush E209 £16.50
7. Detailing eye shadow brush
The Pro – My Detailing Crease is one of the brushes that my clients are surprised that I recommend in my top 8 must have brushes My Detailing Crease™ has a gently pointed brush head made from plush natural fibers. The silky fibers allow for exceptional product pick up and dispersion while the crafted tip fits snugly into the crease of the eye, helping to achieve an expertly defined finish. Great for precise application of shadow under the eyes for a blown out smokey look too!
Pro – My Detailing Crease™ £16.50
8. Angled brush
A lot of people think of this as a brush for the brows, but it is incredibly versatile, and is great for applying cream or gel eye liner, or even applying a powder eye shadow as a liner. It can be used for everything, not just the brows. It’s one of those brushes where I sanitise it and I do something else with it. Ideally you want to look for hair that is short and quite firm to get precise results such as detailed brows and winged eyeliner such as My Sharp Angle Brush.
My Sharp Angle™ £13.00
Alternatives that you can try:
ZOEVA Screen Queen Wing Liner Brush (317) £9.00
CHANTECAILLE Eye Liner Brush £23.50
HOURGLASS No.10 Angled Liner Brush £31.00
With these 8 brushes in your makeup bag you can apply almost any makeup product. Just remember that you can apply cheap makeup with a good brush but you will always run into problems when using bad brushes. That’s now to say that they must break the bank as there are many great brushes out there and the ones mentioned in my post today are some of my favourites ranging from affordable to luxury.
Let me know which are your favourite brushes and tag me in photos of your brushes on Instagram @makeupbyclaire01
If you have any other useful tips on brushes that I can add to this post, please post a comment or comment on this post on my Instagram. All additions will be credited.
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Claire xx
Note: This blog post DOES NOT contain affiliate links.
If you enjoyed this post, please check out some of my others:
- Decluttering my personal foundations
- De-Cluttering my Personal Makeup – Part 3
- De-Cluttering my Personal Makeup – Part 2
- De-Cluttering my Personal Makeup Part 1
- 6 Mascara mistakes we all make
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