Fundamental makeup brushes - recommended brands

Several makeup brands offer great brushes. As you can see from my last post, I managed to collect my makeup brushes from 6 different brands (and that’s before I explored my drawers and found 3 others…). Depending on your needs and level of investment you’re willing to make, here are three brands that are good across the board!

$ Sonia Kashuk Tools – everyone who has spent some time perusing the beauty aisles at Target knows these soft brushes. They are favorites of magazine editors and women everywhere. You really can’t go wroing - great quality at a great price.

$$ Sephora Collection Classic Brushes – Sephora is the ultimate makeup wonderland. The store’s brand products and tools are a good starting point. The selection is impressive and many of their brushes are double-sided, which I really appreciate.

$$$ MAC Brushes – These are the standard. I dare you to find a serious makeup artist that isn’t carrying at least one of these. Top quality, huge selection, every need covered. Follow the link to their interactive brush finder. Select your need from the menu on the right and have fun with the combinations!

Fundamental makeup brushes

The previous post (where I talked about the eyeliner brush that changed my life) got me thinking about brushes. If you’ve ever seen a makeup artist operate, you know that they can use 20 different brushes while doing one person’s makeup. It makes you wonder, “Do I really need all that?”. The answer is, probably not.

What are the basic brushes you should have in your set, if you’re trying to create a natural no makeup look? Here’s my list of “can’t imagine living without them” brushes. Depending on the brand they’ll have slightly different names but you’ll be able to recognize them nonetheless:

1. Large fluffy powder brush

Honestly, you can’t apply powder in a natural way without a brush like this. This one is an absolute must have. Use it to set your makeup with a little powder, to apply bronzer or powder blush (I like to do that with a big brush) and to give a good once over blending when you’re done. It’s the ultimate multi-tasking brush.

2. Medium sized eyeshadow brush

When I first applied eyeshadow with a decent brush, I knew I’d never go back. This brush allows you to apply your allover color and it is small enough to that it will work on the crease as well. I also use it to blend all eyeshadow colors together and eliminate any hard edges. I must have another 5 eyeshadow brushes - different sizes, shapes, tightness of bristles - but I use this one 90% of the time.

3. Pointy eyeliner brush (bonus points if double-sided with smudge brush on other side)

It was the subject of a recent post and it was the reason I started thinking about basic brushes in the first place. I love it because it turns my entire eyeshadow collection into eyeliners. I can use it dry or wet, I can draw anything detailed, I can smudge pencil eyeliner, I can use it for gel eyeliner… Endless possibilities.

Those 3 brushes are my essentials, come rain or shine, at home or on the road, whatever style of makeup I’m wearing. I’ve got an additional 3 that depend on day, need, mood and product.

4. Mineral foundation brush

If I happen to apply mineral foundation rather than a tinted moisturizer, I’m going to need one of these. They’re sturdier than a fluffy powder brush and they are much better at achieving the buffing effect needed.

5. Liquid foundation brush (synthetic bristles)

Definitely less essential … I don’t *need* a foundation brush but I admit it achieves a beautiful effect and it’s easy to use. I wouldn’t carry it with me if I were traveling, I’d just use my fingers. Choose a synthetic one that isn’t porous, picks up the right amount of product and is easy to clean.

6. Small concealer brush (synthetic bristles)

I’ve seen two essential styles for concealer brushes – one is a larger brush meant to create a more “airbrushed” result and another one is a small pointy brush meant to reach inner corners of eyes and cover pimples or other imperfections very carefully. While I’m all about the airbrush, I find that I achieve that well enough with my fingers, so I rely on my concealer brush for detail work. Again, I could live without this on a desert island or most occasions, really. : )

1 to 6, left to right (just noticed that all my brushes are from different brands!)

What are the brushes you can’t live without??