When I fell in love with makeup a few years ago I quickly realised that I needed some good brushes in order to achieve a flawless finish. I think one of the very first brushes I ever bought was a stippling brush from ELF Cosmetics and it forever changed the way I applied my foundation! Over the years I’ve tried a number of different types of brushes and I wanted to share with you my favourite 5. These are my tried and trusted brushes that I reach for on a daily basis. In fact, if for some reason I lost my brushes (God forbid) I wouldn’t know what to do with myself! I think I would probably have a mini melt down, with ugly tears and hyperventilation. I really am so dependent on them to apply my makeup. I highly recommend investing in a good set of brushes even if you’re not a makeup artist. Without the right tools it’s incredibly difficult to apply your makeup properly. And if you take good care of your brushes they will last for years.
So let’s get going and if you want to buy any of these brushes, just click on their names which are hyperlinked.
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Real Techniques Powder Brush & Expert Face Brush
1. Real Techniques Powder Brush
I must start by saying that Real Techniques is an amazing brand!! It was created by two sisters, Sam and Nic Chapman who are makeup artists, and can be found in almost every drug store and major supermarket in the UK. Don’t be fooled by how affordable they are – they are professional standard brushes that are extremely durable. I highly recommend their line of brushes to anyone – from the makeup novice to the professional makeup artist.
This big fluffy Powder Brush is awesome for applying translucent powder. I use to it set my foundation every day. It covers large areas very quickly and it allows for a light application of powder, but I can build it up without applying too much product each time. It’s also very easy to clean which I like.
2. Real Techniques Expert Face Brush
I love using this Expert Face Brush to apply liquid foundation. The bristles are very dense yet soft, so it allows me to build a flawless medium to full coverage of foundation; it also makes it easy to really buff the foundation into my skin. I try to wash this brush at least every 2 weeks and I confess that it does take a while to get the foundation out of it. But, if you use the Real Techniques Brush Cleansing Palette it’s much, much quicker. Just a little tip: I make my own brush cleanser by mixing two thirds of Fairy dish washing liquid with one third of olive oil; I’ve tried other oils but olive oil seems to work best.
Wilko Smokey Eye Brush & MAC 210 Eye Liner Brush
I picked up this £3.00 brush on a whim one day when I was in Wilko and I was pleasantly surprised with the results. The bristles are quite dense and stiff so it’s a great brush to use when I want to blend away any harsh eye shadow lines. I also love using it to apply a wash of eye shadow when I’m in a rush – I’ll use more of a stamping motion in order to get a good layer of colour on my lids and then I blend out the edges. I’ve had my current brush for 3 years now and despite washing it repeatedly it has never shed. It’s definitely the best £3.00 I’ve ever spent! (N.B. I couldn’t find a link to this brush online (you might be able to buy it in-store), but I found a link to a very similar Smokey Eye Duo Brush)
You NEED this brush in your life if you want to slay your eyeliner …. period! For years I used an angled brush to apply gel eyeliner but one day the makeup fairies smiled upon me and I stumbled upon a makeup tutorial on YouTube where the makeup artist used a MAC 210 Brush to apply eyeliner and the result was amazing. So I promptly visited my nearest MAC store and bought it and since then I’ve never reached for my angled brush again. The 210 Eyeliner brush is just that good! Just buy it. Nuff said.
KIKO Milano Lips 300 Brush
This Lips 300 Brush does a great job of applying lipstick evenly without streaking. I also love that this synthetic brush is retractable, so if I’ve applied my lipstick from a lip palette I can put the brush in my bag without having lipstick smearing all over my wallet and other items. So goodbye to having to put my lip brush in a separate makeup bag which often gets stained with lipstick. Yay! To be honest, I wished more makeup brushes were retractable. This would make them easier & neater to travel with.
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Well, that concludes my review of my favourite makeup brushes. Consider picking them up next time you’re out shopping. I hope that they help you to slay your makeup every time. Do let me know if there are any other makeup items you’d like me to review. Until then I shall leave you with this blessing: may your contour be sharp and your highlight be poppin; and may the makeup fairies watch over you!
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