Many women used to hoard makeup, and over the years that has stretched across to makeup brushes, too. When my obsession with makeup first started, I wasn’t a fan of makeup brushes. I just didn’t want to waste money on them, I would just rather buy more makeup!
But then the more I started to buy more expensive makeup, the more I wanted to have good brushes to apply it with. So, I did a big splurge and kitted myself out with lots of brushes. Without further rambling, I am going to get into it and let you know what my favorite makeup brushes have been over the years!
1. Morphe M439 Brush
I bought this brush because I saw the hype for it all over the internet. It was the first Morphe brush that I had tried and I was so impressed by it. This brush is dense and blends the foundation out like a dream. I used to use the Sigma F80 Kabuki brush before I got this one and I don’t think I have reached for that once since buying this brush. It is so good; it cleans nicely and gives you such a flawless finish when you use it. It is also good for packing on product when you want fuller coverage because of how dense the bristles are.
2. MAC 130 Duo Fibre Brush
Next up I have my trusty MAC 130 brush. I own 3 of these now and love them to pieces. I have 3 of them just because they are so good at blending products out. I will apply my liquid or cream highlight and contour and then grab this brush, which blends it out seamlessly. The good thing about this brush is that it is duo fiber so the hairs blend without applying pressure to the skin, which means when blending product on top of foundation it doesn’t move the foundation that is on the skin already.
3. MAC 187 Duo Fibre Brush
From my other posts, you may know that I am a massive advocate of powder cream contouring my face. When I blend out my cream contour I will use a dense synthetic hair brush and then make sure that everything is blended using my MAC 178 brush. I love this brush and have done it for many years. I will say that when this brush was new I did have a problem with it malting and the hairs coming off my face, but after a few good washes all the loose hairs came out and it worked like a dream.
4. Real Techniques Setting Brush
This is my under-eye-setting brush. I always set my under eyes separately from the face because I like to make sure that I get powder in every space around my eyes and that the powder is pressed into all them small fine lines. This brush is perfect for that. Because of the tapering, the point can get right into the inner, corner of your eye. This brush I have probably owned for 4 years and after each wash, it is like new again!
5. Real Techniques Powder Brush
Before I got this brush I was using an old powder brush that I had been using since I was about 14, it was horrific, so when I got this brush it felt like pure luxury. Over the years I have tried so many new powder brushes both high-end and from the high street and this is the one that I always go back to. For the money, you cannot go wrong. It gets the job done and because of the size of the brush, it gets it done in no time!
6. Real Techniques Blush Brush
I love this brush but I don’t use it for what it was intended to be used for. For blusher, I just think that this brush is far too large. I like that this brush is tapered and that the end is rounded. I like to use this brush to bronze up the face. I dip the end into my bronzing powder and then apply it to my face and the hairs around the brush blend it out until it looks seamless to my skin.
7. Illamasqua Brow Brush
As anybody who knows me knows, I love doing my brows. I have tried lots of different brow brushes but this one is my favorite. I do like the Anastasia brow brush but I prefer a longer handle because I feel like that way I have more control over what I am doing. I have also washed this brush countless times and it has always come out as good as new!
8. Charlotte Tilbury Powder and Sculpt Brush
I got this brush because I was a sucker for Charlotte Tilbury’s marketing. I kept seeing images of this brush paired with the Filmstar Bronze and Glow Palette so when I bought the palette I had to buy the brush with it. I am so glad that I did. The best thing about this brush is that it is tapered. The tapered hair goes into a point at the end which I then dip into my contour powder. Then I apply that to the cheek and the other hairs around it blend the product out until it looks flawless.
9. Morphe M527 Brush
Another Morphe brush is next. I got this one as well because I saw so many beauty gurus using it and it looked amazing. I will be honest and say that I thought that the bristles would be shorter meaning that you have more control over where the color is going, but it isn’t a big deal. I love this brush for bronzing. I wanted the Tom Ford Bronzer Brush for the longest time but I just couldn’t justify spending that kind of money on a brush. So, I bought this one. I do love this brush and have done it for a long time. I recently bought the Tom Ford Brush and they are similar, but I will do a comparison post on them both very soon!
10. MAC 109 Contour Brush
This was the first contour brush that I ever bought and I still love it. The good thing about this brush is that the hairs in it are quite tightly packed so if I want I can get an intense contour. I will dip the edge of this brush into my contour powder and then apply that where I want the color, then using the end of the brush I will blend it out.
Written by Danielle
