1. Foundation Brush-This was the first brush that I bought in my makeup adventures. I have never looked back and I could not live without my foundation brush now. I just put a little foundation on my hand and dip my brush in that and onto my face. My favorite foundation brush is the Real Techniques Stippling Brush. It retails for $10 and I got mine from Amazon. A lot of people also like the Real Techniques Face Brush for foundation as well.
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| Real Techniques Stippling Brush |
2. Concealer Brush-The same idea as the foundation brush applies here. If I am spot covering blemishes, I use the pad of my ring finger. I use the concealer brush for larger areas, such as under my eyes and around my nose. I use the ELF Studio Concealer Brush and it retails for $3. Most larger Targets sell ELF products (unfortunately mine does not) but you can also find some ELF brushes at Dollar General or from the ELF site. I would not recommend getting ELF products from Amazon because you will end up paying more for them.
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| ELF Studio Concealer Brush |
3. Blush Brush-I love love love my blush brush! It's soft and picks up color well. I hate those stiff, flat brushes that come with drugstore blush. A big, fluffy brush gives a much softer, more natural look. I have the Real Techniques Blush Brush. It retails for $9 and I got mine from Amazon.
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| Real Techniques Blush Brush |
4. Powder Brush-You're going to get tired of me saying Real Techniques but they have the most affordable, awesome brushes. I have the Real Techniques Powder Brush. It is quite large and very soft. It feels like you are powdering your face with fluffy bunnies and cute kittens (don't worry, they are cruelty free!). It retails for $10 and, you guessed it, I got mine from Amazon.
| Real Techniques Powder Brush |
5. Small Angle Brush-A small angle brush can be used for a couple things. I use mine to fill in my eyebrows and to apply gel eyeliner. I also use it if I want to use eyeshadow as liner. If you are going to be using gel eyeliner with your brush, I'd recommend getting a second brush just for that purpose. You can find these anywhere and in a number of different brands. I have the Essence Gel Eyeliner Brush. I got it from Ulta.com because it was only $2 and I love it! I have found that the shorter the bristles are, the easier it is to use. That would be my only recommendation on what to look for when looking for a small angle brush.
| Essence Gel Eyeliner Brush |
6. Blending Brush-Everyone loves a fluffy blending brush! You use this brush to blend your eyeshadow colors together and give it a more cohesive look. The characteristics of a blending brush are that the bristles are long and dome shaped so it lets you blend lightly. Some are fluffier than others but they all work the same. I just got the Eco Tools Blending Brush this week. It came in a five piece set that I got from Amazon for around $8. Before that I had been using the ELF Blending Brush, which was also really good and it retails for $1. I believe I got that one from Dollar General.
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| Eco Tools Blending Brush |
7. Crease Brush-This brush is basically a larger, fluffier angled brush. In addition to the crease, you can also use it to apply shadow to your lid if you want. It does well for that because it is more densely packed than the blending brush. I use the Eco Tools Crease Brush that came from that same five piece set that the blending brush came in. These are also pretty readily available. I also have a POSH one that I picked up from K-Mart that I like a lot.
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| Eco Tools Crease Brush |
8. Domed Shadow Brush-Last but not least is a shadow brush. I agonized over which one to pick if I could only pick one to apply shadow and I decided this one would be the most helpful. The domed shadow brush has short, densely packed bristles that are rounded at the top. This brush is particularly good for packing eyeshadow on your lid (that's what I use it for). I have the ELF Studio "C" Brush. It retails for $3. These are easy to find as well. I know ELF makes one in their essentials line for $1 that is pretty good also. I've seen those at Dollar General.
As you can see, I do not spend an exorbitant amount of money on brushes. Real Techniques, the ELF Studio line and Eco Tools are three awesome brands that make really good brushes. I wash my brushes weekly (at least once a week, if not more) and they have all held up really well. There is little to no shedding and they are soft (a major requirement in my opinion!). Naturally, I have a whole bag full of brushes that I love but if you are just starting out then I think this set will get you off to a good start. :)
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