I am very picky about makeup brushes, but what am I not picky about? Let’s be real. But I have been through an obscene amount of makeup brushes and have only kept the most elite few.
I have a lot of brushes, but that is mostly because I don’t want to have to clean them very often. With blemish prone skin, it is best to only use a brush a few times before cleaning it to reduce bacteria growth and transfer. (I clean my foundation brush or beauty blender every time, though!)
There are a lot of incredible high end brushes out there and I do really enjoy a luxe, fluffy blending brush. But you don’t have to spend a ton of money to build up your collection.
I want to share all of my favorite brushes with you today and offer you some suggestions on where to start shopping if you are looking to build your own collection.
MY FAVORITE BRANDS
I have a few brands that I will continue to repurchase brushes from over and over. I don’t actually need new brushes very often, but sometimes I will misplace one and there is nothing quite as satisfying as a brand new crease brush, ya know? Here is where I would start!
I added a dollar sign scale for you guys to know what price point to expect.
$ = Budget Price Range
$$ = Mid Price Range
$$$ = Luxury Price Range
- SEPHORA PRO COLLECTION $$ – Sephora brushes are top-notch. The pro collection is beyond amazing – great quality, lasts for years, and they are all really soft. And the pro collection is vegan and cruelty-free! They are individually sold, which I prefer because most brush kits have at least a few random brushes you will never use.
- REAL TECHNIQUES $ – These are my ride or die brushes. They are SO affordable (we are talking like $3-$10 each) and are AWESOME quality for the price point. While they may not be the softest every brush in your collection, you would never know that they are such a great budget option. The Setting Brush is my top five holy grail brushes!
- MORPHE BRUSHES $ – Along the lines of Real Techniques, but just a smidge more is $$ are Morphe brushes. They are super soft, have a huge range of brushes, and work like professional brushes. One of my favorite things about buying Morphe brushes is the variety. You can find exactly the type of brush you are looking for because they have 100s of options.
- IT COSMETICS $$ – IT Cosmetics make amazing foundation brushes. They blend really easily and clean really well, which is very important to me in a foundation brush. They are also as soft as a furry little puppy and feel super luxe.
- ARTIS BRUSHES $$$ – Do you need an Artis brush? No. Do I use mine almost every single day? Yup. This is the Holy Grail of makeup brushes, and they are pricey. But there is nothing that applies foundation like the Oval #7 brush. I will be honest and say I don’t think the smaller brushes are worth it, but if you wanted to splurge on a single brush, it would be this one.
There are also lots of other great brands, and I have a few one off brushes from all over the place. But this is where I would recommend starting and staying.
INDIVIDUAL BRUSHES
FACE BRUSHES
- SEPHORA PRO CONTOUR #79 $30 – One thing you will notice is none of my brushes are single use. They all work for multiple jobs and help to reduce how many brushes I need in my collection. This one is great for contour, highlight, or blending out an eyeshadow look.
- REAL TECHNIQUES BLUSH BRUSH $9 – I love using this to blend any product on my cheeks before I use a setting spray or to apply bronzer when I want a golden goddess look.
- SEPHORA PRO BLUSH BRUSH #96 $30 – So so soft, I use this brush for so many different things. From blush to bronzer to setting powder. I am always cleaning it, which means I really love it.
- MORPHE M427 $10- This is great for a light wash of color or to remove any excess powder from the face. It has a tapered end and is duo-fiber to give a really diffused look to the skin.
- ARTIS OVAL NO 7 $65 – There is nothing quite like this brush on the market. It allows me to use 50% of the foundation I need with other brushes and gives the most flawless, airbrushed finish to the skin.
- AMAZON FOUNDATION BRUSH $9 – This is the only thing that comes even close to the Artis brush. My biggest complaint is that it doesn’t clean very well and wasn’t quite as soft after that first clean. It applies beautifully and allows you to use much less foundation than traditional brushes.
- REAL TECHNIQUES SETTING BRUSH $8 – This brush is also going to be in the eye category because it is that good. I use this brush for literally everything. Setting under my eyes, sweeping away excess powder, blend eyeshadow, apply crease color and even smudge out eyeliner. This is the brush to end all brushes, and it is only eight bucks.
EYE BRUSHES
- REAL TECHNIQUES SETTING BRUSH $8 – Here you go again. I truly have FIVE of these brushes and wouldn’t be made to add another one or two. These are great to add a simple wash of color to the eye, blend out your crease, or use for a cream shadow.
- SIGMA E36 BLENDING BRUSH $15 – This is one of the oldest brushes in my collection. The first brush set I got was a Sigma set from Mr. G for Christmas. I have three of these, and seven years later still have the first one I ever got. It is the perfect size blending brush, and clearly stands the test of time.
- SEPHORA PRO COLLECTION #19 $20 – This does the same job as the Sigma brush above, but it just a bit softer and feels a tiny bit nicer. It has a pointed end which makes it great for more detailed eye work.
- SEPHORA PRO COLLECTION #24 $20 – I LOVE this brush so much. If I just want to do a simple look with one color, this is the brush I use. It is SO soft and gives a really nice, diffused look to shadow as it isn’t very densely packed.
BRUSH SETS
If you are starting totally from scratch, then a brush set might be worth it, as you usually get a bit of a discount buying in a set. These are the sets I would recommend if you are just starting out and looking to build a collections.
SIGMA MR BUNNY ESSENTIAL BRUSH KIT $134 – This was my first brush set, and most of the brushes are still going strong seven years later. The only brush I didn’t really use in this set is the flat foundation brush. The rest are the bomb.
SIGMA ULTIMATE BLENDING BRUSH COLLECTION $69 – This is the best eye brush set if you are looking to grab a few brushes to create amazing shadow looks. With multiple blending brushes, you will be able to smoke things out, clean color up and really diffuse your shadow.
I hope this post was helpful for you! If you have any amazing recommendations, I always love to hear from you. Pop your favorite makeup brushes in the comments below.
