I've only done one post about brushes and even that was two years ago. I think it's time for a well overdue updated version. I don't own a massive collection of brushes and 90% of them are very affordable or drugstore brushes. I use most, but these are the ones I rely on the most on a day to day basis.
I use one brush for more than one job, mainly because I find it too excessive to use a different brush for each thing and I'm too lazy to clean them often. Starting with foundation I use one of these three:
Real Techniques Expert Face brush - My favourite brush for foundation. It's denser than the rest I own and it blends foundation perfectly, leaving no streaks, just an even flawless base. Healthy Mix foundation in particular works just fabulous in conjunction with this brush. I'm pretty much in love with it. It's more narrow from the side, making it a good choice for contouring, but you have to use a light hand because it grabs a lot of colour and the same goes for when using it for cream blushes. Price 9$ - 15.50€.
Real Techniques Stippling brush - This one is somewhere in between the dense expert brush and fluffy buffing brush, though it's not as soft as the two. The black bristles are dense, but if you are familiar with stippling brushes you know that the top white bristles are more sparse and gentle. It's nice for foundation and because it is the smallest of the three, also very good at blending around the nose and eyes. It's great for highlighter, cream or more pigmented blushes because it doesn't pick up as much pigment. Price 10$ - 14.20€.
Real Techniques Buffing brush - Comes as a part of the Core Collection set. It is the fluffiest and biggest of the three. I prefer to use it for powders rather than foundation or creams, however, this doesn't mean it doesn't work with those formulas. In fact, this is the first choice of many bloggers for foundation, but I favour denser brushes. Because it's fluffy it works with bronzer, but if you like bigger brushes for that try Ecotools Bamboo bronzer brush.
All three are fantastic for foundation and obviously you don't need to have all. It's just a matter of how dense you like the brush to be. I like to have a choice, because I find that different foundation formulas work best with different brushes. These are synthetic brushes which are super soft and don't shed. I got the Core Collection on iHerb (use code NHN198 for 5$ off your first purchase, I paid 6$ for shipping) and the other two from HqHair, which offers free shipping. Price of the Core Collection is around 18$-27€.
Real Techniques Contour brush - Another brush that is part of the Core Collection. It is quite small, however, I have a small face and it fits me. I use it for powder and cream blushes. I love it for contouring because it is fluffy, blends nicely and the perfect size for me.
E.L.F. Studio Flawless Concealer brush - This one, on the other hand, does look a bit big for blending concealer under the eyes, however, it works great. It's is very dense, soft and blends like a dream. I use it for so many things from blending concealer, applying setting powder under the eyes and around the nose, applying a base eyeshadow colour all-over the lid, blending and even contouring. Truly a versatile brush. Price £3.75.
Mac 217 - I think it's safe to say that this is the most popular blending brush and it's for a reason. Although it's too big for applying colour in the crease since I have a type of hooded eyes (you can see my eye shape in mascara posts click, or better in some foundation posts click), it's fantastic for blending, applying colour on the lid, applying highlighter and even concealer. The negative is that it's expensive and not that widely available. I got mine from eBay over four years ago. I paid 20€ for each Mac brush.
Mac 239 - Nothing beats 239 for packing the colour on the lid. I have other flat brushes, but this one is so much better than cheaper versions. I got it at the same time as 217 and has been well used over the years.
Essence Smokey Eyes brush - My recent discovery and most used eyeshadow brush. It replaced my old Italian Round Crease brush that I got from Coastal Scents. It was the perfect size, but it felt scratchy. Smokey Eyes brush is synthetic and a lot softer. As I said, I have small hooded eyes and I use it for everything : applying eyeshadow, blending, highlighting the inner corner, blending on the lower lash line, basically the entire eye makeup with one brush. I don't have a proper crease, but I can make it work with this brush. It costs a mere 1.5€ in almost every drugstore here.
Coastal Scents Black on Black Taklon Angle Liner - My absolutely most used brush. I use it everyday to create the so called invisible liner, which means applying a black or dark colour very close to the lashline, between the roots of eyelashes and on the upper waterline. This gives you an illusion of thicker lashes. It is the only brush that is small and precise enough for the job and it picks up a lot of colour. It's also fantastic for applying eyeshadow on the waterline to get maximum intensity and staying power.Whilst researching for this post, I discovered it's not sold anymore. I am gutted about this and I have no idea where I'll get a replacement. I bought it four years ago for 2$.
Essence Gel Eyeliner brush - It's wider and a touch thicker than the Coastal Scents one. I like it for applying eyeshadow close to the lashline, but it's more difficult to do the invisible liner. It's good with a gel eyeliner, but I have trouble applying it nicely with a brush that is such a shape. Costs about 1.5€.
Ecotools Angled Eyeliner brush - It's the thickest angled eyeliner brush I have and it doesn't work that well with gel eyeliners, however, it is the perfect size for eyeshadow on the lower lashline close to the lashes as well as on the top. I use it a lot with L'Oreal's Infailible eyeshadows when I want to use them as liners. I got it in a local supermarket Tuš. I can't recall the price because I bought it three years ago, but I don't think it cost more that 4€.
Alverde Gel Eyeliner brush - My favourite brush for gel eyeliner. It's small, super precise and slightly bent. I don't like a thick line on my top lashline, nor can I have a flick due to my eye shape and this is a perfect brush for a thin, crisp and precise line. I'm not sure whether it was LE, but it was super cheap, less than 2€. I bought one two years ago (the dirty one) and the second one last year.
The Body Shop Lipstick / Concealer brush - It's stiffer than the detailer brush, which means you can get a really precise lipstick application and since I wear bright colours a lot that is essential. I don't like it for pinpoint concealing though because it is so stiff. I got it in London five years ago for about 9£.
Real Techniques Detailer brush - Part of the Core Collection. It's small and soft, I like it for precision work like pinpoint concealing. It works great as a lip brush as well. Sorry it is dirty, but I use it with EL Maximum Cover and it's a pain to remove it.
As you can tell I have some of my brushes for over four years, so don't be afraid to spend more on a brush, however, there are a lot of great drugstore and cheap brushes. If you take care of them, they can last you a long time. By washing them regularly with a gentle shampoo you can really make them last.
Thanks for reading.
Thanks for reading.