I don’t write about the brushes that I use very often because I find it pretty boring to talk about. It’s one of the most important parts of makeup though, so I’m going to try to make an effort to mention them more often. All the brushes that I own are from fairly affordable brands. The ones that I’m mentioning are my holy grail brushes that I bring when I travel, and I reach for them most often. If I had to restart my brush collection, these are the ones I would purchase.
Under eye highlight / Sephora 49
The almost triangular shape of this brush fits in the area under my eyes perfectly. I use this for any powder I’m putting onto my under eye area to brighten or set.
Blush / Sephora Collection 55
I might be picking up a second one during the current Sephora 20% off sale. This can lightly sweep or heavily pack on blush and makes it apply and blend like a dream. I didn’t get the hang of how to do blush before getting this brush honestly.
Face Powder / Real Techniques duo fiber face brush
This one comes in a set of three brushes that are all really good. They have white handles and I’ve only seen it in stores. Snag it if you can find it! This is very similar to the Morphe M406, but more dense. This Real Techniques duo fiber brush has lasted me through a lot of uses and I use it for step having to do with powdering, multiple times during my makeup routine- loose powders and compacts, blending out my bronzer/highlight/ contour, mattifying, etc.
Foundation / It Cosmetics no.7 heavenly lux complexion perfection
Something about this foundation brush just works better than any others that I’ve put to the test. I think it could be the natural bristles or the density, but yeah, I love how it applies my foundation, and the other end comes in handy for blending concealers and powders.
Concealer / Elf small stipple brush
When I need to get a cream product in a small area, I go to this $3 stippling brush.
Sponge / Sonia Kashuk
The $10 two pack of marbled black and white sponges are my holy grail for blending cream products. If you’re not near a Target, Real Techniques are my second favorite.
Bronzer / Morphe stippling m406, Morphe r2
Recently I’ve been enjoying applying my bronzer with a large stippling brush. I switch back and forth between these two.
Contour / Elf 105, Real Techniques Stippling for cream contour, TARTE paddle (discontinued unfortunately)
Contouring is a must for me, and these brushes are all my go tos for trying to be chiseled yet blended.
Eyeshadow / So I attempted to narrow it down to ten picks, here we are with thirteen… I am only mentioning the ones below that are still available because I have quite the variety of brushes that I’ve collected throughout the years.
Real Techniques set – base shadow brush & deluxe crease
Morphe E13, M421, E17, M518, E23
Sigma E40, E25
Face Secrets duo shadow brush
Ecotools set
I use Dr. Bronner’s pure castile soap to clean my brushes, and try to do it as often as possible.
Thank you for reading!
-Kim