Top 10 Makeup Brushes

Brushes. The essentials you need to create any look you want. The tools that you need to place product, blend it out, sculpt, and deposit product for flawless makeup application. These are my top 10 picks for my go to tools!!

These are in no specific order, I love them all and incorporate these into my everyday makeup routine!

1. Real Technique's "Deluxe Crease Brush"

The brushes from Real Techniques come in different colors and are coded as purple (for enhanced eyes), gold (for a flawless base),and pink (for a perfect finish). The starter set has 5 brushes meant to create perfect eye makeup. (Hense the purple handles.) The set includes 5 individual brushes, however this is one of my favorites out of the set. This is a "soft oversized design for effortless contouring." Although this is originally intended to be used as a crease brush, I use it for other purposes since I have smaller eyes and this brush is too big to be used in my crease area. I use it when applying my makeup such as buffing concealer in any smaller areas I may need, and setting my concealer with setting powder. I like that this brush is thick and fluffy, and not flat like most concealer brushes.

2. Makeup Geek's "Outer V Brush"

Makeup Geek brushes are currently crutely free, vegan and synthetic. The quality of these brushes for the price is amazing. This brush isn't for everybody. But if you enjoy doing intense smoked out eye looks, this brush is perfect for that outer v action. The small dome tipped brush picks up and deposits color perfectly right in that outer crease. I found this incredibly easy to work with, especially if you have smaller eyes and lids! (Finally brushes for people with hooded lids!) This brush is like I mentioned, more dense and is slightly more stiff, making it the perfect brush to deposit colors and to build and layer colors on the outer portion of the eye. It's also really nice for smudging colors underneath the lash line for an even more smoked out effect.

3. MAC's '224' brush

Personally, MAC has one of the best brush selections you will find anywhere out there, because of the diversity of the brushes. (Over 40!) Though, these brushes are pricey, they are an investment in themselves. If you take care of these brushes, they last forever. The medium dome tip on this brush makes it perfect for blending! It does the work for you. This brush fits perfectly into the crease and is a great brush for beginners.

4. MAC's '217' brush

The 217 is another one of the best blending brushes I personally think is out there. This was one of my first high end brushes I purchased and I absolutely love it. The smaller dome sized tip is perfect for a precise blend. The fluffy synthetic bristles are extremely soft and makes for an even, smooth blended out look. Another great brush for beginners, simply hold the brush straight up and down and blend within your crease, and you have effortlessly blended everything!

5. MAC's '239' brush

This brush has a soft tapered flat top that is dense, but also has some give to it. This brush picks up product so easily without having to dig the brush into the product. It also packs color onto the lid almost instantly. I like to use this sometimes very lightly into the crease for a soft subtle effect. I could not do my makeup without this brush!

6. Sigma 'Exact Blend- E32' brush

Like the 217 and outer v pencil brush I had posted about earlier, this is a great brush that's right in between both. Another awesome brush for the outercorner of the eye that allows you to really control and place product where you want it, but dense and rounded enough for you to diffuse the color. This brush is another great brush that fits right into the eye for easy application. I highly recommend this to anyone who loves doing smokey eyes, or colorful eyes where you normally use a variety of colors.

7. Real Techniques 'Powder Brush'

First off, I have to say I have never used such an amazing brush in my life. This brush is EVERYTHING! I have had no shedding or fall out from any of the bristles, and I absolutely love the fluffy bristles on this brush they're so soft. I use this everyday for my pressed powders, and loose powders. This brush gives you a smooth, evenly applied finish and is easy to work with. And really does give you an airbrushed look.

8. Real Techniques 'Blush Brush'

Probably my absolutel favorite of any brush from Real Techniques, this tapered blush brush is so fluffy and soft you just might die. The hand cut bristles make for a soft and luxurious feel on the skin. Some may not like how big this particular brush is for applying blush, but since the end is slightly tapered you can also apply your powder product such as bronzer or contour powder as well! These brushes themselves are universal and give you a soft finish on the face. After washing these brushes I also noticed that the brushes retain their shapes beautifully. A must have for sure.

9. Marc Jacobs 'face brush 1'

Another brush that gives you a complete full face in 1 step effortlessly. I love this brush for foundation and stippling over my face. I will admit this is another pricey brush, however for the quality of it, it is worth it. (would you rather keep 1 expensive brush or go to the drugstore and keep buying 5 or 6 different brushes!) This brush works well with any liquid foundation without over absorbing product. This also blends out creams wonderfully. I have had no shedding from this brush and it dries very quickly after washing. This brush also holds the shape very well.

10. No name brush- came from a kit

This brush unfortunately has no name and I don't remember where off of amazon I ordered it from. I know it came in a kit however. This is another one of my favorite brushes because of the shape. This brush gives you a beautiful carved out cheek instantly. I swipe this very subtly over the sides of my cheek bones and work up towards my ear and voila. With this brush, product is controlled easier and you can really work the product into the cheeks or wherever you want to contour. The bristles on this fluffy brush are perfect. They have lots of give to them and product is applied evenly and consistently. A number of makeup companies now make brushes in the same shape as this, I just find this brush perfect for contouring.

That's a wrap! Hope you enjoyed reading. What are your favorite brushes?

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