Makeup brushes are a must-have for every makeup bag. The wedge blush brushes and sponge eyeshadow applicators that come with your makeup just don’t cut it. They leave uneven lines on your face and just generally don’t apply makeup as evenly or as well. But, which brushes do you need? It can be easy to get carried away and overwhelmed when shopping for makeup brushes. Salespeople will tell you you need a special brush for each inch of your face. Of course this isn’t true! But, there are certain brushes that work best for certain areas and applications. Here’s a run-down of which brushes you should own, types of makeup brush hair, brush collections and how to clean your brushes. For the first edition of my Makeup Brush Guide, let’s discuss the 7 Makeup Brushes you should have in your makeup bag.

7 Brushes For Your Makeup Bag

1. Concealer Brush

A concealer brush applies concealer evenly to your skin. If you’re someone who typically applies concealer with your fingers, I highly recommend trying a concealer brush! When you apply with your fingers, you have a tendency to rub in the product, damaging the sensitive skin under your eye. This is a quick way to develop under-eye wrinkles. You’ll also submit your skin to the oil from your fingers and not be able to reach all of the crevices of your inner eye corners with product. Using a concealer brush, apply the product using a dab and blend motion. Then, to fully blend the concealer, you can lightly dab with your clean fingers a few times. Concealer brushes are also handy when applying powder under the eye. Again, dab and blend lightly with the brush.

How to choose a concealer brush

Synthetic brushes work best for concealer brushes because the synthetic bristles don’t absorb as much of the oils in the concealer as natural bristles will. I’ll talk about brush hair types in a later post, but for now, remember the general rule that natural bristles are best for powder, synthetic bristles are best for oil and liquid.
Choose a concealer brush that is flat for dabbing and small enough to fit inside the corners of your eyelids. The edges are typically rounded and the bristles should be soft so you won’t irritate or damage your undereye area. Make sure to find a brush with synthetic bristles for application reasons, but also because the bristles will be softer than natural bristles.

Concealer Brush Recommendations

2. Foundation Brush

I just discovered foundation brushes a couple of years ago. I used a sponge before and didn’t realize how gross that was until the woman at the MAC counter pointed it out. Unless you’re using a new sponge every single day, your foundation sponge is retaining all of the oils from your face. Old face oil build up can’t be good. The other thing to think about is application. Sponges soak things up. If you’re using sponges to apply foundation, your losing a lot of your product to your sponge. Foundation brushes apply foundation evenly and, if cleaned properly, keep your face free from old face oil. Apply foundation to the back of your hand, coat the top and bottom of the brush with your product and apply in a sweeping motion. Apply evenly to your face and then go back and blend with the bristle side of the brush. Foundation brushes are great because the tapered edges allow you to get in all of the sharp angles of your face.

How to choose a foundation brush

Like concealer brushes, foundation brushes are best when synthetic. The synthetic bristles do not soak up as much of the foundation, allowing the product to be applied to your face evenly. Choose a brush that is wide and flat for sweeping foundation onto your skin. The edges should have a nice, tapered angle that allows you to apply foundation to hard to reach areas like around your nose.

Foundation Brush Recommendations

3. Powder Brush

The days of powder compacts with the little cloth applicators are gone. Sure, you can still find them, but we have much better options these days. Powder brushes apply a layer of powder over your foundation and concealer, giving you that flawless look. It’s easy to apply powder incorrectly, resulting in splotchiness or a too-powdered look. Most of you have probably used a powder brush before. If you felt like your face looked chalky or splotchy when you were finished, you should reconsider with a different brush. When applying powder with a powder brush, dust the tips of the brush into the powder. I like to use Bare Escentuals method of lightly circling powder onto my brush and then tapping the excess off. Apply in a sweeping motion to get an even layer and then blend with light circles.

How to choose a powder brush

Powder brushes should be full, soft and on the large size to apply powder all over your face. Brushes that are too stiff or too small will make your face look splotchy. Powder brushes that are too large have a tendency to over apply powder, giving you a too-powdered look. Go for a natural bristle brush since you’re applying a powder. Powders slide off synthetic bristles, making them more difficult to apply.
My favorite powder brushes are the squat kabuki brushes. A medium fullness will allow just the right amount of powder and the lacking handle makes it easier to manuever in circles over the face.

Powder Brush Recommendations

4. Blush Brush

So, I know, we all have blush brushes. But, if it’s that little rectangle brush that came in your blush, forget it! To get a natural looking blush or bronzed look, you need to have the right brush. A soft, medium-sized brush that’s angled to the center helps you apply a light blush to the apples of your cheeks and along your cheekbone. Apply blush to your brush in a circular motion. Using the same, light circular motion, apply blush along your cheekbones from the center toward your ear. Go back to where you started and apply a touch extra.

How to choose a blush brush

Since you’re applying powder, go for a natural bristled brush. More of the product will be applied evenly than if you used a synthetic brush. Find a blush brush that is angled toward the center so you can apply more toward the center and less around the edges, creating a blended, natural blush.

Blush Brush Recommendations

5. Eyeshadow Brush

A good eyeshadow brush is essential for any makeup bag. Eyeshadow brushes apply shadows much more effectively than the cloth applicators that come with your eyeshadows. With those, the shadow tends to stick to the applicator and come off all at once, leaving your eyelid splotchy.

How to choose an eyeshadow brush

Since your shadow is most likely powder, choose an eyeshadow brush with natural hair bristles. This will allow for even application of the product. Find a brush that’s soft so it won’t irritate your eyelid.
Eyeshadow brushes come in many shapes and sizes. Go for a standard eyeshadow brush with full bristles and rounded edges. Or, opt for an angled eyeshadow brush. Angled brushes are favored by many makeup artists because the easily apply eyeshadow on the lid and into the crease.

Eyeshadow Brush Recommendations

6. Crease Brush

If you ever wear more than one shade of eyeshadow, a crease brush is a nice addition to your makeup bag. Crease brushes are thinner than eyeshadow brushes. They are full and tapered to a point for easy application of shadow to the crease. Apply the shadow to the crease brush and tap the excess off. Then, lightly apply to your crease starting at the outer corner and moving in. Make a V-pattern by also brushing shadow along your lash line. Crease brushes are also effective for applying highlighter to the browbone and inner eye area.

How to choose a crease brush

Find a crease brush that is made from natural bristles, is soft and tapered to a point. The bristles should be full.

Crease Brush Recommendations

Splurge
This natural bristle crease brush by Laura Mercier is the perfect size and shape for adding shading and highlighting to your shadow. Price: $29.

Affordable
This sable brush made by Coz is pretty cheap and has received good reviews. Price: $6.

7. Eyeliner Brush

A good eyeliner brush is effective for applying shadows or creams as liners. To apply eyeliner, coat the brush with product and apply along the lash lines from the outer corner of your lid in. For a super dramatic look, use an eyeliner brush apply heavy eyeliner.

How to choose an eyeliner brush

If you wear powder shadows as liners, go for a natural bristle brush. If you wear cream liner, opt for a synthetic brush. Eyeliner brushes come in two main types. One is a flat brush about a quarter of an inch long. The other is very thin and comes to a fine point. If you prefer a very thin line, choose the thinner brush. For a thicker line, choose the flat brush.

Eyeliner Brush Recommendations

Splurge
This brush by Bobbi Brown allows you to apply shadow in a thick or thin line depending on your preference. It’s also easy to manuever if you’re trying something a little more artistic. Price: $25

Interesting
I’m intrigued by this brush from Bare Escentuals. It’s slanted so you can easily apply liner around your lashes. I wonder if this brush is hard to manuever. Price: $14.

Affordable
This eyeliner brush by Avon is a classic. Price: $2.99.

Your Thoughts?

What do you think of these brushes as the essential 7 for your makeup bag? Are there other makeup brushes you use often?


Don’t forget to check back soon for Part 2 of the Makeup Brush Guide, a run-down of makeup brush hair types.