My Favourite Make-up Brushes

Makeup brushes are probably my favourite part of my makeup collection. I love makeup brushes. If I'm ever in Boots or Superdrug, I will more-than-likely be found at the makeup brush area. I always love to see if there is something new or if there is something on rollback that I can add to my collection. I'm always excited by makeup brushes and getting a new one is always a thrill. That's why I've grown a collection that takes up seven pots. Yep, seven. Five for eyeshadow brushes and two for face brushes. Naturally, some brushes are favoured more than others and I've decided to share with you my favourites of the lot.

F A C E

REAL TECHNIQUES EXPERT FACE BRUSH

I have two of these. That just goes to show how much I love it. I use it to apply my foundation and I use the second brush to blend out my concealer. It's a fab little brush. I love how narrow it is compared to the Buffing Brush by Real Techniques. For me, it's great to get under the eyes because of the shape of it and it's perfect for blending out concealer on the rest of the face without having to use a smaller brush which would take a lot longer. It's a great little multi-tasker, it can even be used to contour.

LOOK GOOD FEEL BETTER BLUSH BRUSH

I've already raved about this brush - HERE - so it shouldn't be any surprise that it is being featured in this post. Aside from being a beautiful brush, it feels incredible on the skin. I always feel lost when I can't use it because it's either too dirty or still damp from being washed. I simply love this brush and cannot sing its praises enough. 

SEPHORA MINERAL POWDER BRUSH

This brush is such a multi-task brush for me. One month I'll consistently use it for foundation and the next I'll use it to apply my setting powder. When I use it for foundation it really applies the product evenly without having to really work at it and it doesn't let me apply too much by holding onto the excess. The same goes for when I use it for powder. It feels so nice against my skin and it's also a great one for getting around all the contours of the face. 

E Y E S 

These are the brushes that I buy the most often. I always love to see what the brands come out with in terms of eye makeup brushes. I love buying them. I can't help it. I have five pots of eye makeup brushes alone and only two for face brushes - though to be fair, the face brush pots are huge!

ECOTOOLS EYE-ENHANCER DUO EYESHADOW BRUSHES

I'm including both brushes in this because they're both incredible and they came as a pair. I could easily do an entire makeup look using these two brushes alone. You have a liner end, a smudger, a definer and a blending end. What more could you really need? You could make a insane smokey eye with just these two brushes or a subtle every-day look. The world is your oyster with these babies. They're kind to the skin, they blend shadows out beautifully and they're regularly part of my makeup routine. 

MAC 217

I have had my MAC 217 for over a year now and it is pretty battered. It's precision is shot but it's still a damn good brush. It's perfect for blending. It's pretty much the brush that I reach for when putting eyeshadows through my crease or outer V area. It's a very good brush and I'm sure there are cheaper versions out there but whether or not they last as long as this one has is another question. It's over a year old and there is no sign that it's at the end of the road. It may be battered, but the old girl still has some tricks up her sleeve. It just goes to show why it has such a cult following.

FOREVER 21 BROW BRUSH

I bought this at the veeeeeeery start of my makeup journey. I bought a cheapy kit from the F21 website and thought that I'd be grand with them. Erm, no. Some of the brushes were horrendous and felt like sandpaper against my skin. I don't know how this brush survived and made it into my brush collection. It's become one of my most reached for brushes. I use it for my brows when I'm doing a more dramatic look and I haven't reached for my Soap & Glory Archery eyebrow pencil and I also use it for doing my eyeliner. I use it to apply black eyeshadow to my lashline when I want to go for some subtle liner action. It's so thin that I can get it right into the lashline without depositing too much product. For such a fail set, this brush turned out to be a great wee winner. 

SEPHORA CREASE SHADOW BRUSH

This brush is in my makeup routine 99% of the time. This brush and the MAC 217. They are a match made in Crease Heaven. The tapered edge always for some precision and for better blending depending on how you hold it. I use the tip to get the colour down on the corner and then use the rest of the brush to blend it through the crease. There are times when I'm doing my makeup when I will use just this brush. I use it for the crease, the outer corner and for the lid and even the lower lashline. It's one of my favourite brushes of all time and I'm so glad that I picked it up in Barcelona.

SEPHORA PRECISION POWDER BRUSH

This is my go-to brush for my lower lashline. It's small enough to get close to the lashline without making you look like a panda and soft enough to not irritate or tug at the uber sensitive skin of the lower lashline. It's great for smokey eyes and a great little addition for the more adventurous looks. 

KIKO 203 EYESHADOW BRUSH

This is the best flat eyeshadow brush that I have. I have a few. My eyebrush collection is largely made up of blending brushes, how strange is that? When applying lid shadows, I largely prefer to use my finger as the shadows usually apply better like that. But when I do apply lid shadows with a brush, this is the one that I usually use. It packs enough product on the bristles.

SEVENTEEN EYESHADOW BRUSH
At just under £2 this is the dark horse of the bunch. It's the cheapest but don't let that fool you. It's an amazing little kabuki style brush. I use this eyeshadow brush a lot, so much in fact that I've got three of them and I want to get more. At just £1.99, why not? It's dense but not rough. It blends like a dream and feels very luxurious, despite the extremely low price-tag. I would recommend this to anyone - makeup beginner or season pro alike.

They are look a little bedraggled because they were all just cleaned minutes before I took the photos for this post. Oops .

And there you have the pick of the bunch from my makeup brush collection. I adore my brushes but I do covet the likes of Zoeva, Morphe and Sigma. They will become part of my collection one day. My Sigma F80 is lonely. Do you use any of the brushes that I've mentioned? What are your favourite brushes to use?