Make up Brushes 101

All time favorite brush brands (From cheapest on up) :
BH Cosmetics
Eco Tools (makes pretty good eye shadow brushes, I wouldn't buy any bigger though)
Real Techniques
Sephora Pro Airbrush Line
Anastasia
IT Cosmetics
Tarte
Makeup Forever
Smashbox (but they don't come out w a lot)
Marc Jacobs
Least favorite brush experiences (From cheapest on up) :
M.A.C
Clinique (Super soft but they do shed)
Chanel (Foundation brush an exception)
Chantecaille
Dior
When I categorize them as my favorite and least favorite, the brushes I am mostly talking about are face brushes. Eye shadow brushes are usually pretty easy to use even if they aren't well made.
**I'm not saying they are all bad from the list, there a a few brushes from these bands I actually like but for the most part they shed and are not too soft. The brush finishes matters because the pressure on how you apply makeup depends the outcome of your look, so the key is to look for super soft brushes (that don't shed)!!
This is where you should invest your money. Really good makeup will not look good if you don't apply it correctly. You can get away with using really cheap makeup and having it look really expensive if you have the right tools. Because L'Oreal owns most high end makeup lines, you should invest in good brushes and you can buy drugstore for the rest if that's a sich (most are dupes anyway).
Ok, so I put together my all time favorite brushes for every product type
BRUSHES I RECOMMEND (My Ride-or-Die's) :
Beauty Blender: I mean do you need an explanation?? But I do get it if you don't want it, sometimes I get sick of it and switch it up. So if you aren't a fan of the Beauty blender or you're just tired of it, you can get a flawless application with the brushes listed below.
A BIG THING TO REMEMBER:
When applying makeup you use brushes to smooth out the product, however, once you are finished with your makeup touch ups should only be stippled not brushed because you don't want to be moving around set product. Makeup artist Patrick Ta taught me that. So some if the brushes listed (It Cosmetics Jumbo Powder Brush and the Sephora #74 brush) can be used for application and used for touch ups.
Taste Airbuki Bamboo Powder Foundation Brush $28
If you wear foundation you should own this. It lies the product down as a base.
Taste Airbrush Finish Bamboo Foundation Brush $34
Not just for foundation, I use it to diffuse foundation after application or to easily blend it into neck hairline or neck. I use it with a spritz of M.A.C. Fix Plus to mix bronzer and highlighter together too!
Artis Oval Brush #6 OR Real technique face brush: (both work the same) : $55
One stop shop if you contour with cream or like cream blush, you can use it for foundation, blush, contour, etc. But with that said if you prefer powders, don't buy.
MAKE UP FOR EVER 144 OR any small flat creme eyeshadow brush $37
Obviously used for concealer but also used for liquid highlighter and has the precision to clean up winged liner. Double it up as a cream eyeshadow brush.
Sephora Pro flawless airbrush #56 $32

You know how if you bake your undereyes using a beauty blender with an HD powder like the micro powder by makeup forever when you take a picture with flash it shows up super bright?? Well I'll use this because it doesn't saturate the product, it spreads it out. Best used to set under eyes if you use a contour palette, but I also use it for loose translucent powder too.
Sephora Pro Flawless Powder brush #40 $36
This is your everything brush. Can be used for initial powder application or for a fat bronzing brush. I use it with a red bronzer like warmth by Bare Minerals to add flush and color after contour.
IT Cosmetics Heavenly Luxe Jumbo Powder Brush #3 $58
When touching up makeup you should always pat rather than stroke brushes this brush is perfect for that.
Sephora pro small brush and contour brush #74 $30
Perfect size to create contour and perfect size for bronzing your forehead jawline because it is smaller. it also has a rounded edge so you can dab product on cheekbones for touchups.
Hourglass OR BH Cosmetics Crease Brush $36
Good eyeshadow brushes are pretty easy to find. A lot work the same, but a crease brush you need to make sure to get a good one. Crease brushes are key to good eyeshadow application, they are the base of drama or to apply the transition shade. Also important to diffuse or build color.

Hope this helps, if you have any q's comment below! Above is part of my collection ♡
X.x