I hope you are all doing well and that you are enjoying the festivities, this holiday season. I am currently getting over a pretty stubborn cold which has been annoying the heck out of me for 8 days now. However, I am looking forward to Christmas dinners and festivities with family and friends.
Today, I thought I would share my top picks for make-up brushes. Shopping for brushes can be overwhelming and expensive so I went through my collection and picked 5 face brushes and 5 eye brushes I feel are my most used and loved.
Over the years, I have accumulated over 40 make-up brushes(that includes some travel brushes) and I have disposed of only 4. That is because I try to invest in good quality brushes as much as I can. I buy 1 or 2 good quality brushes a year and I make sure I take very good care of them so I can have and enjoy them for many years to come.
I think that the average make-up wearer doesn't need more than 8 brushes if they choose wisely. For beginners, there are also great sets out there, to get you started and to help you get a feel for what works for you. Some brands that do good quality sets that do not cost an absolute fortune are Sigma ,
Zoeva and Morphe (available in Europe through several e-shops such as Beauty Bay). Other affordable brands that I quite like are EcoTools and Real Techniques.
Now, let me show you my top 10 brushes and tell you a little bit about how I use each of them.
FACE
1. MAC 187 (46 €)
- Here, I have my SE 187 brush from the RiRi Hearts MAC collection but I do own the original as well and I use both of them
- I use this primarily for powder blush and occasionally for a light dusting of powder
2.Bobbi Brown Full Coverage Face Brush (£31)
- This has completely changed my routine since it is the only brush I use for foundation and the application is flawless and super-easy.
3. Sephora Multitasker Brush #44 (18.10 €)
- An amazing and affordable brush. I use it mostly for powder especially when I want my make-up to last all day.
4. NARS Yachiyo Kabuki Brush (55€)
- I use this brush mostly for blush but I also use it to apply bronzer when I want to fake a contour without actually taking the time to contour. The tapered shape helps that process immensly.
5. Real Techniques Setting brush (8.95€)
- A great brush to apply highlighter with.
EYES
6. Sigma Large Fluff Brush- E50 (17$)
- I use this brush to apply a flesh-toned colour all over my lids. When it comes to my day-to-day eye look I want something quick and easy since I don't pay that much attention to detail.
7. MAC 219 (27 €)
- This brush is ideal for applying shadow under the lower lashes. I also love to use it for smudging liner.
8. MAC 239 (27 €)
- When I am looking to apply a powder eyeshadow precisely and somewhat heavily I choose this brush. It picks up the colour very well and the shape is ideal for my eyes. I sometimes turn in horizontally and use the tip to apply shadow on the lower lash line.
9. Sephora Crease brush -No 18
- (This Sephora brush has possibly been discontinued and/or replaced. The best alternative is the MAC 217)
- One of the best crease and blending brushes I have ever used. It is soft and tapered which makes it ideal for crease-work.
- I own 5 different blending brushes and I can safely say that I use this and the MAC 217 the most.
10. Urban Decay Shadow brush
- I use this brush for cream eye-shadows or for pigments when used with water or a mixing medium. It is brilliant for that use because it is synthetic and works well with cream and wet formulas. (This came with my UD Naked Palette, back in the day, and the closest I found was their Flat Eyeshadow Brush which can be purchased separately)
So, there you have it!!!!My top ten make-up brushes.
I am planning on doing ,at least, one more post before the New Year so if you have any requests or suggestions please do not hesitate to let me know.
I hope you enjoyed this post and ,as always, I look forward to hearing from you in the comments.
Athina
