6 Must Have Makeup Brushes

During my days in middle and early high school I didn't know about makeup brushes. My makeup during those days was very minimal and controlled by my mother. No bright colors or ANY black on my eyes and yes that means no eyeliner or mascara. Once I turned eighteen and was earning my own little money I bought my first makeup brush at MAC along with my first MAC eyeshadow. Little by little I started learning more about makeup techniques and the tools used by the makeup artists. Along the way I have acquired many different brushes but there are a few that are a definite must have for me. Here are the ones I use everyday and are essential to my makeup routine. Let me bring you in closer to get a better look, and then we will go over them individually.

These are the brushes I use on the daily. The title is 6 Must Have Makeup Brushes but I had to add my Beauty Blender. I'm getting away with it because technically its not a brush, OK.  Lets get started.

 The first brush I ever bought was my MAC 224 Tapered Blending brush. I love this brush because its dome shape allows precise application of eyeshadow to the crease while blending beautifully. Its long bristles are so flexible and pleasingly soft to work with. After purchasing this brush I was hooked. However its price was a hit to the pocket at the time but was one of the best investments I'd made. These run at $32 these days. I don't believe it was that price at the time but I know for sure it was over $25. If your going to buy a brush make this your number one. 

Another brush I love using is MAC's 242 Shader Brush. This brush is flat with a rounded finish and is perfect for applying creme products and pigments to the face and eyes. Personally I use it to apply creme bases so my eye shadows can pop. This is also a great brush to use when spot treating with concealer. I like using this brush to apply pigments as well because the bristles pick up the pigment without the pigment getting lost inside the brush. Pigments sit nicely on the side of the brush making it easy to apply to the lid in a patting motion. This brush currently runs at $32.

I always love to put some color on the lower lash line and the Sigma E30 Pencil brush is the perfect tool to get the job done. This brush really helps to smoke out pencil liner and add shadow to the hard to reach places because of its pencil like shape. Its soft bristles are perfect for smudging because not only does it make your makeup look great but it doesn't irritate the eye. You need to make sure and use brushes that are soft because your working on a very sensitive skin area of your face (You don't want to cause premature wrinkles around the eyes). This brush is also perfect to highlight the inner corners of the eyes because of its shape. This particular brush came as part of a twelve brush set I purchased from Sigma called Mr. Bunny and runs at a price of $178. This brush on its own is $14 which I think is a great price compared to the MAC ones I mentioned. [A pencil brush at MAC would run you $25]

Your eyebrows can make or tank your look. They ARE what frame your face, so don't be lazy and neglect them. Take the time to care for them. For that I use Anastasia's Dual Sided Angled brush which also comes with a spooley on the other side to help brush and distribute color through out the brow. The shape of the brush is so thin that it can make such sharp lines that look like actual brow hairs. I got this brush for my birthday last year and have been obsessed with it since. Not only can you use an angled brush for your brows but you can also use it for your eyeliner. I feel like this is a great brush to create an easy winged liner look. All you do is use the length of the brush and touch it down with a gel liner at the angle you want your wing and then work it in (let me know if you would like a tutorial post on that). A brush like this one off the Anastasia website will run you $18. Its a become a must have for me.

A blush brush is a no brainer and a definite must have. Now finding the right one for you is completely individual choice. Personally I suggest picking up Real Technique's Blush Brush. Just look at it, it's PINK! Color aside this brush is truly magnificent, it's extremely soft and the way the brush hairs are cut make it so perfect to to pick up product and distribute just the right amount to the face while blending beautifully. I love the way it blends blushes on the apples of my cheeks and how I can also use the very tip of the brush to pick up a highlighter and apply it to the highest points on the cheeks without getting it all over the place. Spend the $9 on this brush it is worth it! I actually picked mine up at Kohl's Stores and used my 30% off coupon. I LOVE that they carry beauty items I can use my discount on.

Contouring of the face has become such a big thing these days. I don't recall hearing the word contour when I started out with makeup... then again I was pretty sheltered and restricted, haha. Now that I've had more experience and learned more I have to say I love this technique. You can sign me up for anything that will make me look slimmer without giving up my Cheese Burger Happy meal with a Coke no ice from Mc Donald's. So if contouring will do the trick then there must be a brush for it, and that is my Sigma Large Angled Contour F40 Brush. This brush is really a multi purpose use brush for me. I use this mainly to carve out my cheekbones by pinching the bristles the long way making them more dense.You can also use this to apply bronzer all over the face to warm it up because the brush is so fluffy it allows for even application. This brush was also part of my Mr. Bunny brush set but you can pick it up on its own for $28.

This is not a brush but it defiantly deserves to be mentioned because it is the only way I like to apply my foundation now, and a must have in your collection. That is the one and only Original Beauty Blender. This makeup sponge is made of a unique material that allows you to apply your foundation flawlessly and without wasting product. You can use this to apply your primer, concealer, foundation, and even powder. How this genius sponge works is by submerging it in water and then squeezing out the excess following with dotting the makeup product on your face and then bouncing this little damp sponge all over to blend your products. IT IS WONDERFUL! I use it for my foundation and concealer and have not looked back to foundation brushes. I have them but ultimately go back to this baby. The beauty blender is so amazing that it won the allure beauty expert Editors Choice Award. Now how can you pass up on this? Well the price is really the only reason I can think of... at $19.95 on Sephora's website it can defiantly make anyone think twice. However at CherryCulture.com I found two for the price of $29.00 so naturally I ordered there.

These are the 6 Must Have Makeup Brushes I recommend in your collection plus the Beauty Blender. If your going to go out and buy some of these I suggest you put the Beauty Blender and MAC's 224 Blending Brush on top of your list. These are the ones that have changed the way I do my makeup drastically and have made me more confident with my skills. I hope this post was informative and that it serves as a guide to what brushes you should start out with and have in your collection. Let me know what brushes you currently use and love, maybe I can try out your suggestions as well. Until the next post, make sure to check back in.

-Alejandra


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