Let me start by saying you do not need all of these makeup brushes. I’m a collector of brushes if you will. A tester. A researcher…. Ok, I’m a lunatic who went through a phase of detesting cleaning brushes and would just get more “to test” as a dirty big excuse. But you know what, I’ve had the last laugh because not only did I get to give a load to my friend Catherine (who has been known to use the same physical brushes to paint her face and her furniture with), but I like to think I know what I’m talking about when it comes to makeup brushes.
I went through my stash and picked out all of the face brushes I reach for regularly. I didn’t pay attention to the brands or anything, I just selected my most commonly used ones and for those where there were duplicates, I did a spot of eenie meenie. I’d like to introduce you to 10 of my favourite face brushes and while you’ll see I have them divided into sections, you can absolutely use any of these brushes in any way you’d like. You don’t have to use what’s described as a blush brush for that and nothing else. Play, experiment, lash all of the makeup on!
The Fuschia Jumbo Buffer is one of my all time favourite foundation brushes. The photo doesn’t do it justice in terms of the size of the head. It’s massive and that means it makes quick work of buffing each and every liquid foundation I use into my skin quickly. Really quickly. Like you slept it out and have 3 minutes to put a face on before running out the door quickly. I use it to buff and stipple in my foundations effortlessly and this can be used with mineral makeup too.
Another foundation favourite is the Blank Canvas Cosmetics F20 and I chose the mini version to show you because it’s ideal for popping in your makeup bag when you’re on the go. Ah remember what it was like to be on the go… Good times. This is a flat topped brush and again, works flawlessly at buffing and stippling the foundation into the skin. And you can use it to apply tan to your hands and feet with this. So I’m told. I can’t tan. I don’t remember a time where I didn’t have an F20 makeup brush in my life and on rotation to be honest.
I love a good fluffy powder brush and the Real Techniques Powder Brush has been in my collection for years now. It’s what I use most days with loose setting powders, pressed powders, bronzers and some blushes. A brush like this makes sure that you’re not packing too much product on the skin if you can be a bit heavy handed. That’s me. Aunt Sally. Use it to pat your powder over your makeup on certain parts of your face, or swirl it all over your face to give your skin a light dusting. You might be able to tell from the logo, or almost lack of logo, that this is well used and loved. They have new fancier ones out now, but this is like new after years of washing!
The Fuschia Pointed Dome brush is one of those really versatile brushes that I tend to use it for powder bronzer and blush mostly. The fact that it’s tapered means that you only pick up a bit of product and then blend like a good thing. I can tend to apply a bit too much bronzer and blush, but this makes quick work of the blending process. It can be used for your powder too.
The Real Techniques Blush Brush is one of those staples that I’ve used for pretty much everything – foundation, powder, blush, bronzer, highlight. I think this might be one of the older versions, but I still reach for it all the time. The brush on the right is an old Nima duo fibre brush that I don’t think they sell any more, but a brush like this is vital for me for a few reasons. If I’m using a cream, a liquid blush or bronzer, this is a must have because it helps blend it all out without looking patchy. Again, this is a good one for tanning the hands. I have a different duo fibre brush that I have indeed used on my hands and I didn’t do too bad of a job. Kinda. It was my fault, the brush is innocent.
An angled brush is something that’s always in my collection and this one from SoSu by SJ (is part of a brush set) is one of my favourites. I like angled brushes for applying contour as opposed to a bronzer because it means I can be a bit more precise with application and sculpt those cheekbones. It’s also great for applying blush to the apples of the cheeks with a dabbing motion and can then be used to sweep what’s left on the brush up the cheeks. I used to go wild with the blush (and sometimes I still do), but I’m trying to be more refined. And that’s why I also really like the Fuschia Tapered Highlight Brush for blush because I can be a bit more careful with the placement initially. This is also great for highlight and applying pressed powder in smaller parts of my giant face.
Finally, we have the Blank Canvas Cosmetics Small Tapered Contour F40 on the left, and the Blank Canvas Cosmetics F86 Short Buffer Brush which look similar, but I use them differently. I love using the F40 to apply highlight along my cheekbones and to apply loose and pressed powder to smaller areas of my face. As for the F86, it is brilliant for applying cream contour and for buffing it out too. And if you have cream or liquid blushes or highlights, this is great for that. And so ends this mammoth post on my favourite face brushes! If you watch any of my videos on Instagram, you’ll most likely recognise them because I use them all the time. What are your favourite face brushes? Let me know!
Read how to spot clean and deep clean your makeup brushes here!
