How to Choose Makeup Brushes

Co-authored by Daniel Vann

Last Updated: September 6, 2021

Applying makeup can make you feel great. It's even better when you are confident that the tools you are using are going to give you the best results. Find some high-quality makeup brushes and understand how best to use each one to leave your face looking like it was made up by a professional.

Part 1

Part 1 of 2:

Covering the Basic Needs of all Your Makeup Brushes

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Opt for brushes with natural fibers instead of synthetic fibers. Organic or natural fibers are both softer and more effective. They are actual hair. They have cuticles which are better at attaching to and holding the pigment on the brush until you apply it to your face. Find cruelty free items if that's important to you.^{[1]
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- The softest and most expensive bristles are made from blue squirrel hair.
- More affordable and perfectly acceptable options include: goat, pony and sable.
- Synthetic brushes are good for applying liquid makeup like base and concealer, because they are easier to clean.
- You can find a favorite brand and purchase all of your brushes from the same maker, or mix and match to create a whole set which meets your needs and your budget.
Dome shaped bristles roll more evenly over your face. Flat brushes create more drag when applying makeup. The curved shape makes it easier to control the application of the makeup.^{[2]
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Invest in high-quality makeup brushes. Natural fiber makeup brushes can get expensive. The retail price, though, reflects the quality of the product. You can spend that extra money for a brush which could last a lifetime, as long as you take good care of it.^{[3]
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- Clean your natural hair makeup brushes once a month by swishing them in a cup of warm water with a little shampoo. Rinse the brushes and lie them flat on a towel on the counter until they dry.
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Start your collection with the essential brushes for everyday makeup application. There are a lot of brushes made for specific purposes when it comes to makeup brushes. If you are on a budget and just want to cover the basics, you can start with a foundation brush, concealer brush, blush brush, eye shadow brush, and slanted eye shadow brush.^{[4]
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- Applying foundation with a brush is recommended for keeping the oil from your hands from clogging your pores, which can cause skin irritation and break outs.
- Blending concealer with your fingers can actually wipe the concealer away. Using a concealer brush will allow better coverage.
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Part 2

Part 2 of 2:

Choosing the Right Brush for the Job

The foundation brush should have a lot of bristles packed into the tip, making it sturdier and stiffer for wet makeup application. This is a brush you can choose to purchase with synthetic fibers, as it will be easier to clean liquid makeup from the brush.
This brush can also be synthetic fiber for applying liquid concealer under your eyes or dabbing concealer in small spots to cover blemishes. This brush should also have tightly packed bristles, as well as a pointed tip to allow you to target small blemishes.
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Apply both liquid and powdered makeup with a duo fiber brush. A duo fiber brush is useful for multiple purposes. These combine goat and synthetic fibers in a brush with a flat, circular tip to buff or blend.
- This can be used with liquid blush to blend color into your cheeks.
- The duo fiber brush can also work a shimmer powder onto your brows or cheeks.
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Pick up a full, soft, rounded brush for applying powder. This brush should be able to work with bronzer and compact powder. The bristles are less packed and able to gather a good deal of powder and hold not out until you apply it to your skin. Look for a large, soft, rounded tip.
- A mineral powder brush is a variation on the powder brush. It is similar, but has more tightly packed bristles to buff the mineral powder into your skin.
- Another variation is the fan powder brush. It is useful to create a light dusting. The tip of this brush splays out into a flat fan for applying very light coverage. It can also be used to dust off any excess powder from your face.
The tip should be rounded to allow easy movement across your skin with no drag. The blush brush should have very fine and soft bristles to apply powdered blush to your cheeks.
This brush has a rounded tip and also a slight slant to match the angles in your cheekbones. You can use this to add shadow under your cheek bones for a more dramatic look, as well as applying highlights above your cheekbones to help them stand out.
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Use a trio of brushes for your eye shadow. Often, a lot of time is spent on the eyes when applying makeup, so there are also several brushes with different uses to help you complete the job. Your main eye shadow brush should have a tip a little smaller than the size of your eyelid. You want lots of soft bristles and a rounded tip. It should move smoothly over your eyelid, applying color without dragging your lid.
- Shade your eye socket with an angled eye shadow brush. This brush is slightly smaller than your eye shadow brush and has an angled, pointed tip to help you reach into the depth of your sockets to shade your eyelids.
- The blending eye shadow brush has slightly looser bristles and a rounded tip useful for blending eye shadow colors or brushing a highlight onto your brow.
The fine tipped eyeliner brush can help you apply liquid eyeliner in a very precise, fine line and can even apply tiny dots between lashes. If you would like a little more coverage, or a smoky-eyed look, opt for a flat liner brush, which has a flat angled tip.
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Contour your brows with eye brow brushes. The spiral eyebrow brush has a tip which resembles a mascara applicator. This is used to comb your eyebrows into place when some of them have gone or grown in different directions. You can also use this brush to pull the eyebrow hairs straight up, then trim the ends to control the shape of your eyebrows.
- Follow up with a slanted eyebrow brush for filling in your brows with powder or cream. This brush should be more rigid and have an angled tip to be able to draw fine lines.
This brush has a fine tip for precision in adding lip color. The bristles on this brush are very shot and firm.

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Question

How many makeup brushes do I need?

Daniel Vann
Licensed Aesthetician
Daniel Vann is the Creative Director for Daredevil Cosmetics, a makeup studio in the Seattle Area. He has been working in the cosmetics industry for over 15 years and is currently a licensed aesthetician and makeup educator.

Daniel Vann

Licensed Aesthetician

Expert Answer

You really need 2-3 face brushes and 2-3 eye brushes. Choose brushes that vary in texture. It's also a good idea to have a mix of natural and synthetic brushes.

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What kind of brushes do you need for eyeshadows?

Daniel Vann
Licensed Aesthetician
Daniel Vann is the Creative Director for Daredevil Cosmetics, a makeup studio in the Seattle Area. He has been working in the cosmetics industry for over 15 years and is currently a licensed aesthetician and makeup educator.

Daniel Vann

Licensed Aesthetician

Expert Answer

For your eyes, you need to have a flat brush for placing the eyeshadow, and a fluffy brush that you use for blending. If you're careful, you can use both sides of the first flat brush to apply color, then use the fluffy one in the center parts of your crease. After that, you might use smaller detail brushes, like a smudge brush for detail work under your eyes.

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Please can you give me some ideas about how to use them?

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There are different types of makeup brushes and different ways to use them, depending on what effect you're after. The best way to learn how to use the ones you have is to YouTube some tutorials on those specific brushes.

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The bigger and fluffier the makeup brush, the lighter its touch when applying makeup. Think of a blush or a powder brush and you will know immediately what this means.

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