Using the correct tools for any job has a huge impact on the results and it's no different when it comes to make-up. Achieving a flawless look is so much easier with a few choice brushes to ensure a seamless finish - and the right brush, used properly, should do half of the work for you. Great brushes can totally transform how a product performs on your skin and ensure that your make-up goes on like a dream.
I'm lucky enough to get my make-up done by professional artists quite regularly - and have picked up lots of tips and tricks along the way. These are the essential brushes that I recommend for help you look effortlessly immaculate. Well, almost effortlessly...
Bobbi Brown full coverage brush £33
Foundation - a dense brush with curved edges helps avoid product waste and fits beautifully into the contours of your face. Bobbi Brown Full Coverage Face is fantastic, though Real Techniques and Zoeva both do great buffing brushes. NB these are suited to liquid and some cream foundations; a kabuki brush is more effective with powder foundation.
Kevyn Aucoin Duet concealer brush £26
Concealer - I love a dual ended concealer brush as the smaller, smooth end enables precise placement in the corners of eyes and around the nose while the fluffy end is perfect for blending concealer in seamlessly. If I could only choose one I'd opt for fluffy and use a finger for placement.
Eco Tools Full Powder Brush £8.99.
Powder - a powder brush with long fluffy bristles will distribute a light, even layer of product even across your face without dispensing too much product. If you only like to powder the T zone (nose, chin and forehead), a smaller brush will give more precise coverage.
Charlotte Tilbury Bronzer+Blusher-Brush £30
Bronzer / Blush - Bronzer is best applied with a large, loose bristled brush to create a smooth, even finish. Use the tip of this Charlotte Tilbury combined brush to add a small amount of blush on the apples of cheeks once bronzer is fully blended. Overdone it? Soften edges with the remnants of product on your foundation brush and/or dust over with a light layer of powder.
Zoeva Luxe Smoky Shader Brush £9.50
Flat eye shadow - best for packing on powder eye shadow or pigment, with minimal fallout or waste. Use a separate brush for blending.
MAC 217 £21 - fluffy eye shadow brush
Fluffy eye shadow - use the very tips of bristles in a loosely packed brush like MAC 217 to blend out shadow for the most seamless smoky eye.
Zoeva Pencil Brush £9.50.
Detail - a pencil brush, with short tapered bristles like the point of a pencil, is superb for smudging eye liner or shadow along the lash line for a soft, flattering finish.
While these are what I'd term essentials, of course you can go on ad infinitum if you wish... there is a brush available for literally every single element of make-up application. If I was to add a few extras to make this into a neat Top Ten, they would be an eyebrow brush, lip brush and a super fluffy blending brush for both finishing off the eyes and applying highlighter to cheekbones.
Another great option is of course ready made brush sets, available for every budget from ELF to Hakuhodo. Excellent affordable options - both individual and in sets - include Real Techniques and Zoeva, often seen in the hands of leading MUAs like Lisa Eldridge. Speaking of which, a good rule of thumb is to stick to brushes by make-up artist brands, like Charlotte Tilbury, Bobbi Brown, Kevyn Aucoin or our very own Paddy McGurgan.
The bonus of not having too many make-up brushes is that they take less time to clean... you do clean your brushes, right? I think that's a whole other blog post in itself!