Starter Makeup Brush Guide

Since moving house, I have been into sorting things out and finding the most efficient and basic ways  to do and store things. So getting back to basics - what is really needed. This extended into my makeup and filtering what is the minimal amount of brushes needed for a usual face of makeup also the ones I have recommended. I am in no way a professional, I just wanted to share. 

I suggest to always see the brush in person otherwise you will become disappointed. Feel it, play with it on your face. Test to see how it would work for what your after. Remember the denser a brush is the more it's going to pick up. The fine the tip the more precise application of colour. I think the quality and seamless of your makeup is a lot to do with the quality of your brushes. Cheap, average brushes won't provide you with the same application as mid range priced brushes. Basically you get what you pay for. A Chanel brush is the top end of the spectrum and may often then not be over priced and very similar to mid range priced brushes.

I also want to mention that what specific brushes work for me may not for you. There are different lengths of the hairs, angles and fluffiness per brand so do take the time to find the size that will suit your face and not engulf your whole cheek. This is why I suggest to physically see the brush and play around with it.

Eye

I think there is two essential eye brushes: lid and crease.

The lid brush will not only pack on colour over the lid, on the thin side it can act as a inner corner and under the brow brush. Ideally it should be very dense, short hairs, slightly curved and not too wide. My pick is MAC's 239 Eye Shader Brush.

The crease brush adds colour to the crease and blends it out. Turned flat it can also act as a softer blend in the crease. Ideally it should be dense, shortish hairs, soft tapered tip and fluffy but not too flared out. My pick is MAC's 217 Blending Brush.

Extras: Angled eye brush like MAC's 275 Medium Angled Shading Brush specifically for highlighting the inner corner and under the brow. Also a much fluffier and less dense buffing brush like MAC's 224 Tapered Blending Brush to further blend out crease colour and make this transition in colour smoother.

Cheek

The one essential cheek brush is a blush brush.

If you have a smaller face or cheeks then a more tapered tip brush is suited as it gives a more precise application. The other option is the more domed paddle brush. My favourite is the tapered tip. Ideally it should be slightly dense, long hairs, wide enough to cover just the apples of the cheeks, medium in it's size with a dome shaped tip. My pick is MAC's 129 Powder/Blush Brush.

Extras: Contour Brush for specific application right on the cheekbones like MAC's 168 Large Contour Angled Brush.

Face

The essential face brush is a powder brush.

It will deposit the powder on all areas of your face. Generally these are more flexible and don't pick up as much product as compared to a blush brush, meaning powder won't ever look cakey (unless you apply to much) but give a light natural sweep. Ideally it should be dense at the bottom and fluffy and flared at the tip, long hairs, large, slightly curved and very wide.

My pick is MAC's 134 Large Powder Brush. If you have a smaller face then a large fluffy brush isn't going to work for you so you'd benefit more from a brush that is medium in size. Like the paddle blush brush I mentioned previously. 

Extras: A concealer brush never goes astray like MAC's 195 Concealer Brush.

That's it! 4 starter makeup brushes! Like I said this is a suggested guide and everyone's uniqueness will have a different type of brush working for them. For example someone with larger eye lids will find a typical short eye shader brush too fiddly and a large shader brush much more beneficial for them. 

You'll notice I didn't include the typical foundation brush in the face section. That's because I don't like them and I feel that fingers work much better for foundation application and blending for beginners. Maybe I'll do a extended makeup brush guide sometime in the future?