My Favorite Makeup Brushes/Tools

Makeup brushes & tools are a crucial part of every girl (or guys!) makeup collection. Sometimes the right tool can make all the difference. Sometimes it doesn't matter how much you paid for the makeup, if you're using the right (or wrong) tool it can make or break the look you're trying to achieve. My favorite makeup brushes range in price from $3 all the way up to $53 so believe me when I say that a quality brush does not have to cost you an arm and a leg!

Sigma F82 Round Kabuki - $21 from Sigma Beauty

A lot of people love the F80 Flat Kabuki from Sigma but I really prefer the round version. I feel like my makeup blends better and I find it easier to work with. The bristles are synthetic and very dense which I find helps the brush not absorb so much makeup. Because the brush is so dense, I find that my normal cleaning method (I use Mac Brush Cleaner 95% of the time) doesn't get this brush completely clean. I like to use Philosophy Shampoo & Shower Gels to clean this and I don't find that it sheds at all, which is always a plus!

BeautyBlender - $19.95 from Sephora
Who doesn't love the BeautyBlender? This little gem is better then just any regular triangle makeup sponge. When dry it's pretty small but once you get it wet it nearly doubles in size! It's great for creating a airbrushed look. The pointed end is awesome for getting into the smaller areas of the face, like under the eye and around the nose.

Mac 138 Tapered Face Brush - $53 from Mac Cosmetics

Probably the most expensive brush in my collection but I love it. It's super soft and just the right shape. I use it for contouring, but I've seen people use it for setting under eye concealer and blush as well!

e.l.f Studio Small Stipple Brush - $3 from eyeslipsface

Oh the small stipple brush! This is one of the things that Emily from BeautyBroadcast made me buy. She raves about it here on her youtube channel. The bristles on this brush are the perfect length and they have a little give. They are not so long that you can't control them. This is my go to brush for cream blush or highlighter. It works great if you're stippling or even using circular motions to blend the product into your skin.

Real Techniques Setting Brush - $8 from Real Techniques

Can you tell how much I love this brush? I have three! This brush is GREAT for blending or applying setting powder to smaller areas. As you can see below I have mine labeled so I don't mix them up.

I use the "P" powder brush to applying setting powder under the eye and also to apply highlighter.

The "B" bronzer brush I use to blend cream bronzer.

And I use the "C" concealer brush to blend concealer under the eye. See why they're labeled? Can you imagine if I went to use a dirty B brush under my eyes and wound up with a gross muddy bronzer concealer mess? Ick.

Mac 270 Blending Brush - $24 from Mac Cosmetics

When I first bought this brush it was the first "high-end" makeup brush I owned and I swore it was the best investment into my makeup collection I had ever made! Up until that point, I had only been using pretty cheap sub-par brushes so this was wonderful. It's still one of my favorites today. It's great for applying and blending colors into the crease. I have a mini Sigma version of this brush and I try to keep them seperate, one for light colors and one for dark. 

Sigma E36 Blending - $12 from Sigma Beauty

This little brush seems like nothing but it can make a HUGE difference in your eye look. It's great for creating the really flawless stubble blend from crease color to highlight. Emily shows it best in action here in this eye tutorial.

Real Techniques Fine Liner Brush - $6 from Real Techniques

This is my go-to gel liner brush. It creates the perfect thin line and is also great for creating a winged eyeliner look. I tried the silicone version of this brush and found that it just doesn't compare. With that brush I have to keep going back to the product at least twice per eye to get the line completely across while the fine liner brush can do it in just one sweep. I think the silicone brush deposits all of the product at once and that's the problem. On the other hand, I do like to use the silicone brush to create that perfect sharp end to a winged look.

Real Techniques Lash/Brow Groomer - $6 from Real Techniques

Finally the lash/brow groomer, and it really is great for both. The comb part is great for really getting in there and separating lashes better than any other brush I've used. For example look at these two types of lash combs.

See how the one of the left as those thick sides to it? Those always make my lashes clump together at the sides which is not flattering. The Real Techniques brush doesn't have that so it can really get in there and separate every single lash. The comb and brush together make grooming eyebrows super quick and easy as well!

Thanks for reading!

<3 Ashleigh