10 Best Makeup Brushes Every Beauty Enthusiast Needs in Their Collection

Starting off our list of essential makeup brushes at numbers 10 is the powder brush. Whether you're setting your foundation, mattifying your T-zone, or adding a touch of luminosity to your complexion, the ideal powder brush is your trusted companion. 

The perfect powder brush? Imagine a brush with soft and fluffy bristles, specifically designed to effortlessly sweep and distribute loose or pressed powder across your face for a seamless and airbrushed finish.

The shape of the powder brush plays a crucial role in its performance. An ideal powder brush typically features a large and rounded head, which allows for a broader coverage and even application of powder products. This shape ensures that the powder is dispersed evenly onto your skin, minimizing any patchiness or excess product. It also enables you to effortlessly blend and buff the powder for a natural and flawless result.

Now, let's discuss materials. The best powder brushes are often made with high-quality natural fibres such as goat hair.

Natural fibres excel in picking up and distributing powder products. 

The ideal powder brush offers the perfect combination of shape and material to provide a seamless and polished finish. Its large, rounded head allows for gliding effortlessly across the skin delivering an even application without causing any discomfort or irritation, ensuring that your makeup looks flawless and lasts longer.

Speaking of essential brushes, the smudger brush is one of the core elements in creating that sultry and smokey eye look.

The ideal smudging brush has short and dense bristles, designed to precisely blend and smudge eyeshadow or eyeliner along the lash line. It should feature a small, tapered shape, allowing for precise control and effortless smudging.

The shape of the smudger brush is crucial for achieving that coveted smoky effect. Its small and tapered design enables you to concentrate the color along the lash line and seamlessly blend it outwards. The precise tip of the brush allows for detailed application, making it easy to create depth and definition in the outer corners of the eyes.

The bristles of an ideal smudger brush should be firm and densely packed, enabling you to blend and smudge the product with precision. The compact shape and density of the bristles allow for effortless control, whether you're creating a soft and diffused smoky eye or a more intense and dramatic look.

With the perfect smudger brush in your collection, you can easily achieve that alluring and smoky eye effect.

Coming in at number 8 on the list of makeup brushes you need is the lip brush. Achieving a flawless lip look is especially important when it comes to using bold colours requires precision, and that's where the lip brush comes in. A small and tapered brush that follows the contours of your lips will allow for precise application of lip colour, ensuring clean and defined lines. 

Our makeup artists recommend having 2 different lip brush sizes in your kit if you’re a professional artist to cater towards different lip sizes. The larger one can be used to fill out the lips evenly with a few quick strokes whilst the smaller shape allows for precision around the borders. Whether you're rocking a bold red or a subtle nude, this brush will help you achieve a flawless pout every time.

Adding that rosy glow has become somewhat of an essential part of our beauty routine nowadays. Many of our artists admit that they often can go without other products but adding some color to the cheeks is non-negotiable.

Our results show that the perfect blush brush is one with a slightly rounded shape, featuring soft and densely packed bristles. The ideal blush brush is designed to pick up the right amount of product and distribute it evenly onto your cheeks for a seamless and radiant finish.

The shape of the brush plays a vital role in its performance. A slightly rounded or dome-shaped brush allows for effortless application and blending of blush. This shape follows the natural contours of your cheeks, making it easy to deposit the color exactly where you want it. It also enables you to build up the intensity gradually, achieving a customized and natural-looking flush.

Achieving the perfect winged eyeliner can be a daunting task, but with the right brush, it becomes a breeze. From getting a sharp liner to a smokey definition, this is your best friend when it comes to control and precision around the eyes. The eyeliner brush features a fine and supple tip that allows for precise application. The perfect liner brush needs to be thin to allow you to have good control. 

The bristles need to be flexible but also have a bit more tension so it doesn’t splay out when you use more pressure. We advise choosing synthetic hairs over natural hair liner brushes as this will work with liquids, gel and cream products more easily. Whether you prefer a subtle flick or a bold cat-eye, this brush is your secret weapon for creating sharp and defined lines.

Another one you need in your beauty tool kit! Often overlooked, we can't make this list of essential brushes you need without this tool.

Over 90% of makeup artists we asked have this underrated brush in their kit. No makeup routine is complete without the perfect contour. Whether you are looking to add some subtle dimension to the look or seriously sculpt, the contour brush is here to help you achieve just that. With its angled shape and precise bristles, this brush allows you to sculpt and define your features effortlessly. Enhance your cheekbones, slim your nose, and create that enviable chiselled look with ease. 

There are not many dedicated contour brushes around. The best shape is one that fits precisely under your cheekbones feathers around it. We found that the rounded shape works best and the cross section needs to be slim enough to not bleed into your bronzer and blush.

No doubt a popular brush, the foundation brush definitely holds a spot in the essential makeup brushes you need list. This brush is the unsung hero of any makeup routine. With such a popular brush, many different variations exist on the market. However after extensive testing and talking to our makeup artists, one type outperforms all, creating the most airbrushed and flawless finish.

Although sponges have their role and are widely used, majority of professional makeup artists will have a foundation brush. It's role in delivering a flawless base cannot be ignored.

Picture a brush with densely packed bristles and a slightly rounded shape, allowing for seamless application of liquid or cream foundations. Its size is just right, fitting perfectly in the palm of your hand for ultimate control and precision. The density and softness of the hairs need to be just right so as not to eat up your expensive foundation. With the foundation brush in your arsenal, you'll be able to create a flawless base that serves as the perfect canvas for the rest of your makeup look.

Almost topping our list of essential makeup brushes is the bronzer brush. This is no doubt a popular tool amongst all beauty enthusiasts. It’s an essential makeup brush that you need for achieving that sun-kissed glow. Picture a brush with a full, fluffy head that's slightly tapered for precision application. The ideal bronzer brush is designed to effortlessly sweep across your face, delivering just the right amount of warmth and radiance. The size and shape of the brush play a crucial role in its performance. A larger brush allows for a more diffused application, giving you a natural-looking sun-kissed effect. On the other hand, a smaller brush can provide more targeted application, allowing you to contour and define specific areas with precision.

Now, let's talk materials. The best bronzer brushes are typically made from natural fibres. Natural fibres are excellent for picking up and distributing powder products. The bristles of a bronzer brush should be soft yet densely packed, allowing for smooth and even application without any streaks or patchiness. This ensures that your bronzer blends seamlessly into your skin, giving you that coveted healthy glow.

Amongst the artists we interviewed, the bronzer brush is like a magic wand, effortlessly enhancing your features and adding warmth to your complexion. It's a versatile tool that can be used to contour, sculpt, or simply add a touch of luminosity to your skin. So, whether you're aiming for a subtle sun-kissed look or a more defined contour, the bronzer brush is your trusted companion. With its perfect shape and high-quality materials, it ensures a flawless application every time, leaving you with a natural, radiant glow that will turn heads wherever you go.