Choose or Lose: What kind of makeup brushes do you use?

Date: November 20, 2009 - Posted in: Choose or Lose

What kind of makeup brushes do you use?

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55 Responses to “Choose or Lose: What kind of makeup brushes do you use?”

  1. Christy

    Friday, November 20, 2009

    I have mostly MAC in regular and travel size versions. Plus a few Quo and Japonesque brushes. Im going to try some Coastal Scents brushes too since Ive heard good things about it.

    • lesleykat

      Friday, November 20, 2009

      theyre not really that good. if youre expecting quality like a MAC brush youll be disappointed.

      • Christy

        Friday, November 20, 2009

        Thanks for the info. I wouldnt expect them to be as good as MAC brushes, but hopefully better than some others on the market.

        • Haylie

          Friday, November 20, 2009

          You should try Sigma brushes. They are so much cheaper than Mac brushes but the exact same quality. I’ve had them for about 6 months and I love them. I felt stupid because I already owned a few Mac brushes and paid so much money for them.

    • jellynat

      Saturday, November 21, 2009

      Some are fine, some are horrible. I wrote them to complain about an item I coundn’t use from the beginning (shedding all over my face), they said they were going to send me a new one they never did. When I emailed them once again, they played dead. So beware, you might not be that much beneficital with them.

  2. fiaspice

    Friday, November 20, 2009

    I have some sephra brushe and drug store ones.

  3. Sass

    Friday, November 20, 2009

    A lot of my eyeshadow and shader brushes are drug store (Studio Tools, Sonia Kashuk, Eco Tools and Essence of Beauty)…face, eyes and beyond are all high-end (MAC, Sephora, Bobby Brown and Laura Mercier).

    Id like to say that E.L.F. Studio face brushes are scratchy and they shred like no tomorrow…terrible face brushes, but hey, you get what you pay for. Bleh!

  4. Phyrra

    Friday, November 20, 2009

    I use MAC brushes and ecoTools brushes the most. I just bought a set of Medusas Makeup brushes (which I think are taklon) and theyre nice, as well.

  5. Jen

    Friday, November 20, 2009

    I was using some old brushes I got at CVS until I bought some from Sephora. I wasnt 100% sure they were going to make a big difference, but they definitely do! I have to say though that those new EcoTools brushes (from drugstores/target/etc) seem really nice! I only have the blush brush, but its sooooo soft and it works really well.

  6. Anitacska

    Friday, November 20, 2009

    I mainly use GOSH brushes, but I also have a couple of Mac brushes and some Bobbi Brown ones.

  7. Eb

    Friday, November 20, 2009

    I like to find ones that arent made of animal fibres.

    • Makeupholism

      Friday, November 20, 2009

      I just bought a brush set at Costco (Kirkland brand) and they are all synthetic. Bristles are super soft, and the handle is synthetic too. I kind of like my natural bristles brushes, but if you are looking for a set that is both affordable and is not made of animal fibers, there you go.

      • lesleykat

        Friday, November 20, 2009

        theyre made by Borghese, so theyre a great deal!

      • Rengirl

        Monday, November 23, 2009

        I bought the Costco makeup brushes over a year ago. The eyeshadow brushes are great but the face brushes shed too much and feel prickly. It’s an okay deal though.

  8. Kajsa

    Friday, November 20, 2009

    Cant afford anthing else but ebau stuff.

  9. Shannon

    Friday, November 20, 2009

    Synthetic brushes only- kind to animals and harbor less bacteria. I mostly use Urban Decay, EcoTools (I wish they’d expand this line, it’s amazing but selection of styles is tiny), and some brushes from Sephora’s house line, after checking the materials. I do still have one natural brush- Stila’s #4 for eyeliner, but I bought that long before I learned about the conditions animals are kept in just to make makeup brushes.

    • Rengirl

      Friday, December 18, 2009

      I started using Ecotools recently and they are fantastic. Some people complain that they don’t pack on products well but I think that’s a plus because it’s easy to layer on color without overdoing it. Plus, they are easier to clean when switching colors and they don’t have any weird, funky, animal smells.

      Oh yes – and also they are cruelty-free. :)

  10. Sans

    Friday, November 20, 2009

    Sigma Brushes are Great!

  11. DonnaN

    Friday, November 20, 2009

    All but a few are HIGH end….MAC/Trish McEvoy/Sephora Platinum/Shiseido/Bare Escentuals….I have one Sonia Kashuk blush brush.

  12. slick

    Friday, November 20, 2009

    I use all MAC brushes, with the exception of my powder brush and eyeliner brush, both of which are Ecotools (love them!) Ive found many drugstore and lower end brushes that perform just as well as my MAC brushes, but I always end up going back to my MAC brushes anyway :)

  13. Vy

    Friday, November 20, 2009

    I have MAC SIGMA brushes…I LOVE my Sigma brushes. 3

  14. Jenn

    Friday, November 20, 2009

    Low Cornell, hahaha. Im not ready for professional brushes yet!

  15. Sarah

    Friday, November 20, 2009

    Ive got the Sigma brush set, and then Ive filled in the gaps with one MAC brush, 2 from coastal scents, one Sonia Kashuk, and a handful of the target brushes (Studio Tools I think). I hardly use the target ones anymore… theyre terribly scratchy and a couple are very flimsy. They did the job until I could afford the Sigma set, though.

  16. Carrie

    Friday, November 20, 2009

    For eyes and lips, I mostly use cheap artist (paint) brushes as the bristles are exactly the same in many cases, and its like 1/4 the price. Im also a painter, so I know my bristles ;)

    But I do have a couple MAC and Ecotools brushes in the mix as well, mostly for fluffy/powder/blush brushes, which you cant really find as good artist-brush options for.

  17. dancepig

    Friday, November 20, 2009

    I use MAC, Chanel, Trish McEvoy and Laura Mercier, oh and my Smashbox Brow brush, can’t live without that one. Chanel makes the best mascara comb – it’s metal, and those are not easy to find these days.

  18. Anja

    Friday, November 20, 2009

    Mostly MAC. I have a couple Lorac and Stila blush brushes and some Shu Uemera brushes as well. The Shu brushes really are amazing.

  19. Mabeth

    Friday, November 20, 2009

    I use both high end and drugstore. Mostly MAC, Sonia Kashuk, and Essence of Beauty.

  20. Ashley

    Friday, November 20, 2009

    I prefer using more affordable brushes. I’m loving EcoTools, Sicara and I have a Prestige brush. They are all SO soft, like.. soooo soft. More so than most of the more expensive brushes I’ve felt.
    I will though purchase more “high end” or pricey brushes if it’s something that I really want, or if it’s a present. But generally, cheaper is better for me.

  21. Alysa

    Friday, November 20, 2009

    Coastal scents.

  22. CeeBee

    Friday, November 20, 2009

    I have a mix of Estee Lauder (best powder brush Ive ever used), Smashbox (love the #3!) and Benefit and Ive recently scored a free set of Natio brushes which includes the BEST foundation brush EVER and three really awesome eyeshadow brushes. The powder brush is huge but not quite so soft as Id like so I mostly use it for bronzer. The only disapoointment was the blush brush bristles being too flat and fan shaped for my liking, but since I adore the angled blush brushes I have from Smashbox and Benefit, Im not to worried.
    I havent found an angled brow brush that I really love though, the mini folding one that came with my Body Shop brow powder duo is still the one I use everyday.

  23. Kurisutm

    Friday, November 20, 2009

    Ecotools 5-piece brush set, Sonia kashuk crease brush and flat top blusher brush (favorite brush!!!), and gloMinerals kabuki (my only higher-end brush) ;]

  24. Nadine

    Friday, November 20, 2009

    My go-to lines of brushes are from mineral makeup companies: Lumiere (their own custom-made brushes), brown faux fur (*many* stockists), Forever Female (*many* stockists), and the duo fiber optic brushes sold by adorned with Grace. For drugstore brushes, ecoTools is good.

  25. Constance

    Friday, November 20, 2009

    I cant use animal hair brushes due to allergies. I use the Too Faced Pink retractable kabuki for my mineral foundation or a Beauty Blender. All my other synthetic brushes are brown faux which Ive purchased online thru kileng and lumiere cosmetics. I also have silk/fiber optic brushes which I love for blush and eyeshadows. Like Carrie I also use some paint brushes. I have found that the synthetic paint brushes are great for mineral eyeshadows. Shes right about the price and quality….most are made in the same factories.

  26. Kristin

    Friday, November 20, 2009

    I have MAC, Sigma, and a few Quo brushes. Most of the Quo brushes are overpriced and not very good IMO. I have to say the Quo Kabuki is quite nice though. Its pretty much the same as the MAC 180 (I have both) and its only $26 CAD. I would recommend Sigma over Quo for sure. Sigma is better quality cheaper.

  27. Kim

    Friday, November 20, 2009

    My foundation brush is Essence of Beauty, my eyeshadow Brushes are Urban Decay, and my blush and powder brushes are MAC.

    Other commenters, may I ask what your favorite foundation brush is? Im super loyal to MUFEs Face Body, if that makes a difference.

  28. Duchess Von Doom

    Friday, November 20, 2009

    For now all mine are Mark, Avon, or drugstore. I want some MAC brushes but at this point Id rather have MAC cosmetics then their brushes, trying to build my make up collection.
    I want to try some Coastal Scents, E.L.F. and Sonia Kashuk soon though.

  29. Jackie

    Friday, November 20, 2009

    hmm Mines is a big mix of allll drug store brands… 2 upstage, 12 ELF, 14 ecotools (and 4 more coming in tomorrow), and 4 sonia kashuk brushes. When I was younger, the first set of pricey brushes I ever got were from bare escentuals but I had no idea brushes werent meant to be that scratchy and i didnt use them lightly. Therefore, I hated makeup brushes because it left my skin irritated and my eyes lids swollen all the time. So after about a year, I gave up and stuck to my fingers and cream shadows til earlier this year when I felt my first ecotools brush. mmm It felt like a furry cloud, hehe. I immediately got over my bad experience but Im still a little scared about the pricier brushes. I may invest in MAC brushes at some point soon, but I have no idea what they feel like.

  30. lisa

    Friday, November 20, 2009

    My brushes are mainly mac or other high end ones even tho i do occasionally buy cheaper ones such as eco tools out of curiosity and they do sometimes turn out to be decent brushes but what i like about high end brushes is the quality and the fact that they are more durable and last longer!

  31. Cherokee

    Friday, November 20, 2009

    I have a mixture of brushes. My first brush ever was a Prescriptives Blush brush and a portable face brush which is a kabuki brush. I really did not know much about other brushes and these worked well for me. I also have a Prescrpitives concealer brush. I have a mixture of MAC and Sonia Kashuk brushes. I love the Sonia Kashuk stippling brush, concealer brush and creash brush. MACs 239 and 217 are my favorite eye brushes. I have a Bobbi Brown blending brush and a NARS contour/highligthing brush. Not a great purchase but at the time I did not know much about brushes. I have one Loew Cornell brush and some cheap eye liner brush that dont work well.

    I just recentely bought a Sonia Kashuk limited edition kabuki brush and I am excited to use it.

  32. Mariah

    Friday, November 20, 2009

    I use a combo of Bare Escentuals brushes (A gazillion come in every kit, I swear), Sephora special brushes, Mac brushes, and the awesome Sonia Kashuk brush set I won from you once Christine!! I love them and use them EVERY day!

    Also, the best eyeliner brush I ever found was a fancy one from an art supply store, made for actual oil paints!

  33. Bridgette

    Friday, November 20, 2009

    I mainly have MAC brushes but I have some EcoTools ones which I really love and one Sonia Kashuk brush.

  34. Liz

    Friday, November 20, 2009

    For the eyes, I use drugstore brand, cuz I feel like there are a lot that make such great products.My favourite are from Sonia Kashuk. For my face I only use MAC and Lancome brushes. It is so soft and doesnt feel aggressive against my skin,since I have a really sensitive skin.

  35. Grace

    Saturday, November 21, 2009

    I have a mix..a combination of The Body Shop, Shiseido, Bobbi Brown and ELF.

  36. Amal

    Saturday, November 21, 2009

    Mostly MAC and some from Sephora and the bodyshop

  37. Shay

    Saturday, November 21, 2009

    I have a mixture.

    I have the coastal scents synthetic wide buffer brush which is fabulous for powder foundation. Can’t do without.

    I have flat blush brush from Sephora for my Benefit Dandelion and Duo Fiber brush from Lancome for my Benefit Coralista.

    Eye blending brush is from cheap brush set from essential beauty supplies. I use sponge tip applicators for everything else.

    Lancome indigo blending brush for highlighting.

  38. aradhana

    Saturday, November 21, 2009

    my collection of brushes is pretty random–artists paint brushes, drugstore brands/mid range (sonia kashuk, quo, no7, red earth, body shop, sephora) to higher end brands (laura mercier, mac, armani).
    ive also got some mini brushes from mac and jemma kid. i seem to find a use for each of them and although ive had some of them for 10 years, they still seem to hold up after repeated use and cleaning!

  39. Rennah

    Saturday, November 21, 2009

    I use MAC, The Body Shop, Sonia Kashuk, Essence of Beauty, Ecotools, Sephora, and a couple from Kiss.

  40. Brandi

    Saturday, November 21, 2009

    I have several from MAC, a few from Sephora, and two Sonia Kashuk brushes.

  41. Michelle

    Saturday, November 21, 2009

    I have MAC, Sephora, Ecotools, and a complete set from Sigma.

  42. Nicci

    Sunday, November 22, 2009

    MAC and a few drug store ones…

  43. carriespooner

    Sunday, November 22, 2009

    Mac is my most treasured brushes. I have Smashbox and Sephora too.

    I have a few Trish McEvoy ones.

    I love Chanel Brushes and BB too.

  44. Brenda

    Sunday, November 22, 2009

    I have such a mixture. Some artist paintbrushes (maxines mop, fine liner, one close to a duo fibre brush that I use for creme blushes and blending. I also have 3 MAC brushes (242, 219, 275), a fluffy crease brush I got at the ABA hair show, a few from Sephora, some random brushes from WalMart and one that is a perfect 239 dupe, but I have no idea where it came from. I have a sephora bronzer brush but it sheds like crazy!!

  45. Emm

    Monday, November 23, 2009

    I have MAC, Stila, Nars, Sephora, and Bare Essectuals(how do you spell it???) for high end. Low end, Lowe Cornell (Michael’s craft store), Ecotools, essence of beauty, and Sonia Kashuk. Oh and a few Coastal Scent too.

  46. Rengirl

    Monday, November 23, 2009

    I use mostly Sephora brushes (my two favorite flat, shader brushes are from Sephora and I’ve had them for over 8 years) but I have a few MAC brushes and my recent favorite are these Essence of Beauty crease brush (came in a set of 2). I also use a blending brush and a wide, crease brush from a Costco brush set.

    Those are the brushes I use. I have a handful of cheap brushes that were bad and don’t see the light of day.

  47. Karla

    Saturday, January 2, 2010

    I use crown brushes, or the ones I’ve gotten as gifts over the years. Lancome I think… I like crown brush its not exspensive and I like the quality. I have a similar brush to the MAC 187 It was onlt 12 dollars :)