Everything You Wanted to Know About Eyeshadow Brushes

You don’t need twenty brushes to get flawless eyeshadow application, but a few good, multitasking brushes can really change the way your eyeshadow looks.    I’m going to walk you through some of the different types of eyeshadow brushes there are available, but more importantly, I’m going to recommend you the essential brushes you should keep your eye out for.

Why fingers and sponge-tip applicators are less than the best… Fingers can be unsanitary, to be honest, but you have natural oils in your skin (including those fingers!), and every time you touch your eyeshadow with your finger, some of that oil can be left behind.  This is often why tester eyeshadows at makeup counters are hardened or otherwise look disgusting.  I won’t knock ya if you just use your fingers to blend out, do some touch-ups, and the like, but when it comes to applying from pan to skin–brushes are more hygienic and will keep your eyeshadows in better shape in the long-run!  Both fingers and sponge-tip applicators tend to waste product, as well, because they absorb a lot of the product without depositing the majority of it.  Sponge-tip applicators can have their place (often for very sheer, powdery, or glittery shades), but brushes–at least, in my experience–go the distance.

Application brushes are often flatter, denser, and firmer overall. These brushes go from pan to lid, but they don’t necessarily work for blending colors together, but they’re designed to transfer the color from the pan onto the lid without losing the product in-between.  These include brushes like Laura Mercier All Over Colour Brush, MAC 239, NARS Eye Shader, and Sephora #12.

Brow brushes are typically thin with a defined and/or angled edge. Often, brow brushes are used to apply a brow product to the brow to give brows a fuller look aka filling in your brows.  You can also have brow brushes that are more to groom the brow into place (often a spoolie brush or what looks like a mascara wand).  These include brushes like Bare Escentuals Angled Brush, MAC 266, NARS Brow Shader, and Smashbox #12.

Blending brushes are often fluffier and slightly tapered or domed. These brushes are used mostly to blend colors already applied to the lid.  They help to make colors blend seamlessly with each other and help fade harsh lines of demarcation.  These include brushes like MAC 217, NARS Large Domed Eye, Sephora #10, and Stila #9.

Check out suggestions for crease, eyelining, and brow brushes… as well as some general brush buying advice!

Crease brushes are often longer, slightly fluffy, and come to a tapered tip. These brushes can be used for both defining the crease as well as for blending out the crease color once it’s been applied.  The longer the brush is, the less control you will have over it.  If you want a very defined crease, use a smaller, more pencil-tipped crease brush instead of a wider, fluffier one.  These include Bare Escentuals Crease Defining, MAC 219/224, NARS Large Domed Eye/Small Domed Eye, and Sephora #10.

Eyelining brushes are small with either a thin, fine point or thin, angled edge. These brushes can be used to line the upper and/or lower lash line using cream, gel, liquid, or powder eyeliner.  Larger angled edges can also be used to create a very defined crease as well.  These include MAC 208, NARS Angled Eye Shader, and Sephora #23.

Lash brushes can be made out of bristles, metal, or plastic. Most lash brushes are “combs” to help keep those lashes from looking clumpy or spidery, and these are typically made out of metal or plastic (FYI, metal is seriously more effective than plastic).  Some lash brushes are designed to apply mascara to the lashes, so those tend to be made out of more traditional brush bristles.  These include brushes like Sephora #21.

If you can only afford one brush, I would suggest a lightly fluffed, denser, dome-shaped brush.  This is, in my eyes, a very general purpose, multi-tasking brush that can both apply eyeshadow without sheering it out, but it has enough fluff to allow you to blend colors together.  I can assure you it is quite possible to use only one brush to get good results, because I only used MAC’s 239 for over a year to do my eye makeup.  Just that brush!  If you only have one eyeshadow brush, the best way to maximize its effectiveness is to always apply from light to dark.  If you have an extra five minutes, wipe your brush against a wet wipe (like Wet Ones), wait thirty seconds to a minute to dry, and then your brush will be a little bit cleaner for the next shade.  Additionally, wash your brush after each look, so you don’t end up with a muddied brush the next time.

If you’re looking for three multi-tasking brushes, I would suggest your basic application brush, a blending brush, and a crease brush.  This takes care of the basic application technique of eyeshadow on the lid, eyeshadow in the crease, and then blending everything together for that smooth, even look.

If you’re looking for a nice set of five eyeshadow brushes to get you through most bumps and bruises of eyeshadow application, I suggest your basic application brush, blending brush, crease brush, angled eyeliner brush, and either a secondary eyeshadow application brush or angled eyeliner brush (depending on what you use more often).  If you’re a brow fiend, then I’d suggest an angled brow brush for filling in brows as your fifth brush instead.  The beauty or purchasing your own “set” is you can choose the brushes you need and will use most often.

What are your favorite eyeshadow brushes to use?

Affordable Makeup Brushes:  Sonia Kashuk’s Twist of Fate Brush Set

Sonia Kashuk Twist of Fate Brush Set ($19.99) is a limited edition holiday brush set with six brushes housed inside a gorgeous, shimmering black clutch.

The six brushes you get are: blush brush, foundation brush, blending brush, small eyeshadow brush, smudge brush, and lash/brow groomer brush. The only brush I felt was kind of a throwaway was the lash/brow groomer – it’s just not a great brush, and it certainly couldn’t comb my lashes worth a darn, so I wasn’t pleased with it. The other five brushes, however, are much better and certainly more useful.

Sonia Kashuk is an extremely reliable, trustworthy brand, particularly for beauty tools. Whenever someone asks me about a budget-friendly brush brand, Sonia Kashuk is my go-to for a reommendation. These brushes are soft, fluffy, and useable. They’re not as good as my MAC brushes overall (I would say MAC brushes are softer, particularly for face brushes), but they’re around 75% there. Close, but not the same – but much more affordable.

In comparison, I would say the blush brush is similar to MAC’s 129 (a little bigger and not as rounded), the foundation brush is closest to MAC’s 190 (but a little smaller and thicker), and the other brushes don’t have as close matches. If pressed, I’d say the small eyeshadow brush is similar to MAC’s 239, while the blending brush is similar to MAC’s 222. Finally, Sonia Kashuk’s smudge brush is closest to MAC’s 231.

Even though the brushes are totally great for the price (and pretty good, period), my favorite part about the set is the CLUTCH. I usually hate the bags, clutches, etc. that come with brush sets and never use them again (they just sit around collecting dust, because I feel guilty tossing them), but this one is really fun and perfect for the holidays. It’s big enough to actually be used as a clutch and looks elegant and festive. I’d probably pay $19.99 just for the clutch!

If you want to know more about how products are evaluated, read out Rating System FAQ!

• Product: 28/30
• Value: 9/10
• Ease of Use: 4/5
• Packaging: 5/5

Recommendation:  For affordable brushes, Sonia Kashuk always has you covered!

Availability: Target

See more photos…

5 Tips to Keep Your Brushes In Top Shape

We just told you our essential eye and face brushes, and once you make the investment in high end, high quality brushes, you have to make sure you take care of them.

Brushes should, and will, last you many, many years if you take care of them properly. I have seen artists with brushes that are ten years old that look absolutely pristine when they are meticulously cared for!

Clean your brushes regularly. Whether you use baby shampoo or MAC’s Brush Cleanser ($11.00), it is imperative you make a point to clean the accumulated gunk out of your brushes. This is not only good hygeine (for you, your skin, etc.), but it keeps your brushes in good shape.

Always reshape your brushes while wet. Once you’ve washed your brushes, make sure you reshape them before they dry. Whatever shape your brushes are left in to dry is the same shape they will be when they are dry. You don’t want your contour brush looking like a tapered blush brush, do you? Similarly, if the shape is off, wetting/washing your brush will allow you to reshape a brush.

Never stand your brushes up to dry. You do not want to let in water or dampness into the ferrule portion of the brush (the metal part, right above the brush head), because it can weaken, errode, or loosen the ferrule making your brush wobbly. Always lay your blushes flat on an absorbent surface (like a wash cloth or towel–probably one dark in color!), and if you can manage it, turn your brushes after an hour or two.

Condition your brushes regularly. On top of cleaning, condition your brush with a quality hair conditioner will help keep the bristles soft. It’s not something that needs to be done as often general washing, but it is a good idea to do it often enough–like once a month. Mostly, it depends on how often you use and wash your brushes.

Wash brushes right away when using rich colors. It’s easy to stain a white-haired brush if you’re using a richly colored product, like Ruby Red pigment or True Chartreuse pigment. I remember using Flammable paint once, and it has forever-stained my 252 brush. One quick and dirty way to help minimize staining is to run the brush back and forth over a makeup remover wipe.

Share your own tips to keep your brushes in tip-top shape in the comments section!

8 MAC Face Brushes You Need In Your Arsenal

129 Powder/Blush Brush ($34.00) is your best bet for general blush application. Seriously, I’m constantly reaching for this brush whenever I go to apply colored blush. If you can only afford one face brush, this is the one I recommend getting first, because it can apply blush, highlighters, and do a little bit of buffing in a pinch. It’s thick, dense, and deliciously soft on the skin. (And don’t be fooled by the 129 in the brush sets–it is not at all the same in regards to quality.)

138 Tapered Face Brush ($52.00) is a domed-shaped brush, much more tapered than many powder brushes. It’s excellent for both highlighting, shaping, and contouring the face–whatever tickles your fancy!

165 Tapered Cheek/Highlight Brush ($34.00) is like a thinner, smaller version of the 138, and it’s $18 less–so if you’re on a tight budget, you might think about picking up this one instead. I love, love, LOVE this one for highlighting. The tapered end really makes placement of highlighting powders ridiculously easy.

168 Large Angled Contour Brush ($32.00) is THE brush to have handy if you ever want to sculpt and shape your face. The angled, slightly-fluffy-and-not-overly-dense brush is perfect for making cheekbones pop, jawlines thin instantaneously, and polish the face.

182 Buffer Brush ($45.00) is an essential face brush to have. I love it so much that I have two, because it is so phenomenal and perfect for a variety of jobs. Ultimately, buffer brushes are designed to finish your face, whether it’s blending contouring and blushing colors together, applying loose powder, or just blending all your face products together. You can buff out harsh blushes by moving this brush in small circles, so you can wear Frankly Scarlet blush without fear. I love it to apply foundation personally, as it gives a polished, streak-free result. Worth every single penny.

187 Duo Fibre Brush ($42.00) is a must-have brush if you love mineralize skinfinishes. Yes, it is indeed a fabulous brush for applying those delicious baked goodies MAC puts out from time to time. The way the brush is designed uses a blend of goat and synthetic fibers and it allows for softer, lighter application of product. It’s also known as a stippling brush (for those trying to find a dupe), and it works well with highlighting (if you don’t need so much precision).

188 Small Duo Fibre Face Brush ($34.00) is a smaller version of the 187 Duo Fibre Brush, and it works in similar ways. However, I do find that this brush is not a substitute for the 187, but more like a complement. This brush works best with creamy products, like MAC blushcremes and cream colour bases. In the summer, I love wearing blushcremes layered with a powder blush for more long-wearing color in the hotter months!

195 Concealer Brush ($22.00) recently debuted, and it is superior to the 194 Concealer Brush. It’s a thin, firm bristled brush that holds its shape and easily applies concealing products, but it is also great for dabbing liquid foundations onto the skin (to then be smoothed and spread out using a face brush like the 182, 187, or 190). I find using a concealer brush to apply liquids onto the face helps waste less product than directly applying liquid to a fluffier face brush or sponge.

Honorable Mentions: 109 (great if you do a lot of contouring), 134 (great for loose powder)

What are your must-have face brushes?

7 MAC Eye Brushes You Need In Your Arsenal

204 Lash Brush ($11.00) is perfect for grooming brows, grabbing mascara, and combing out lashes. It’s sturdier than disposal wands to boot!

208 Angled Brow Brush ($19.50) is my go-to brush for all my eyelining needs. It doesn’t matter that it’s labeled as a “brow brush,” because it’s excellent for thin, precise lining. It’s angled and stiff enough to use for upper lash lining and tightlining. Everyone raves about the 266, but I prefer this over the 266 when lining my upper lash line! (If you have the 263, it should be just about as good–though it’s $20).

219 Pencil Brush ($23.00) is a must-have if like to smudge your eyeshadow or wear eyeshadow as liner. It applies and deposits color easily on the lower lash line, but it can also smudge or smoke out liner (with or without shadow) in just a few seconds.

224 Tapered Blending Brush ($28.00) makes crease-work a breeze. Blend out harsh lines with a soft, wispy motion with this fluffy, blending brush. Add ultra-rich, pigmented shadows in smoother, subtler layers–and never worry about going too heavy. (By the by, the limited edition 226 is even better, but the 224 will do if you can’t get your hands on the 226.) I find the 226/224 works better for me than the 217 (too fluffy).

239 Eye Shader Brush ($24.50) should be the first eye brush you purchase. It is beyond phenomenal, and if you really want to, this is one brush that can do it all. It is up to the challenge of replacing every single other eye brush you own. Soft to the touch with a nice density of bristles, it’s has enough fluff to easily pick up eyeshadow color, but enough density to pack on the color on the lid. The size is ideal for applying eyeshadow from the lid to the crease to the lower lash line. In fact, you may want to think about owning multiple 239s. (I have five–yes, five!)

249 Large Shader Brush ($27.00) is the best brush for applying creamy products to your eyes. I am always using this whenever I’m applying paints, paint pots, fluidlines, etc. as a base. It’s flat, firm, and holds its shape while still picking up plenty of product. What I love is it picks up product, and it doesn’t all get stuck in the bristles.

266 Small Angle Brush ($19.50) is an oft-raved about brush, usually when speaking about fluidline and lining, but it is also excellent for filling in brows. It’s thicker than both the 208 and 263 (my choices for lining), but if you’re going for thicker liner, this will definitely be a must-have. Talk about making cat-eyes easier!

* Please note that these are my picks for essential brushes based on my experience, brushes not included may be valuable, but they are not brushes I find myself using often enough to call them essential.

What eye brushes would you deem as your essential set?

1. Benefit 05
Benefit 05 brush is ridiculously soft and versatile. It is softer than my MAC eye brushes, actually, and it picks up color easily. This used to be my all-time favorite brush to apply and blend eyeshadow with, and sadly, it is discontinued as far as I know. Occasionally I will use this brush when I am using black eyeshadow, so I do not dirty up my regular shadow brush (#5) Also, it can be used to pick up shadow along the edge to apply more precisely, especially on the lower lash line.

2. Loew-Cornell 1/8 7400 Angular (craftstore)
Yes, I use craftstore brush. Why not? I’ve yet to hear a compelling reason to avoid using them; they can be substantially cheaper compared to high-end brushes. You can always spend a little extra for a higher quality craftstore brush, as well, and still be under budget in comparison to cosmetic line brushes. This brush is insanely small, stiff, and thin. It is for absolutely precise lining, and I primarily use this brush when applying MAC’s liquidlast liners. This allows for you to have a lot more control over where you are putting the liner than with the liquidlast’s applicator.

3. Loew-Cornell 1/4 793 Angular Flat (craftstore)
I adore this brush. If you’ve wondered how I’ve managed to get my eyebrows not to look like they want to run away… This is one of the two tools that do it (#7 is the other). It has extremely soft bristles, but it is also quite firm, which is perfect when I go to pick up MAC’s Expresso eyeshadow to fill-in my eyebrows. I use this to refine the edge of my inner brow and to fill-in the thinner parts of my brow, including the “tail.” It is thin enough to be able to give me a fine line, but not so thin that I get a sharp line, it naturally pushes the color out so it looks more natural from the get-go.

4. MAC 194SE
I have only recently accumulated this brush, and I personally do not have many uses for it. It is meant to apply concealer, and I have used it to build up foundation in certain spots. Usually I will take a dab of Studio Fix Fluid with this brush and place it on the problem area, blend it out just a tad, and finish up the blending process with MAC’s 187 (#14).

5. Philosophy “Shadow”
Hands down, this is the most important brush in my daily makeup application routine. I apply all my dry eyeshadow products with this brush, and I also use this brush to blend everything together or as I go. It essentially performs all of the functions to bring together any eye look. It’s fluffy, but still has a touch of firmness so you can have control over what you’re doing with the brush. In terms of picking up color, this brush accomplishes it fairly easily. I rarely have to pack on shadow in order to get pay-off (only when the shadow is fussy, not the brush!). However, the bristles of this brush could be softer, and I would say that is the only downfall of this brush. I use this brush to apply and blend shadow both on the lid and crease and on my lower lash line.

6. MAC 190SE
Another recent acquistion, and I personally do not use it much, if at all. For me, it is simply not necessary, as I apply and blend my foundation with MAC’s 187 stippling brush (#14). However, this brush can be good to initially apply and brush out liquid foundation, because then you can smooth it out with the 187 or fluffy dome brush to buff it out to give your foundation an “airbrushed” or “flawless” look.

7. [Unknown] Stiff, thick angle*
My aunt gave me some random makeup kit, and it happened to include this brush, and it somehow became an essential brush in order for me to fill-in my eyebrows. As I mentioned with Loew-Cornell’s 793 (#3), this is one of the two brushes I must use in order to fill-in my eyebrows. I simply pat this brush with Expresso eyeshadow and apply it to my inner brow portion (the thickest part), and it really is that easy and all that I use it for. Bristles are hard, but it is a stiff enough angle brush with a good width to cover the majority of the inner portion of my eyebrow. Currently, I am considering replacing this with a higher-end brush, because it is quite rough.

From left to right:
8. MAC 168SE*
9. Loew-Cornell 3/8 270 Maxine’s Mop (craftstore)*
10. Loew-Cornell 3/8 270 Maxine’s Mop (craftstore)*
11. MAC 219
12. MAC 252
13. Loew-Cornell 1/2 270 Maxine’s Mop (craftstore)

8. MAC 168SE
I bought this brush only a few weeks ago, but it has become a staple brush in my everyday look. It is meant to contour, and I use it for that purpose. I pick up a touch of bronzer (just a bit darker than my skin itself) and contour my cheeks. I consider this brush to be fairly soft, and it does a good job of taking a little product and making it go a long way. I personally do not like white brushes because you can see them getting dirty as soon as you use them (and sometimes they can get stained). The angled dome shape is perfect size to fit into the hollow of your cheeks in order to contour them. I have yet to use the brush to contour other parts of the face, and it could be harder to use in smaller areas that require more precision.

9. Loew-Cornell 3/8 270 Maxine’s Mop (craftstore)
If Philosophy’s Shadow brush (#5) was the most important, this brush would be the second most important. I use it in every single one of my looks so long as there is a pigment involved. I apply all of my pigments wet, so I have to keep a separate brush that can take the wetness without having to worry about wanting to use dry shadows later on. I have two of these, because I like to have one for lighter pigments and one for darker pigments. They are small enough to allow for precision, but not too small that covering your entire lid is difficult. They do stain easily (which may be the nature of pigments), though. The bristles could also be a touch softer, but overall the firmness and shape of the brush make pigment application easy and worry free.

10. Loew-Cornell 3/8 270 Maxine’s Mop (craftstore)
See above

11. MAC 219
At last we get to a MAC eye brush! One of many I bought, but this is one I was too lazy to return. I do not feel this brush is particular exceptional, and it is definitely not a must-have by any means. It is soft, but quite firm with the bristles coming to a slight point at the tip. The only use I have found for it is to apply shadow on my lower lash line, and I probably only use the 219 to accomplish this 4/10 times I apply shadow to my lower lash line, anyway.

12. MAC 252
Another MAC eye brush I forgot to return, so here it sits. It’s a flat, large shadow brush, but I find it too large to deal with application. It does not really allow for precision in terms of initially applying the shadow, nor the blending process. It isn’t too firm, but it’s not very fluffy, and I feel like it tends to eat up the shadow I pick up with it. I currently use this brush for extremely dark eye shadows (again, so I do not dirty up my main shadow brush), like if I use MAC’s Carbon eyeshadow.

13. Loew-Cornell 1/2 270 Maxine’s Mop (craftstore)
This is a larger version of #9 and 10, and as a result of its size, the brush is less useful than its smaller counterparts. I do use it to apply pigment on my cheeks, sometimes, but I have not used this much lately. It tends to be a brush of the last resort.

From left to right:
14. MAC 187*
15. Philosophy “Blush”
16. MAC 187SE

14. MAC 187
I am positive that most people have heard of this brush, and they have also heard numerous raves on it. I like the 187 (first positive MAC brush experience!), but I do not think it is the best brush ever made, and it is not my holy grail brush, either. Of course, I do not use mineralized skinfinishes, and I know most people use the 187 to apply those, so take what I say with a grain of salt. This brush is so soft and fluffy, and it is perfect for blending liquid foundation (I use Studio Fix Fluid) so that the finish is flawless. I did not find that it applied blush as nicely as my regular blush brush did (#15), so I’ve kept the 187 purely for foundation. Plus, I find that using it for liquid foundation makes it seem gross to use it for other things, too, unless it has been washed!

15. Philosophy “Blush”
This used to be a staple brush for whenever I was applying blush and/or bronzer. It is reasonably soft and fluffy, not at all stiff and immovable. It picked up color well, and it did not seem to apply the blush heavily, either. There is nothing inherently wrong with this brush, because I have used it regularly since I have got it (at least a year ago), but since purchasing MAC’s 182 buffer brush, I have favored that instead.

16. MAC 187SE
This is a smaller, machine-made version of MAC’s 187. I travel frequently, so it was worth picking up this miniature version of my staple 187. Plus, it was hard to pass it up with the price tag being so low (because you get four other brushes, too). In a comparison of this 187 and the regular 187, it isn’t quite as soft, and it feels denser than the larger 187.

From left to right:
17. MAC 182 (Couture)*

17. MAC 182 (Couture)
My newly acquired and beloved 182 buffer brush, Couture edition. This has to be the best MAC brush I have been able to use, and it accomplishes what it is supposed to do exceptionally well. I have been using it apply my blush on my cheeks, and also to blend the blush and contour lines together. Sometimes I use it to apply pigments as highlighters for my upper cheekbones, too. It works fabulously to blend all the various face products I have used throughout an application to help bring everything together. The brush is luxuriously soft and dense, picks up color like a dream, and applies wonderfully. I absolutely recommend this brush — so much so that I am seriously contemplating purchasing a second 182.