Archived Post
If you could only use three eye brushes, which would you use?
Chikuhodo GSN-09 for packing on eyeshadow, NARS Angled Brow Brush for brows, and Hakuhodo’s J142 for the crease.
— Christine
Explore Temptalia
We're here to help you make better beauty purchases that you'll enjoy and love! We recommend signing up to take advantage of personalized features like tracking products you own, viewing dupes that you already have, and more!
Here are some useful resources for you:
Compare Any Two
Curious how two shades compare to each other? Type in the shades below to get instant side-by-side swatches!
37 Comments
Comments that do not adhere to our comment policy may be removed. Discussion and debate are highly encouraged but we expect community members to participate respectfully. Please keep discussion on-topic, and if you have general feedback, a product review request, an off-topic question, or need technical support, please contact us!
Please help us streamline the comments' section and be more efficient: double-check the post above for more basic information like pricing, availability, and so on to make sure your question wasn't answered already. Comments alerting us to typos or small errors in the post are appreciated (!) but will typically be removed after errors are fixed (unless a response is needed).
We appreciate enthusiasm for new releases but ask readers to please hold questions regarding if/when a review will be posted as we can't commit to or guarantee product reviews. We don't want to set expectations and then disappoint readers as even products that are swatched don't always end up being reviewed due to time constraints and changes in priorities! Thank you for understanding!
Comments on this post are closed.
We try to approve comments within 24 hours (and reply to them within 72 hours) but can sometimes get behind and appreciate your patience! 🙂 If you have general feedback, product review requests, off-topic questions, or need technical support, please contact us directly. Thank you for your patience!
Of ones I actually own? My brush stash is quite humble in origin, to be completely honest. So, there’s a really nice flat shader brush I got in an Ipsy bag that I adore by Beau Gâchis, any UD Vice double ended brush in my stash, plus my favorite ancient Mirraq double ended brush as it has the perfect angled browbone brush on one end, and a nice domed crease brush on the other.
Chikuhodo Z-5 for packing shadow onto the lid, the Chikuhodo RS-4 for sculpting the crease and defining the outer v annnnnd I’m hard pressed to pick a blending brush. I feel like I still haven’t found THE one, you know? Probably the Goss 04; I prefer it a tad to the 19. Hard question – I hope this didn’t include brow brushes because oh man, would that be difficult.
I dont have a specific brand, but I’d go with a flat shadow brush, a crease brush and a fluffy brush for blending. Wait, that leaves me without a liner brush…
Sigma E55 Eye Shader brush, MAC 217 Blending Brush and MAC 219 Pencil Brush.
Wow Chikuhodo beats out Mac 239!! I was so sure you’d say Mac 239!
For me it would be Sigma E45, Mac 224, and Mac 239 (though it’s close with Sigma E55 brush)!
MAC 217
IT Cosmetics angled brush for brows
Sonia Kashuk 106 eyeshadow brush
MAC 217, a Sonia Kashuk flat eyeshadow brush (no number on it but I’ve had it for years and years and YEARS) and then it’s a toss up between a Sephora smudger brush and a MAC 213 (I think that’s the number – it’s a very small flat shader brush with brown bristles).
Dang, that’s hard!! I’d have to say a Sigma E25, MAC 242, and Sigma E30 pencil brush, and I’d have to use liquid or pencil eyeliner because no liner brush for me!
Chikuhodo Z5 for lid, transition color, general blending, under the brow
Chikuhodo Z 10 for darkening the crease, blending, precise lining on upper and lower lash line, and corner color.
Wayne Goss 19 for darkening the crease more precisely, blending
MAC 217, the brush that comes with the Urban Decay Naked Smoky, and the elf Blending Brush. I have six of those. They’re great for the price.
I must go pick one up! Hopefully my Kmart stocks it.
it would be the MAC 217, the MAC 239 and the sigma E36 !
NARS #13 (I think it’s discontinued already) for crease & blending, Bobbi Brown Smokey Eye Liner brush for, well, smudging out the eyeliner or deepening the outer V (or putting shadow on the lower lashline), and M.A.C #248 either for applying cream shadow or packing on loose/pressed shadows.
I’m still debating on whether I should replace the M.A.C #248 with my Bobbi Brown Brow brush for my top 3 choices. I feel like sometimes I enjoy using a brow pencil, but sometimes I still love to do my brows with a brow brush and some good brow powders. And, on the other hand, both applying cream shadow and packing on shadows can be done with your fingers, so I’m really struggling to decide which one I’d choose. (Hence the reason why I’m listing both of them here.)
It really depends on what products are in my stash, and what look I’m going for… In my experience, different brushes can make or break a product. I also use 5+ different brushes even on the most “basic” days…
lol, I’m like you! I chose synthetic brushes because I could use them for both powders and creams, but it would be tough.
I agree completely, Amy.
This is the question from h*ll. I cannot use just 3 brushes for eyes and brows. I tightline with a brush and fill in my brows with another brush. That leaves me with 1 brush for the rest. Impossible. I’ll go au naturale. Lol. (Even mascara requires a brush!)
lol, I would have to tightline with Marc Jacobs fineliners and do my brows with Chosungah 22 Dong Gong Minn Brow Maker for exactly those reasons (assuming the brush that comes in the mascara is a freebie, or that my mascara applicator is not a brush). Then I could manage.
I just recently purchased the Wayne Goss face set and the eye set. I also purchased the Air Brush. I haven’t used them enough to give a complete assessment but I am really loving all of them. I have used the 05 as a crease brush because I have really hooded eyes and need a smaller brush. Prior to buying the Wayne Goss brushes I used an old brush that I bought in a Thrifty Drug Store back in the 70’s and it is still going strong. I love that brush and use it every single day. Until purchasing the Wayne Goss set I didn’t really worry about what brushes I used and would never buy expensive brushes because I would rather buy other makeup products. I don’t have any of the more expensive brushes but would like to learn more about other brands so enjoying the comments here today. Thank you all.
Yay for the Wayne Goss brushes! I love them!
Congrats on such a big leap in brushes. I use a smattering of brushes, a couple old MAC, RT, etc but “my husband” got Me the Wayne Goss set for Xmas. It is under the tree and I can hardly wait!! I am taking down all of the numbers everyone is saying and going online to find the Goss equivalent. I think some are not in my set.
I’d use Make Up For Ever #228 for packing on eyeshadow, #236 for blending it, and Billy B #12 for lining my lower lashline with shadow. I’d have to tightline with a skinny pencil rather than gel and brush. For brows, I’d stick with brow gel, since it comes with its own applicator — Chosungah 22 Dong Gong Minn Brow Maker in Grey Brown is my current favorite.
Only three?! Five would be much more realistic. I’ll say the MAC 239 for packing shadow on the lid, Real Techniques Base Shadow Brush for my crease (and it’s decent for blending), and the Real Techniques Brow Brush for lining and brows. I’d love to add an e.l.f. Blending Brush and a Sonia Kashuk Pencil Brush No. 31 to the lineup, though!
This is easy for me! Most days I use the Wayne Goss 18 brush for lid shades, the Wayne Goss 03 for blending in the crease and under the eyes, and the Sigma E30 pencil brush (which I’d like to replace with the WG 05) for my inner corner. I used to use the Anastasia Beverly Hills 18 every day for my brows, but I’m growing them out to be wild and natural, and a super precise, filled in style doesn’t really work anymore so I’ve switched to exclusively using tinted brow gel. It’s a great brush though, I highly recommend it!
Most days, I only use one — Kat Von D’s Shade & Light countour eye brush.
I don’t consider brows to be part of my eye makeup (they’re closer to base for me, because they frame your whole face), so for me it’s: MAC 239, MAC 217 and OCC Brush 004 – Tapered Blending Brush. They are actually the only brushes I use with a quick look, but with a detailed look I need a pencil brush and angle brush also.
Wayne Goss #17 shader, Wayne Goss #3 large crease, and Wayne Goss #19 goat hair crease brush.
MAC 217 (or Zoeva 227)
MAC 219 (or Zoeva 230)
MAC 224 (or Zoeva 228)
A brow brush
A flat eye shadow brush for putting on the shadow
A blending brush
I have brushes from everywhere: EL gift with purchase, CALA, Real Techniques and Eco Tools.
Sonia Kashuk Large Shader Brush
Sonia Kashuk Large Crease Brush
E.L.F. Defining Eye Brush
Only 3?
Real Techniques deluxe crease brush
Wayne Goss 03 or 04, can’t decide
Wayne Goss 06
I haven’t used anything other than my Wayne Goss or Real Techniques brushes in so long. All of my MAC, Morphe and Sigma brushes sit in their holders, collecting dust. I’m going to have to devote some time to trying them out again. I feel a de-stashing coming on!
A kabuki brush for blending and blending. A stiff short one for applying eyeliner. A few stifle brushes for applying blushes and highliter. Love great brushes. Also love a fluffy full but soft eye brush for blending eyeshadows.
This is hard! Ahaha I use four brushes every day for my eyes!!
I use an angled fluffy brush to apply a shadow lighter than my skintone to set my primer. I then use the ELF crease brush to lay down my transition colour. Then I take a fluffy blending brush (either MAC 217, or a real techniques eye buffing brush) and blend my actual crease shade. Then I take a fluffy lid brush and I pat eye shadow onto my mobile lids, Then go back in with the ELF crease brush and darken everything up.
Then I’m done!!
I think maybe I could take out my angled brush? And just use my finger, or my lid brush to apply my base shade. But I don’t want to 😛
Four would probably be a better number for me, but here goes…my Armani flat brush for general shadow purposes, Tom Ford pencil to see in the crease and lower lash line and then it’s a tie between my Ford blending brush and liner brush which would depend on the shadows I was going for.
Hakuhodo J242 for laydown, J142 for crease and blending, and B5520 for the lower lashline. If I could keep another 3, it would be my ecotools angled brush for using shadow as liner and Hakuhodo G5528 and J146 (outer v and narrower crease brush).
Mine would be my favourites at the moment, Sigmas E30 and E35 and Mac 242, think that covers the whole eye.
I know I’d include the RT Bold Metals Tapered Shadow, it’s amazing for my eye shape. I’d also probably include the RT buffing brush out of their core eye collection, it’s perfect for washes.