If you could only keep five makeup brushes, which ones would make the cut? Share!
MAC 239, Tom Ford Blush, Real Techniques Expert Face, Hakuhodo J142, Chikuhodo Highlighter Z-series.
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MAC 239, 217, 168, 109, and Sephora Pro airbrush concealer brush.
1. paula dorf sheer crease
2. mac 266
3. Mac 252
4. Sonia kashuk pro series med blush
5. Elf concealor
MAC 217, 239, 168, and Real Techniques Buffing and Powder Brushes
Oooh good one!! I love my Sephora Pro #56, Sigma F80, It Cosmetics Boutique Blush brush, Anastasia #18 and Sigma E40!
I’ve recently discovered Coasal Scents brushes and I’m very pleased with the quality, I think they’re a great value. So I would choose 5 essentials by CS: large tapered powder brush, small buffer that can be used for blush, medium sized flat shadow brush, fluffy shadow blender and pointed pencil-shaped brush.
Coastal Scents Brushes are awesome!
I would just have to stop wearing makeup… Seriously. There are some brushesnthat just work with specific products, and if I can’t keep the brush that allows a product to perform at its optimal level, I may as not use it. Also, I often use upwards of 10 brushes on a daily basis, and I refuse to do a look that’s half-a$$ed, and I’d rather not bother.
1) thin angled brush (eyebrows and eyeliner)
2) spoolie brush (eyebrows)
3) fluffy blending brush (eyeshadow)
4) eyelash comb
5) sm. concealer brush
Real Techniques Buffing Brush and blush brush, Zoeva 231 and 234. and Sigma E25
Great question! For me it’d be MAC 239 (lid), MAC 217 (blending), Laura Mercier Poney Tail (crease), Chanel 24 (eyeliner), Kanebo Sensai Cheek and the Balm Blend a Hand (foundation buffing).
Thank you for adding what you use them for. Very helpful!
🙂 glad it helped!
I have a lot of brushes, but these are my 5 must haves:
MAC 130
MAC 217
Chikuhodo Z-10
Hakuhodo S106
Hakuhodo S163
MAC 217, Sigma E55, my beauty blender (does that count as a brush?), my Stelicious flat top buffing brush and the MAC 219.
real techniques essential crease brush,real techniques multitasking brush, eyeshadow blending brush, any angled liner/brow brush, small shader brush
MAC 217, Real Techniques Expert Face Brush, Real Techniques Stippling Brush, Sephora Cream Eyeshadow brush, IT Cosmetics double ended eyeliner brush.
Real Techniques buffing brush,stippling brush,essential crease brush,mac 227,nars kabuki ita,
Well, they’re all attached to my hand, so… 😉
I really need to get some actual brushes…
Do you have e.l.f. in your part of the world? They actually do some pretty good brushes, and I would imagine they’d be fairly inexpensive. Also, do stores do GWP/PWPs? If so, consider a splurge if a brush set (or even individual brushes) are offered.
If you do some online research, you can also find some alleged MAC dupes within paint brushes. I can’t verify if they’re dupes, as I’ve never used MAC brushes, but I have paint brushes, and really like some of them!
Billy B #8, Louise young LY38B, koyudo fu-pa 14, real technique expert face, Shu Uemura 20H. That was really hard and I think I would try to sneak in the Hakuhodo J210.
Wow toughest question ever. All my brushes are MAC so:
1. 129 blush
2. 150 large powder
3. 190 foundation
4. 226 eyeshadow blending
5. 213 eyeshadow fluff
Thank you for not only writing the number of the MAC brushes, but what you use them for.
MAC 217, Real Techniques buffing brush, the brush included in UD Naked 3, this cheap Sephora blush brush that came in a set, and probably the fan brush that came in that set.
I’ve started collecting MAC brushes, but I still find myself reaching for cheap brushes.
Beauty Blender, Urban Decay Good Karma Optical Blurring, Angled Brush 2x for countour/blush, and a fluffly eyshadow brush.
MAC 217, Makeup Geek Angled Stipping brush ,Sigma E57, Sigma F20, Sigma E80
Um, I’m totally going to beauty hell for saying this, but I apply some of my makeup with my fingers (foundation, concealer.) I am in love Sonia Kashuk’s kabuki brushes, though. I’m not remotely fancy with my brushes. I save my money for lipstick 🙂
239, 217, 116, 208, and UD Optical Blurring Brush.
Oops, forgot to mention the first four are Mac. 🙂
I could honestly never ever do a full face of makeup with just 5 brushes!
I guess I would keep Jane Iredale Handi Brush, Hakuhodo S110, Hakuhodo J004G, Suqqu M and my mini Anastasia brow brush.
And I would be left with no brush to do my eyeliner, no concealer brush, no blending brush and no way to contour or set my foundation!
Real Techniques Expert Face Brush, Sigma E40, MAC 239, MAC 217, ELF Studio Blush Brush.
Chanel #1 Powder Brush, MAC 159, MAC 188, Sephora #17 Crease Brush and Sedona Lace Dome Contour
This is a tough question! Real Techniques Expert Face Brush, Elf Kabuki Brush, Crown Crease Brush, Sigma Shader Brush, and Crown Concealer Brush.
Mac 239, real techniques base shadow brush, bobbi brown eyeliner brush, real techniques buffing brush, hourglass powder brush.
If I thought about it there’s a chance I would swap the eyeliner brush for a RT stippling brush or a pencil brush.
Also, five is not enough 🙂
MAC 239, 226, Hakuhodo J5523, J5543, Sigma F80
Hourglass #3, MAC 217, Sonia Kashuk Tools #23, Nars Yachiyo and Marc Jacobs Conceal.
Chanel # 1 Powder brush
Mac 217,266,130
Sephora # 41
I am quite new to brushes an only use face ones semi-confidently. (Still practicing the eye area) but these I find really effective for my needs:
1) Real Techniques Buffing brush- i use it for foundation
2) Real Techniques expert face brush – i use for bronzing- countouring
3) Real Tecniques stipling brush- i use it for blush
4) 2 Cheap fan brushes- from ebay – The big one for setting powder. The small one for a touch of cheek highlighter
5) 1 very old, overused and cheap “traditional” foundation brush that I use to apply face masks like the glamlow clearing one or the michael todd pumpkin one
This is a great post to look for ideas to downsize my makeup brushes for travel.
So far…
Hakuhodo J210, hakuhodo j5523, hakuhodo j242, hakuhodo g5520, hakuhodo j007.
Wow, I’m sadly behind the tmes, I only just bought my first brush which is Urban Decay’s Good Karma Optical Blurring brush and I have a few Lancome eyeshadow brushes that came with a Gift With Purchase, didnt figure women had way more than five!
I’m the opposite-I use 10-15 each time I do my makeup… More when I do more “extravagant” looks. I’m actually surprised everyone else was actually able to narrow it down! Clearly, I have a problem, LOL!
I do that because I refuse to not get as much use as possible out of the brushes I paid my hard-earned money for. I use as many brushes as I can!
RT expert face brush
RT powder brush
RT contour brush
Sonia Kashuk medium eyeshadow brush
Sonia Kashuk blending brush
Nars: Botan Brush
M.A.C: 266 Brush
M.A.C: 163 Brush
M.A.C: 133 Brush
M.A.C: 214 Brush
MAC 217, 239 and 108 (could be 109, the number is worn off) I’d use that for powder, blush and bronzers, I think it can be done.
Mattése High Definition Contour for crease and as a pencilbrush and Makeup Store 102 for liners, gel, cake.
I think I’d have to do a lot of improvising, and I might make do with MAC 217 for crease and have room for a MAC 208 for eyebrows and that could also be used for liners making room for a fanbrush or, oh I don’t know! (This is why it takes me forever to pack when I travel 🙂 )
This was a really hard question!
MAC 217, Sigma E55, Sigma F80, Sigma F86, Sedona Lace EB14
i consider a lot of my brushes to be equivalent, and i’m not wedded to any of them EXCEPT wayne goss’ #8 brush for tight lining. it’s very much one-of-a-kind.
That looks like a great brush, I just might have to add one to my collection, especially since I have so much trouble tightlining.
Real Techniques Contour brush, Real Techniques Deluxe Crease, Eco Tools tapered blush, Real Techniques Base Shadow, and Ulta angled liner brush.
I’m a big fan of synthetic multitasking brushes. :3
Can the Beauty blender count as a brush? MAC 128, Sigma E30, Sephora Tokidoki gold powder brush, Bobbi Brown eyeliner brush.
Hm… 5 is not enough brushes for a full face :/ I can’t believe I used to use no brushes (I don’t get how I managed) and now I don’t see how I could do my makeup with less than 8-10
Anastasia #12 dual ended brow brush, Real Techniques Foundation brush, Hakuhodo J142, and Mac 239 and 187.
I am loving the Brushes from IT cosmetics. For cheap brushes I love the ones that have the word Bamboo in them…forgot name. I find them at Target and Ulta. I do love my powder brush from Marc Jacobs
Face – I use my clean fingers to apply almost all liquid, cream or gel/stain products. For example, for the BB cream I use for foundation, I kind of tap/dot it on and pat all over. It yields a beautiful skin-like finish. On to the brushes.
1. Stila #8 An unusually shaped multi-purpose brush that has a wide, flat shape that comes to a point. The wide flat sides I use for setting and finishing powders. The point or the edges can be used for contouring and highlighter. You could also use it for blush.
2. Jane Iredale Handi, a medium density flat top kabuki style brush that is great for applying powders – especially mineral foundation, blush, and bronzer. You could use the edges to place contouring powder and highlighting powder too if need be. I have and love the Stila #21 which is very similar, and so soft, but much denser, so it does pick up more product. I chose the Handi over it because you can always add more layers.
Eyes/Brows – I currently use several different eyeshadow brushes depending on the eyeshadow, it’s texture, the desired result, whether I’m sweeping, packing, placing etc. but if I have to choose just one
3. I have an old rounded angle shaped shadow brush that is the best all-purpose shadow brush because you can use it for everything except lining. I think it’s from the first full brush set I ever purchased, made by Aloette. A great starter set for anyone who is just getting into using makeup brushes. I think I’m going to have to get a MAC 239 that Christine and everyone seem to rave about as a perfect all-around shadow brush.
4.Stila #30 which is actually a double ended brush. Eye shadow on one end (which I rarely use) and a ponytail type blending and crease brush which I always use.
5. A thin angled brush that can be used for both eyeliner and brows. I have one from the Aloette set, but I’d like to find one like it that is a little bit stiffer, but just as thin.
BareEscentuals Full Coverage Kabuki Brush (mineral veil & powder foundation; powder); Sonia Kashuk blusher brush (blush/bronzer; contouring/highlighting; powder); BareEscentuals Wet/Dry Shadow Brush (eyeshadow application and blending; contouring/highlighting smaller areas), Bare Escentuals angled fluffy eyeshadow brush (base shades; blending); and Sonia Kashuk angled eyeliner brush (lining, smudging, eyebrows, cutcrease).
That’s such a bare minimum, “make-do” list. I wouldn’t want to live in a world where I only had 5 makeup brushes.
(1) NARS Yachiyo
(2) NARS Botan
(3) MAC 239 Eye Shader
(4) Bobbi Brown Eye Liner
(5) Anastasia Dual-Sided Brow Brush #12
Marc Jacobs The Face 2 brush
Real Techniques Expert Face Brush, Bobbi Brown Powder brush (with a shorter handle) MAC 219, 239 and 266.
Upps, I meant MAC 217. not 219.
NARS Yachiyo
NARS Ita
Chanel Retractable Kabuki
MAC 188
SIGMA F80
Oh, that is HARD! Hmmm…ok:
Hakuhodo J242G: Shadow / laydown
Hakuhodo J142: Shadow / crease & blend
Ecotools angle brush: Shadow as eyeliner
Koyudo BP016: Blush
Sephora Pro 55: Liquid foundation
But I would be very unhappy not to have:
Hakuhodo G5515: Shadow / inner corner / tiny pencil
Hakuhodo G538 & G542: Concealer
Hakuhodo J104: Powder
sigma e25, real techniques blush brush, buffing brush, contour brush and ecotools angled eyeliner brush.
Sigma F80, E40, E55, E15(?, the flat definer) and MAC 217
MAC 239, 217, 219 and the last two would depend on my current routine, but right now, 190 and RT Expert Face brush.
Sonia Kashuk Synthetic Buffing Brush
Sonia Kashuk Highlighting Brush
ELF Small Smudge Brush
Sonia Kashuk Large Shader Brush
Sonia Kashuk Large Crease Brush
I love my Sephora mineral brush, my new MUFE angled eyeliner brush, two brushes from MAC (one stappling and one blending for eyeshadows) and a kabuki brush from a local brand called GLAMBOX.