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What are your must-have brushes for an eye look?
MAC 239s (or Chikuhodo GSN-09s) for initial application of color (although, I will just as readily use them for all placement, blending, including crease color and brow bone color!). For the crease, if I want something more diffused, I’ll use a larger, rounded crease brush like Wayne Goss #19 or #03, and if I want something with more definition, then I’ll use a more tapered, smaller crease brush like Wayne Goss #04. For the brow bone, I use Hakuhodo J5523, which isn’t too fluffy nor too dense.
— Christine
I always use this $ 6 Eco Tool set that has 2 double- ended brushes (shadow/brow and crease/smudger). I have some higher end brushes, but this one seems to work just fine, and because it’s double ended, fewer brushes to wash. And I can get it BOGO 50% off. If I need extra blending, I have a fluffy domed IT brush.
I’ll have to try that! I need some more cheap brushes that work!
I was amazed at the quality. I bought maybe 10 sets on sale and have been using them for 2 years now. I wash my eye brushes everyday, with some softsoap and water, and they hold up really well. They haven’t shed a hair, and they still look like new. Makes it hard for me to justify paying $25 for 1 eye brush !
I bought the double-ended Eco-Tools brushes recently and couldn’t believe how good they are! Will definitely be buying at least one more set of them.
Hakuhodo j242g or j004g lay down brush. Blend out eyeshadow with hakuhodo j5523 or j5529 brush. Outer v and smudge the lower lash line with hakuhodo g5520. I’m pretty simple with eye looks.
I use the EcoTools dual-ended duo set. Two brushes with a brush head on each end. I don’t love the blending brush (though I think my primer makes it difficult to blend with any brush), but the smudging brush is great for buffing away mistakes.
I use mostly generic brand brushes, but I can describe them.
• fluffy blending brush
• dense blending brush
• fluffy tapered crease brush
• pencil brush/tapered brush (dense crease brush)
• medium synthetic creme brush
• large round [dense] shadow brush
• medium round [dense] shadow brush
• small round [dense] shadow brush
• angled shadow brush
• small chisel brush (a.k.a. smudger brush)
• precision brush
• angled eyeliner brush
• spoolie brush
These are all the brushes I need to complete any eye look.
Fingers!! 🙂
MAC 239 and 217 and also some very inexpensive but totally excellent Sonia Kashuk brushes (one of which -#28- is like a hybrid of the 239 and 217). For cream eyeshadows, Real Techniques Shading brush. And Sephora’s #70 Smudge Brush for smudging out pencil liner and applying shadow neatly under my lower lashes.
Sigma E55 and MAC 217 is the bare minimum. I use more of course, but worst case scenario I could do a full eyelook with those two.
Royal & Langnickel S.I.L.K GREENLINE™ EYE SHADOW #BGL-3 or S.I.L.K® SYNTHETIC MD EYE SHADER #BC411. The are almost the same brush but both are the perfect size to pack on colour and thin fluff edge to blend out.
Well, all I really need is the MAC 217 (or my No.7 dupe)! I use others of course but in a rush I’ll stick to one brush for quickness. So far I’ve yet to find a more versatile brush shape. 😀
My Quo pencil brush, Quo fluffy C brush and MAC 224.
Zoeva 234 for lid application. MAC 217Sigma E25 for blending more precisely and Sigma 35 for a more diffused crease. MAC 221 is my new love for darkened the outer V.
MAC 217. I have two of them but I need to buy a couple more. I use it to blend but sometimes I also use it to apply eyeshadow when I’m in a hurry. It’s the best brush I’ve ever used.
Totally agree! I can literally do everything with 217’s if I had to, except smudge out liner. I need a pencil brush too 🙂
Hmmm I don’t have a lot of brushes… I usually use one or two fluffy blendinges brush for my crease colours and blending lower lashline etc. Two flat shader brushes, one for lid colour and one for the lower lash line. A smaller blending brush for more concentrated crease colours. Lastly a detail brush for inner corner highlight etc, sometimes I use a flat shader for this as well. 🙂
An old-school Body Shop eyeshadow brush with a broad base and pointed tip. Can do a whole eye with it without must difficulty. Wish I could buy 30 more. I miss so much about old-school Body Shop.
I only own eye brushes from affordable brands and I’m actually really happy with them. I use a Coastal Scents flat shading brush to apply color, an e.l.f. fluffy angled brush for the outer corner, another e.l.f. rounded brush for the crease, and a generic Target up & up fluffy brush for the brow bone (one of my best brushes despite being a “no-brand”). I also usually tightline with dark eyeshadow using e.l.f. square eyeliner brush.
Well, technically I can do an eye look using one or two brushes if I have to, but that’s not usually how I roll. So this list is my must haves for my usual looks:
1. Lid — something with which to pack color on. I prefer some older Sonia Kashuk brushes that came in sets. They’re smaller than something like a MAC 217, and work well with my limited eyelid space, especially if I do more than one color. They don’t really have numbers and they haven’t been in ages, so I’ve no idea what they’re called.
2. Crease — my favorite is the Real Techniques Base Shadow Brush. It works perfectly for my eye shape and size. I have somewhat hooded eyes, so I need to bring my crease shade up really high.
3. Sonia Kashuk Kashuk Tools Pencil Brush No. 31. Great for lining with powders and precision work. It’s also perfect for smudging pencil liner.
4. e.l.f. Smudge Brush. It’s a $1 and great for applying and smudging eyeshadow along the lower lashline.
5. e.l.f. Studio Blending Brush. It works great and is inexpensive enough to buy several so I can use one for each color I’m working with that day.
6. Real Techniques Brow Brush — excellent for my brows. It’s also great for lining the eyes with powders, smudging powder and pencil liners, and doing a cut crease.
7. Real Techniques Base Brush — for applying a base/transition shade in if I need one.
8. Accent brush — either the Real Techniques Accent Brush or e.l.f. Small Precision Brush. For precision work and the inner corners of the eyes.
9. For loose minerals — A fluffy but firm angled eyeshadow brush. I have a few, with an older BareMinerals one being my favorite. These are great for applying and buffing out loose mineral shadows, especially when doing quick 1 or 2 color looks.
10. Brows — I have to have a spoolie. I don’t care about brand as long as it works. I think my most used is from Coastal Scents.
MAC 217, MAC 219, MAC 224, MAC 239, Zoeva 226, Zoeva 228, Zoeva 231, Zoeva 235, Zoeva 237, Zoeva 315, Zoeva 317
I need to get some decent eyeshadow brushes I think. I have an awesome double ended foundation/concealer brush and a decent powder brush as well as a blusher brush but haven’t found his enough e/s brushes. I tried the Eco Tools ones but didn’t find them to work very well on my eyelids. I’m thinking of investing in a couple of MAC brushes, failing that, Real Techniques or Zoeva.
Right now, I’m using mostly SK brushes and the RT eye set. I occasionally bust out my Armani brushes, a flat one for color placement and a HUGE fluffy one for blending or washes. I can also use the tapered end of the Armani to place shadow on the lower lash line and smoke it out.
I’m looking to upgrade and diversify my collection a bit and buy a few dupes of my other brushes since I’m terrible about cleaning them quickly enough.
I have killed my Mac 239 and want to try everything! My December beauty budget might be devoted to brushes. Because of all of you, here is my December brush wish list: Chikohodo GSN-09, Wayne Goss #19, Zoeva 234 (I will have to order the metals eyeshadow palette to make it worth the shipping), Sigma E55, and Hakuhodo J242.
I have a lot of eye shadow brushes that I have received with EL gifts with purchase – so I don’t know the numbers/names of them. However they are great – I use a dense brush for my initial eye shadow application, a dense rounded brush for my second colour, a couple of fluffy brushes to blend and use on my highlighter colour.
A setting powder brush and an angled blush brush and I am good to go.
Oh – I meant to say this in my response above. The basin in our ensuite has been clogged for a little while. So the man in the house (aka husband) decided to sort it out once and for all. Armed with draino, harpic toilet cleaner etc. he set to work. The culprit turns out to be one of my eye shadow brushes that must have gone done the plug hole when I was cleaning them (how, I don’t know). It is too far down to get out with tweezers and besides dismantling the whole sink and plumbing (a big job), we are not sure what to do.
Laydown: Hakuhodo J242G (I also use this one’s edge for browbone)
Crease/Blending: Hakuhodo J142 or J5523 (I like the J142 better)
Outer V: Koyudo C011 (optional–edge of J242G also works well for me)
Inner Corner/Tearduct: Hakuhodo G5515
Angled Liner: The Ecotools one
I love the brushes from Hourglass. And I have several Sephora brushes that are awesome as well. But Hourglass is amazing.
whatever is in my bag that look like it might work.
I love my Wayne Goss eye set and usually just grab whatever looks like it’ll do what I want. I also get a ton of use out of a too faced 3 brush eye set I’ve had for years. It’s still available and I give it a huge thumbs up….the TF 20% off sale started today so it’s a good time to snag them. Oh and Elfs C eyeshadow brush is amazeballs!
The e.l.f. C brush nearly went on my list. I totally agree that it’s amazeballs. 🙂
Theoretically, I could do a complete eye look with my Goss #6 and a generic liner brush (that I wish I could find more of!).
— However —
The five brushes I use every time I do my makeup are:
Goss #6 for placing shadow all over the lid
Goss #4 for my transition shade in and above the crease
Goss #5 (the original #5) for applying shadow along lower lash line, for deepening the crease, and for the outer V
Generic liner brush for lining the upper lash line
Ecco Tools angled brush for lining/blending out the lower lash line
The brushes I use the most are MAC 217 and 239 and a pencil brush from Sigma and a fluffy blending brush also from sigma. I also use a small angle brush for my gel liner and a small detail brush for highlighting my inner corner of my eyes.
i use some older becca brushes, one which is a but more fluffy than the mac 239, one got less hair and is more dense and one for smudging. for blending the usual mac 219(?) and some small dome shaped zoeva for the crease.
All Zoeva:
234 smoky shader
228 crease
230 pencil
231 petit crease
My Must Have Eye Brushes
1.) Sephora Pro Domed Crease Shadow, #16-Great for applying/creasing shadows.
2.) Sephora Pro Blending Shadow, #27-Fabulous Multi-purpose eye brush. It is better than a regular large eye shadow brush. I can shade, crease, highlight, etc. with this brush.
3.) Sephora Pro Brow Comb, #21- I always comb my lashes before applying my lash base and mascara.
4.) Sephora Pro Cream Shadow, #28-Besides my fingers, I only use this brush for my cream eye shadows.
When I’m getting ready in the morning I always always always use
• RT deluxe crease brush – to lay down a base (powder only) over my concealer or foundation or primer, whichever I’ve used on my lids that day
• MAC 217 for my crease & above crease shades
• MAC 224 to diffuse the above crease shade
• MAC 239 for my lids
• MUG defined crease for outer v
• MUG outer-v for outer v lol
• Bare Minerals pencil brush to smudge out my liner & to add shadow to the liner (I’ve been debating a MAC 219, but I’m not sure that I need it yet… The Bare Minerals brush came in a “Rock n’ Roll” set from Sephora about 6yrs ago, so maybe it’s time to let go lol!
* great question! Loved reading everyone’s answers!
MAC 239 and 217 are the only two eyeshadow brushes I carry in my makeup bag.
Sigma fluffy crease brush and the sigma flat definer brush