Archived Post

What is your favorite brush brand?

What is your favorite brush brand? What brand seems to have all you need?

I like MAC brushes the best – I think the quality, range, and overall cut/shapes work really well for me.

Thanks to Ash for today’s question! Got a question idea? Submit yours here.

81 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.
San Avatar

I love MAC brushes too…the 182 is my everyday brush ….:).i also like Sephora’s brushes…unfortunately we dont have many other high end brands..to compare with..would love to try Sigma if they ever opened up here 🙂

Andrea Avatar

Is the brush you dislike the stiff flat eyeliner brush? I hated it too until I started using it with gel liner and wiggling it between my lashes to cover the skin showing in between them, especially when I’m doing a smokey eye look.

Yumi Avatar

I just stick to MAC. I’ve learned that shelling out for good quality brushes beats risking it with cheaper ones for sure. That and we don’t have Sonia Kashuk here or I would try hers out!

cristalle Avatar

My favorite brush brand is mac brushes too ! LOVE* I find their quality is seriously the best. I like the fact that they are all inquistive hand made and not mass machine produce. They are really expensive in my country, but i dont mind for the quality, workmanship that i receive.

ciaomichaella Avatar

I absolutely looooove 4 of the 5 MAC brushes that I own. I don’t really like lipstick so I never get to use my MAC lip brush. I also love ELF brushes. Can’t beat the $1 shader brush and the $1 blending brush. The bamboo brushes from ELF are nice too. I also like the Essence of Beauty crease brush.

Wendy Avatar

Definately MAC – without a doubt the best quality brushes with the best selection in the industry.

I only discovered MAC brushes in the last year – I used Estee & Lancome brushes for years and thought they were the best. Once I tried a MAC brush, I replaced all my brushes with MAC brushes and what a difference it’s made in my makeup application.

ChristineD Avatar

I love MAC even though my wallet cries every time I buy one 🙂 I have a mix of brushes….lots of Quo from my earlier days, some Sephora and some MAC..I am planning on slowly replacing all the Quo ones with MAC but its a process due to the cost……

Ani_BEE Avatar

Lumiere Cosmetics and Silk Natural Synthetic line of brush, Ecotools, Royal Langnickel S.I.L.K and Crown Brushes has a few good ones.

Other than my 2 duo fiber brushes (187 from MAC and the one from Silk Naturals for blush) I use all Synthetic brushes.

Not just because there maybe cruelty issue but most natural hair brushes have second cut hairs which is why they become scratchy.

MAC brushes uses first cut hairs which are tapered at the tips from first growth. The rest of the brush companies get second blunt cut hairs that start to split at the tips over time. The older the hair structure they more likely it with degrade as well.

The new synthetic brush fibers mimic that first cut structure and is part of the reason they are so insanely soft.

Also Sable hair is more expensive due to the fact it come from a certain patch of hair on the body. In particular where the animal is moist on it underside. These are the hairs used in watercolour brushes … when I learned this in my art class during High School it put me off buying them. >_<
I have 2 hand me down sable brushes from my uncle when he was in school though.

Anitacska Avatar

I guess Mac, most of my blushes are from them, I love the colour range and pigmentation. Also I’m a sucker for mineralize blushes and skinfinishes, so Mac has me every time they release mineralize products!

Anitacska Avatar

Oh yeah. 🙂 In that case definitely NOT Mac, they are overpriced and no better quality than some cheaper brushes. I love GOSH brushes, they work really well for me and they are much cheaper than Mac.

Lady Di. Avatar

Hi Christine,
I like MAC brushes the most but thats cause those are the only ones I own. I a thinking of ordering some Sigma brushes but wonder how good they really are. I know earlier in the year you were going to review some Sigma brushes you received but you never did, did I miss that post? What did you think of the brushes?

Lady Di. Avatar

Wow Christine! I am truly amazed, that is a very helpful review of the brushes…and I think I’ll stick to my MAC brushes. Thanks so much, you are just the best!

Nina Avatar

I love my MAC brushes but I also have a couple of brushes from Monsoon that´s realy good quality.

Sigma is good quality too and the prices are ok.

Alyx Avatar

I love MAC brushes but I own a lot of EcoTools brushes. Its hit and miss with them but its way cheaper to replace if it breaks. If I could I would own all Mac or MUD brushes. =)

shelly Avatar

(Seems like some of the commenters misread that as blush, not brush. Heh.)

Anyhoo, I would have to say Sigma, with the e.l.f. Studio brushes in second. I do have my eyes on a couple of MAC ones as well (239 and 263).

Amelia Avatar

I like mac for quality but not affordability. I’ve got my essentials, 242, 217, 149. I also have a 222 but i wouldn’t have ever bought it if have had the 217 first. I can’t recommend the 217 highly enough, it can do everything.
I’ve tried some other very inexpensive brands and paint brush dupes but none of them are comparable in long term quality. I normally throw them away after a few months.

Jeanne Avatar

Even though they don’t have a wide variety, my faves are from The Body Shop. I’m a bit of an animal lover and I like that their brushes are completely synthetic. The eyeshadow brushes are my absolute favourite, I use them everyday. The other brushes I that I use are from MAC, Smashbox, and Sephora.

Hazel Avatar

I just started building my MAC brush collection, and I’ve never been happier! they’re my hands-down favorites, as I’ve owned a couple of cheaper brushes before when I was just starting out with makeup.

TheMiaomi Avatar

Sonia kashuk. They look pretty, do the job and reasonably priced. Eco Tool’s bronzer brush is the reason why i still havent bought MAC 182. Retractable Kabuki brush from the same brand is also my fave for minerals. I think MAC brushes are great, but honestly overrated. Sephora”s giant powder brush is a must have for everyone I think.

Jazz Avatar

I like Sonia Kashuk brushes. Affordable, easy to find, and they work – whats not to love. I like being able to go to Target and feel the brushes. Speaking of which , must get more brushes

jeremy Avatar

I love the mac selection they are nice but nars has some amazing artisan brushes and smashbox has the best angled precision eye liner brush and MUfE has a square shaped lip brush that’s simply amazing and a must have.

Natalie Avatar

MAC & Sephora for “specialty” store brushes, Sonia Kashuk for drugstore. But all three are amazing! In fact, I think some of my Sonia brushes are better than any of the expensive ones I’ve tried! The fluffy powder brush is amazing.

I do have to agree with Christine though, that MAC definitely has a great range & selection of shapes for what I want/need and my face.

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!