Meet The Only 5 Brushes You’ll Ever Need

Because we don’t need the fifty brushes we purchased back in 2015.

I remember when I first really got into blogging and was on youtube the general vibe was that you needed fifty different brushes for our one face! Don’t get me wrong having more than one of each brush is handy but the amount of brushes I used to own was just obscene, even now as a bridal make up artist I don’t own mountains of brushes; just enough of the same ones for each client i’ll be working on that day. So I thought I would introduce to you the five brushes you actually need to do a full face of ‘everyday’ make up and where my favorites are from. I am only recommending brushes I have used and that are cruelty free and vegan.

For foundation and cream blush or contour I prefer a denser brush to really help buff and blend the product in. The Real Techniques Expert Face Brush is perfect for this and has been my go to for years. It really helps liquid and cream foundations look flawless and doesn’t leave your base looking streaky like a flatter foundation brush would. I also love the Nanshy Foundation Brush which has a slightly flatter top, Eco Tools also have a similar one called The Complexion Buffer. If you prefer a powder blush or highlight or like to set your under eyes then a fluffier brush is required; I use the Nanshy Blush Brush; it’s a more domed brushed so you have more control over where you are highlighting. The Real Techniques Blush Brush is also a great choice as well as the Superdrug Studio London Bronzing Powder brush – this one is less domed but blends perfectly and distributes the product evenly.

Depending on how much eye make up you do you may need more than the three I am about to mention but as a woman who nearly always kicks things off with a cream base (applied with my fingers) and then adds colour in the crease and then highlights the brow bone before applying a liner these are the only three I really use. A large fluffy brush (think back to when every youtuber used to mention the MAC 217 every tutorial) I love the Royal & Langnickel Crease Brush, it’s a large fluffy brush so perfect for diffusing colour in the crease; I got this when I started my MUA training so if you’re looking for a more high street version then the Nanshy Large Blending Eyeshadow Brush is perfect. You could use a smaller crease brush to apply the colour first before using the larger one but that just adds extra steps for me and I prefer a more wash of colour on my lids day to day.

A packing brush is also really useful for day to day use although I prefer one which still has a slight ‘fluff’ to it. I use the Superdrug Pro:11 which I believe is discontinued but similar to what they call the Superdrug Eyeshadow Brush, the Real Techniques 307 Shading Brush is also similar. Lastly a liner brush; if you use shadow or cream product as a liner, or a water activated one then you need the Fine Liner brush from The Make Up Brush Company, it’s the thinnest liner brush I’ve ever used and gives you amazing precision. It’s quite a pricey brush so if you’re looking for a less expensive version then the Nanshy Eyeliner Brush is a great option.

I obviously own a lot more brushes but if you are just starting out or wanting to upgrade a few of your brushes then these are the ones I would recommend.