Which make up brushes to buy?

[sue51]

I need a bit of advice here. I've been watching some make up tips on you tube and I realise that I need to use better brushes and applicators to get the best out of my make up. There is a whole host of different ranges and prices in boots and when I asked at the Mac counter in House of Fraser, the products they suggested came to over £150. Can anyone please recommend good quality eye brushes and tell me what size I should go for for applying and blending. Thanks.

www.boots.com/real-techniques/real-techniques-eyes

Real Techniques brushes are decent and affordable and I think they are currently on 3 for 2. I have a couple of these and they work well and wear well. I have a couple of Urban Decay ones as well as a couple of MAC ones.
I don't think you need to spend a fortune on them.

I tend to have a larger, flattish brush for putting on base colour, a couple of slightly fluffier ones for transition/crease colours and blending and a flat one for putting colour on the lids. I also have a MAC pencil brush for the darker colour I put on the outside corners and taking under the lower lash line.

The MAC 217 blending brush is very popular but over rated, in my book. Mine went a bit weird the first time I washed it but it still works ok.

I have such a mixture of tools! I have a beauty blender which is fab paired with the real techniques contour set. I was also given a Ted baker set as a gift and they're lovely and fluffy. Brilliant for powder.

Thanks. I'll give the real techniques set a try.

I didn't really like Real Techniques, I do like some of the MAC ones, but agree they are expensive.
There is a professional make up store near me and they do their own brushes which are excellent and cheaper than MAC.

If your local primark does the ps pro brushes, defo get some, they are fab and cheap. I have some Tarte ones which are great and will last a long time. I have the mermaid ones and the holiday collection from 2017 which i bought in the sale after Christmas.

Oh agree too the ted baker ones are so nice but you only get 4 in the set.

Can I ask which type or size are the essentials ?

Zoeva are really good i also like morphe I'm really into make up though.

I have a makeup brush habit and have been collecting them for more than 20 years!

You definitely don’t need to spend all that money for good brushes. The Mac and Bobbi Brown etc are nice, but there are much less expensive ones that more than do the job.

I got a great set by BH cosmetics from TK max the other day. It’s called the sculpt and blend set, it’s still on their website for £14.99. Really nice brushes even for the price. It has pretty much everything you need except a good powder brush,.

I do like some of the Real Techniques ones, but they wouldn’t be my go to for everything. I have a tonne of their brushes and only two are in my usual rotation.

My current favourites are mostly from the BH cosmetics set (I’d buy more from them, amazing value, also at Beauty Bay), Kiko Milano (amazing quality but a bit more £), Nyx (a bit £ per brush). I also have nice ones from B at Superdrug. All these have washed well too.

I’d steer well clear of ELF brushes, they’re pretty cheap to buy but cheap in quality and fall apart quickly after washing. Having said that, one of my favourite brushes is by them but I have had to keep buying new ones! I do like the Ecotools brushes aswell although some have fallen apart after washing.

I’d steer clear of those big, cheap sets on eBay and Amazon. Also, get synthetic not animal hair has they’re much easier to look after and I think they’re nicer overall.

For a starter kit, I would look for a decent set like the BH cosmetics one I mentioned. Then experiment with which brush you want to use for which step. It’s personal preference really.

Incidentally the brushes I have had for the longest are some I bought from the Body Shop around 1996. They have the Colourings brand on them! I keep them as a Collection Item now, but they’re still going strong. Can’t vouch for the quality of their brushes now though.

I have the real techniques eye and face sets and I love them. Admittedly I've never splashed out for high-end brushes so don't know what I'm missing, but the face set has a lovely big soft powder brush as well as a small tapered one which is great for contouring. The eye set has a big round one which is great for blending out a crease, it gives a lovely soft look for every day which can be built up with a smaller brush and darker shadow for nights out. They are great as a starter set which you can then add on to with higher end brushes one at a time as you find you need them. The only thing I don't remember it having is a flat eyeshadow brush if you want to pack colour on, but I already had a few so didn't miss it.

Spectrum on Black Friday! £60 for a full set of brushes meant to be £300 well worth it!

I bought 2 sets from beautybay by BHCosmetics. They complete each other but if you dont need all of them you could just get the set you need. Theyre really good quality for the price, better than some real techniques and mac I've used in the past. Worth looking into.

Real Techniques and Zoeva are both really good

I was about to come on to say real techniques.

They're good quality and reasonably priced.

They don't fall to bits when you wash them too.

I have an hourglass kabuki brush that was £££ though, and worth every penny.

I think you mostly get what you pay for with brushes

Zoeva are my favourite! They're pretty affordable and such great quality. I have a couple of mac brushes and the equivalent zoeva ones and the zoeva ones have lasted a lot better.

I also like real techniques, a couple of their brushes I've had for over 5 years and they're still in great shape. The only thing I don't like is the big chunky brush handles on the core collection ones but that's a minor gripe for such good quality brushes.

Thanks for all your suggestions. It looks like real techniques and Zoeva seem most popular. I'll treat myself tomorrow.

I asked a makeup artist friend this same question about a year ago and she recommended Crown - said they're essentially the same as Mac but cheaper. I bought a powder brush, foundation brush, and eyeshadow brush from them and found them to be really good - soft, keep their shape, and the hairs don't fall out when you wash them like some budget brands.

Zoeva are fab. I decided to treat myself last year and they've made such a difference.

I've got a mixture of Zoeva and MAC, both excellent, MAC pricier than Zoeva.