A capsule for drugstore and high-end enthusiasts alike, including cruelty-friendly fibres and traditional hair. For budding makeup mavens and minimalist beauties.
It’s difficult to recommend brushes, because we are all different when it comes to our approach to makeup. That is to say, how we do our makeup is the key to owning the right brushes. I’m always a bit leery of “xxx capsule” concepts. One size doesn’t fit all. Why recommend a beauty blender for foundation, if a person might only use powder?
Core brushes
That’s why I tried to base my brush capsule collection both on versatility and utility. And while I certainly use more than the four brushes (FOUR!!!) I recommend here, these are the core of my collection. Consequently, these are my best, most versatile, and most used brushes that can be used for nearly everything you might put on your face.
Face brushes
Let’s start with two base brushes. No matter how you do your base, I think everybody will benefit from a fluffy powder brush and a versatile, domed brush that you can use with blushes, bronzers and even highlighters.
The two I chose for this are cheap, can be bought at the drugstore and are synthetic, which is easy to care for. There’re also vegan and cruelty-free.
Powder brush
The ebelin powder brush can apply everything from loose powders to powder foundations and is reasonably firm to pick up product, but still soft and pliant. (Similar here and here.)
Blush brush
The real techniques blush brush is excellent for blush, but also for bronzing powder application in cream or powder formulas (review). If you’re careful, you can also use the tip to highlight your face. It’s rather cheap, synthetic and very, very versatile, too, but soft enough for you to enjoy the application process.
Eye Shadow brushes
Whatever your eye shadow application skills are, and whatever looks you do – you need two type of brushes to do a proper eye look: one to lay down shadow, and one to blend it. If you’re the kind of ‘one-and-done’ type of person, I’d recommend a workhorse brush like the MAC 217 – oval-shaped and medium firm. If you go for a synthetic brush, you can use it easily with both cream and powder formulas.
Here are three different edits from my own brush collection:
The drugstore edit
Both brushes have been discontinued, but aren’t particularly unique – you’ll find that shape everywhere. Firstly, we have a rather firm paddle brush, which lays down eye shadow beautifully, and secondly, a bushy, dome-shaped fluffy brush to blend and diffuse (similar).
The quality edit
Both brushes are by MAC, which still means that they’ll last you for ages. Albeit their higher price point you can’t go wrong with them. They are now synthetic (they changed all their brushes in 2018). Apply your shadow with the 239, buff and blend with the 217.
The ‘I want to invest’ edit
For the budding makeup enthusiast. Hakuhodo’s brushes are the Mercedes of the brush world – a traditional, high-quality brand. Consequently, they’re also a bit more specialised, although you might use the J142 for both applying and blending eye shadow. It’s fluffy and will blend the most stubborn eye shadow into submission (review).
The i-142 (review) will apply eye shadow very precisely where you want it to go (great if you don’t have a lot of lid space), and the i-127 (review) will apply creamy and also glittery shades without any problems (or fall-out).
Special brushes for singular purposes
Depending on your makeup needs, I’d also recommend the following brushes:
Concealer brush
A tiny pointed eyeliner brush for pinpoint concealing. Trust me, pinpoint concealing WILL change your life. Use a brush like MAC’s 209 for it. (How to do it? Look at Lisa Eldridge’s or Karima McKimmie’s videos.)
Slanted, angled brush
Love doing your brows? You’ll likely need a brush for brow pomades and powders. Use a slanted eyeliner brush. If you want to draw individual hairs, the smaller the brush, the better. I use MAC’s 263.
Eyeliner brush
Fan of eyeliner? You either need a eyeliner brush (see above, pick your poison) for cream eyeliner like MAC’s fluidlines, or a smudger brush for khol and smudging pencil liners. I like MAC’s 219 pencil brush.
Did I miss anything you’d like to add?
Please note that this review is not sponsored in any way. We buy products ourselves, with our own money, and don’t accept exchanging goods, or money, for reviews. We are completely independent, and our reviews reflect that.
