Best makeup brushes?

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Quote: Originally Posted by Ginanimal /img/forum/go_quote.gif
 
I don't think there is anything wrong with applying your foundation with your fingers. However, you might not get as good coverage or as nice and smooth a finish doing it that way.

I use liquid foundation and I use the Real Techniques Expert Face Brush to apply it. I love the way it applies liquid foundation but it is designed equally for cream foundation and powder foundation as well.

I think that you might be doing yourself a disservice by applying your eyeshadows and blushes with the (usually crappy) brushes and sponge tip applicators that come with them. For eyeshadow, I think it's essential to have at least a shader brush (for application on the lid) and a crease brush such as the MAC 217. I believe Real Techniques also has several eyeshadow brushes but I have never used them.

You need a blush brush as well. Real Techniques makes a great one. I personally use a Crown Brush blush brush that I love, the SS024 Deluxe Pointed Blush - from the Syntho Series. If you want to get yourself a basic set of brushes, I would either order one of the sets from Crown Brush (they are very reasonably priced) or just get the two sets from Real Techniques (I think there is a face set and an eye set) and you would be good to go. Then, as you get more experienced with using brushes, I would add to the collection and begin to pick up brushes from different  manufacturers.

Many people start out getting ecotools brushes because they are cheap and readily available at drugstores. However I would avoid those and spend your money on better quality brushes.

Check out Crownbrush.com  and look at their PDF catalog. Down towards the bottom are their brush sets. Real Techniques brushes are available at Ulta.

Let me know if you have any other specific questions. Also, on my blog there is post on my Crown brushes and I made a youtube video about them as well (links in signature)
THANK YOU SO MUCH for all of this!! I will be referring back and forth from your post while making decisions, and will definately have to check out your video and blog. 
I'm really worried about using a brush for foundation, I wouldn't know what  I was doing. Maybe I'll check out some tutorials. 
All the way on board with investing in eyeshadow and blush brushes. I recently purchased the urban decay Naked3 pallete and the brush it came with made me realize exactly why I've always made a mess of my eyeshadow when using the junky little applicators they come with. 

 
Quote: Originally Posted by Krystan /img/forum/go_quote.gif
  THANK YOU SO MUCH for all of this!! I will be referring back and forth from your post while making decisions, and will definately have to check out your video and blog. 
I'm really worried about using a brush for foundation, I wouldn't know what  I was doing. Maybe I'll check out some tutorials. 
All the way on board with investing in eyeshadow and blush brushes. I recently purchased the urban decay Naked3 pallete and the brush it came with made me realize exactly why I've always made a mess of my eyeshadow when using the junky little applicators they come with. 
 You are most welcome! Check out pixiwoo's (creator of Real Techniques brushes) video on how to use her various brushes to apply foundation: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=U-MUrtLQazw

 
Quote: Originally Posted by Krystan /img/forum/go_quote.gif
  Wow I really need help :( /emoticons/[email protected] 2x" width="20" height="20" />
 
On a scale of horrifying to 10, how bad is it that I mostly use my fingers to apply foundation, and at all other times it's whatever sponge or brush comes with whatever I'm using? 

I'm wanting to expand my makeup skills, could anyone be so kind as to give me the basic must-have list of brushes! And what to use them with/how to use them? I may cry. 
Nothing terrible at all!

Everyone has different ways that work better for them.  I dot my foundation on with my fingers, then buff with a buffing brush! I can control the amount of product better with my fingers, and then the buffing gives me a smooth finish. Works perfectly for me. :) /emoticons/[email protected] 2x" width="20" height="20" /> I don't like super heavy coverage and if I completely apply with a brush, I often end up wearing a bit more than I need! It's a really easy way to ease into foundation brushes, too! I love the Real Techniques face brushes.

As for blushes, eyeshadows, etc...I do find I get much much better results when I use brushes with those and not the applicators that come with them. (I also use Real Techniques eye brushes and blush brush, too...love them.)

 
I've got a mix a lot of Sephora brand, some Mufe, Bobbi Brown, some Illamasqua, Hourglass, Urban Decay and Smashbox. A couple of beauty blenders. I just sort of accumulated them up to now based on need, but lately I've been looking around more for upgraded versions of brushes, or tweaks in designs to make them nicer so I'm on the hunt. Definitely want to try some Hakuhodo and Crown Brushes. I did just order a Wayne Goss brush and I LOVE it, so I'm thinking about ordering more from that line too. You can never have too many tools.

 
just wanted to post here that Crown brushes are on Hautelook for AMAZING prices today. Don't know how long it will be for. 

I already bought two sets of the Real Techniques brushes but I'm going to grab a set of the Crown ones 
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Wow I really need help :( /emoticons/[email protected] 2x" width="20" height="20" />   On a scale of horrifying to 10, how bad is it that I mostly use my fingers to apply foundation, and at all other times it's whatever sponge or brush comes with whatever I'm using?  I'm wanting to expand my makeup skills, could anyone be so kind as to give me the basic must-have list of brushes! And what to use them with/how to use them? I may cry. 
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Hi krystan, make up brushes do the biggest difference in makeup application. And since you dont know what brushes to get and also they are very expensive, i highly highly recommend you get the Zoeva very croc set. It has 18 brushes and it costs 40 $. You wont believe the quality of the brushes i love them more than my sigma set
 
Royal and Langnickel silk pro, sigma, morphe brushes, toofaced teddy bear hair, tarte airbrush finish brushes/kabuki, sugarpill... I started out years ago with Eco tools and will randomly buy them here and there, I'm getting ready to try the real techniques brushes since everyone seems to have some!

 
Just got most of S100 series and J series from hakuhodo, and a rae morris brush set. I haven't got to try all of them yet. but will post a review soon. so far the quality of my hakuhodo's and rae morris seems to be comparable. just not a fan of the magnets on it :) /emoticons/[email protected] 2x" width="20" height="20" />

 
I have a basic 18 brush set from ebay which I got as a gift, an elf eye blender brush cheap but really soft. Recently, I decided to expand my makeup brush collection so I bought 2 brushes from Marshalls the brand is essential beauty which I never heard of before but I love them since they are super soft and about $6-7 each for a blush and bronzed brush. I also ordered some real techniques dupe brushes off ebay so I am just waiting for them to arrive.

 
I have mostly ELF Studio brushes, which are quite good. I also have the Urban Decay optical blurring brush and I absolutely love it.

 
I'm doing my brush cleaning tonight and saw this thread. Good timing! I have a mix of elf, Sonia Kushak, real techniques, sephora, and smashbox (from a gift set) I'm not a MUA, these are just piecemeal things I bought as I needed them. I want more though!!! Especially 2 nice kabuki brushed!
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Okay, so this is gonna sound a lil strange but some of my best brushes came from my bro. He paints and is somewhat very good at it. So le-me explain, he sometimes buys these expensive paint brushes and he's let me have a few which are of high quality, yup its thinking out side the box but don't knock it till you try it  ;) /emoticons/[email protected] 2x" width="20" height="20" />   -Other brushes I use are Mac based brushes and I have a few from ELF but by far I mostly use paint artist brushes.

 
I use ecotools, but my most reliable tool is actually my fingers because it gives more coverage for bb creams.  :p /emoticons/[email protected] 2x" width="20" height="20" />

 
I use and love most of the Real Techniques brushes, especially because they are synthetic, so you can work with cream and powder products. Also, their prices are really good. I like all of the EcoTools brushes I have, they are high quality cruelty free brushes. I also use the Bdellium tools brushes, I guess with these it's a hit and miss, cause they have some really great brushes, and some that are so so... If you are interested in specific brushes I will be happy to give you my list, so let me know... 

With brushes, I really don't think you should invest so much money for the high-end brands, because there are some really really great professional brushes which are very much affordable. 

 
I have Mac brushes mostly and a selection of random brushes by all different companies.

I just wanted to ask your opinions on Sigma brushes. I want to treat myself to a complete set and was wondering should I go for Mac or Sigma, or maybe something else?

Thanks guys xx

 
I am crazy about makeup brushes! I am not a MUA but I think they're just so pretty and I love exploring how each brush differs in application.

I am a Sigma fan girl. I have the original Sigma set from when they started in 2009 and its in great condition. I also have the synthetic kabuki set as well as the precision eye set.

I also bought a set from ebay and its beginning to fall apart on me. For the most part, they still feel nice and soft and do the job. I would have to glue the heads back on to the handle which gets a little annoying. Here's the video when I got pissed that my foundation brush fell apart. http://instagram.com/p/nyaHP_wdOA

Sonia Kashuk brushes are also my favorite. I bought a gold set for $15 on clearance.

ELF is hit or miss for me. I have a handful of single eyeshadow brushes (the white handles) and I love them. Also, I bought an e.l.f. holiday brush set and threw everything but the eye brushes away. You could tell they were factory pressed and the bristles were not glued/distributed evenly.

I keep wanting to go check out my local arts and crafts store because I have heard that artist brushes are basically good for makeup brushes as well! I am hoping to hoard more precision eyeliner brushes.

At the end of the month, I hate cleaning all these brushes haha :p

 

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