Best make-up brushes (and the one type of brush no woman should be without)
If you're lost in a world of duo fibres, vibrating ‘stippling’ brushes and beauty tools that look more like paddles than product-pasters, have no fear. We’re here with the definitive list to 2019’s best make-up brushes.
Whether you’re looking to buy a make-up artist-worthy collection or a foundation brush that will do all the hard work for you, we’ve put the industry’s best-selling beauty tools to the test to find the top of the shops.
All brushes were tested using the same make-up (listed below) in the same manner. Each brush was cleaned thoroughly and re-tested to quality check and ensure there would be no shedding.
1. B. make-up brushes
Why? They are the best vegan make-up brushes
B.’s individually-sold range of make-up brushes forgo animal hairs for artist-quality Taklon (a vegan-friendly synthetic), bringing handcrafted and conscious quality to each of the twelve tools.
At price points you’ll barely blink over, the Superdrug-sold selection ticks every box you’d hope a luxury line would; each brush is soft, durable and applies make-up far better than you’d be able to without it.
My personal highlights of the collection are the Fan Brush and Blending Brush. The Fan Brush, pictured, is unbelievably soft and can plant the lightest touch of a bold highlighter or blush with ease. Inherently multi-functional, it also lifts away extra product or fallen eyeshadow in seconds.
The B. Blending Brush is a similarly versatile favourite. Its flat, short head is incredibly dense and blends everything - cream foundation, heavy powders, liquid bronzer, etc - with ease. I’ve regularly used it to place and blend out a natural contour line in a rush.
The cleverly-angled Eye Contour Brush also sets up a smoky eye in seconds.
2. Jane Iredale The Retractable Handi
Why? It is the best powder brush around
The ‘Retractable’ is identical to the brand’s trademarked Handi Brush - a cult beauty favourite in its own right - only portable.
When unveiled from its purse-friendly rose gold casing, the brush’s silky soft bristles apply pressed and mineral powders so naturally the products end up looking like a second skin. Just like its predecessor.
The powder brush is quite simply designed to perfection and a pleasure to use. So much so I’ve started brushing excess powder over my clavicle for a micro morning massage.
Tip: the bristles take a good 24 hours to dry after being washed, so factor this in to your weekly clean.
3. Magnitone BlendUp Vibra-Sonic Makeup Brush
Why? Its a phenomenal foundation brush - with a difference
This vibrating make-up brush is the ideal innovation for cream and liquid foundation lovers.
Though it is a well-designed brush in its own right, the BlendUp’s added vibrating mode helps your foundation blend and blur pores to practical invisibility.
With over 250 micro-movements per second, the brush seems to airbrush skin (though it technically does the exact opposite) in seconds and blend unwanted streaks or edges away before they could ever appear.
I recommend applying your moisturiser or primer with the brush before foundation (to stimulate the skin), using a light hand (a little goes a long way), and doing a daily soap spruce on its self-cleaning mode (activated by holding the power button for three seconds).
A two-hour USB charge offers roughly 100 minutes of use, so most people will only have to charge the brush once or twice a month.
4. Brushworks High Definition Unicorn Sets
Why? You can purchase high-quality brushes with your weekly shop
Brushworks’ latest collection - featuring two ‘HD’ Unicorn Makeup brush sets for face and eyes - does far more than jump on the unicorn-shaped bandwagon.
Though their holographic hues could suggest the make-up brushes are geared for a younger or more experimental customer, the hand-crafted and cruelty-free brush sets pack a professional punch.
The Face Set features a Buffing Brush (for powder), a Tapered Contour & Highlighter Brush, a Flat Foundation Brush, and a Precision Detailer & Concealer Brush - literally everything you might need for a daily face. For ￡20. I've used the Flat brush to apply both foundation and under-eye concealer as it is smaller than most foundation brushes and can easily pack product into tiny corners.
The Eye and Brow Set, a pound cheaper at ￡19, consists of five brushes but suffers - slightly - from not listing their functions on the brushes themselves. It is easy to assume one would be used for shading, blending, smudging, liner and brows (respectively), but those who aren’t familiar with traditional brush shapes and densities could get confused.
Nonetheless, these brushes are fabulously affordable and do exactly what they’re supposed to. The smudging brush, in particular, is perfect for light under-eye shadow linger application and really helps to open up the eye.
5. Artis Elite 5 Brush Set
Why? They are the best of the best
Surprisingly, those paddle brushes you've seen people beating their faces with on Instagram are not just a gimmick.
There are a handful of companies cutting their existing brushes into shape to capitalize on the trend, sure, but a handful of brushes - like this set from Artis - are the real deal.
Buried in the bandwagon, these brushes were actually created by an accomplished make-up artist who realised - after over 30 years training thousands of make-up artists to paint the faces of others - that consumers needed different kind of brushes to apply their own make-up best.
The mostly-flat brushes are a DIY dream; the animal-friendly CosmeFibre bristles offer superior blending (genuinely requiring next to no product for flawless application) and the proprietary metal alloy handles (similar to what is used in the manufacture of luxury car engines) are a pleasure to paddle with.
Their best-sellers are also all available - at a fraction of their cost - in The Elite 5 Brush Set. The full-face kit includes the Oval 7 (best for foundation, blush & contour), Oval 4 (concealer brush of the Beauty Gods). Oval 3 (eye makeup), Linear 1 (double duty for eyeliner and brows), and Circle 1R (which I love for highlighter but can be used for lip colour, eye shadow, spot concealing and everything in between).
6. Blank Canvas MagniMarble make-up brush set
Why? It is the best make-up brush set to gift
I believe good brushes are imperative to good make-up and, in turn, that good-looking brush sets are imperative to a good morning routine. And so does lesser-known (but high-performing) make-up brush company Blank Canvas.
Their MagniMarble make-up brush set might just be the first thing that makes me smile in the morning. Every multi-use brush in this ten-piece collection has a magnetic base which snaps to its pole-opposed frame after use for display.
I have, however obsessive-compulsively, stood my favourite four brushes (MF56 for foundation, MF48 for concealer, MF47 for powder, and MF35 for contour) upright on the left side of the frame in the order I use them for daily use. On the other side, I’ve ‘hung’ the other brushes in the order I’m likely to use them; the ME45 (a lovely, fluffy eyeshadow brush - but I don’t wear shadow every day).
Overall, the set is unique, high quality and phenomenal value.
7. Zoeva Rose Golden Luxury Brush Set - Volume 2
Why? It has every brush you need for every day
This luxe make-up brush set provides a rare opportunity to judge a very promising book by its cover.
The acclaimed brush brand’s ‘Rose Golden’ Volume 2 set streamlines your cosmetic comrades into eight beautiful pieces - each of which is as effective as it is aesthetically pleasing. With a matching Pinterest-perfect beauty bag, to boot.
Inside, you have three brushes for your skin (foundation, contour, and a blush/powder) and five for defining and lining your eyes and brows. All of which are wooden-handled and soft as they come.
From left to right, we have the 104 Buffer (blending everything from cream to powder), the 109 Luxe Face Paint (a dense dream for contouring), the 126 Luxe Cheek Finish (which doubles up as a fluffy setting powder brush), the 226 Smudger (for blending eyeshadow at the lash line), the 228 Luxe Crease (for the crease, naturally), the 234 Luxe Smoky Shader (my favourite for all over lid colour), the 317 Wing Liner (my personal favourite as the brush is thinner than most of its variety and makes kitten eyes foolproof), and the 322 Brow Line (for natural-looking hair strokes using cream and powder eyebrow products).
Make-up used to test all brushes above:
Foundation brushes - Lush Magical Moringa and Slap Stick
Concealer brushes - Lush Trix Stick
Powder brushes - Lush Emotional Brilliance Powder
Contour brushes - Lush Charisma Skin Tint
Blush/bronzer brushes - Anastasia Beverley Hills Powder Bronzer
Eyeshadow brushes - Huda Beauty The New Nude Eyeshadow Palette
Eyeliner brushes - Bobbi Brown Longwear Gel Eyeliner
Highlighter brushes - Illamasqua Beyond Powder in OMG
Q&A with Spice Girls make-up artist, Karin Darnell
Who better to speak to than make-up artist of make-up artists, Karin Darnell, for the low-down on make-up brushes? Karin was make-up artist to the Spice Girls for the duration of their record-breaking careers (Spiced and individually) and has long-standing working relationships with the likes of Jessie J, Cheryl and Rihanna (Karin has worked on over twelve videos and two movies for Riri alone).
"Make up brushes are one of the most important key items in any make-up artist's kit," she says. "Spending time trying out different brands can go a long way in terms of getting the most out of your make-up."
What make-up brushes do you need?
"I would say a stippling brush is a make-up artist must-have as it is extremely versatile and can be used for so many different things; contouring, blending and highlighting to name a few!"
Best make-up artist brush secret?
"Flat fibre fan brushes are definitely underrated in my eyes. It’s fan shape works extremely well for blending powders and pigments and it is a great multi-tasker brush.
"With this brush there is no over-bronzing or over-highlighting. And while you can use many kinds of brushes to knock off fallout from eyeshadow, this is also the best brush to lightly fling away particles without causing streaks."
How often should you clean make-up brushes - and how?
"Make-up brushes should be washed with a baby shampoo or liquid hand soap at least every month – or more often to get rid of any bacteria. They need to be cleaned regularly as you pass on bacteria from brushes on to your face which, in time, can cause skin issues, spots and blackheads."
"It is important to clean them in lukewarm water rather than boiling hot water as brush bristles tend to fall out if you do. Rinse them well, squeezing out any excess water.
"I’d also recommend spraying brushes weekly with an antibacterial cleaning spray and drying with a tissue to keep them in their best condition."
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