7 Best Makeup Brush Sets

Makeup brushes might not get the same level of love and hype as other makeup products, but any beauty lover would know that they’re super important to achieving a flawless face. Why do we find it so easy to blow tons of cash on fancy lipsticks and cult-status foundations, yet we get so disgruntled by the thought of spending more than 20 bucks on a brush?

Well, good thing affordable makeup brush sets exist, right? These babies might not offer the same premium feel as high-end makeup brushes, but the bang-for-the-buck they offer is truly hard to beat. Perfect for makeup beginners and frugal shoppers, the best makeup brush sets will let you create picture-perfect makeup looks without breaking the bank.

A common theme shared by all makeup brushes, however, is that they can be tricky to figure out. Figuring out which brush is meant to be used with what product can be an overwhelming task.

If you’re facing this dilemma, well, you’re in luck. In this buying guide, we’ll tackle everything you need to know to get acquainted with the wonderful world of makeup brushes—from usage instructions to maintenance tips—so you’re better-equipped to make the best buying decision possible.

After all, makeup brush sets don’t come with instruction manuals (although all beginners will agree that they should!).

Different Face Brushes, Explained

Foundation Brush

A foundation brush is used to apply cream or liquid foundation. It typically sports medium-length bristles that are packed quite dense, so it can easily and quickly spread your base all over your face and neck.

How to use it: Use small, circular buffing motions starting from the center of your face outwards.

Stippling Brush

A stippling brush is used to apply liquid or cream products. You can use it to apply foundation, liquid blush, cream bronzer, and even liquid highlighter. It’s great for ladies with scars and wrinkles because a stippling brush won’t emphasize texture.

How to use it: Apply a bit of product on the tips of the bristles. Instead of circular buffing motions, lightly stamp the product on your face until you get the coverage you want.

Powder Brush

Use a powder brush to set your foundation with your favorite loose or pressed powder. With its long and fluffy bristles, you’ll be able to dust a sheer layer of powder on your face without looking too cakey.

How to use it: Dip the powder brush in a compact or jar of your favorite powder. Don’t forget to tap off excess product, and then sweep the powder evenly across your face while focusing on oilier areas.

Kabuki Brush

A kabuki brush looks similar to a powder brush, but with a flatter top and denser bristles. This is an excellent tool for finishing touches, such as when you’re blending out harsh contour lines or diffusing excess blush.

How to use it: Use gentle circular motions to make sure your makeup is nice and blended. Avoid dragging the brush all over your face as this might make your makeup look less precise.

Blush Brush

The blush brush is smaller than the powder and foundation brush, which makes it a great tool for achieving a pretty flush on the cheeks. It features a slightly-domed shape that is ideal for a concentrated and precise application.

How to use it: Use soft, sweeping motions starting from the apple of your cheeks. Blend towards your ears to achieve an uplifting effect.

Angled Contour Brush

The angled contour brush is perfect for applying contour powder or bronzer. It’s designed to fit the natural hollows of your cheeks, so you’ll be able to sculpt your cheekbones and jawline easily.

How to use it: Pick up a small amount of bronzer on your angled brush. After tapping off excess product, lightly sweep the brush on the hollows of your cheek. Blend until your desired contour intensity is achieved.

Fan Brush

The fan brush sure is a multi-tasker! Although it’s most commonly used to apply a nice wash of highlighter, you can also use it to get rid of fallout that may have settled on your eyelashes and cheeks.

How to use it: Use the brush to apply highlighter on the high points of your face. Lightly sweep the brush on your cheekbones, nose bridge, and cupid’s bow to achieve a gorgeous glow.

A Guide to Eye and Lip Brushes

Angled Liner/Eyebrow Brush

This brush features short, stiff, and angled bristles that make thin and sharp lines achievable. This makes it the perfect partner for achieving that deadly cat-eye. Likewise, you can use it to create thin hair-like strokes when applying your favorite brow pomade.

How to use it: Pick up a small amount of eyeliner with the brush. Then, create thin, sharp lines as close as possible to your lash line. If you’re using it to fill in your brows, start by creating hair-like lines starting from the middle of your eyebrows moving towards the edges.

Fluffy Eyeshadow Brush

The fluffy bristles on this brush make it easy to leave a light sweep of sheer color all over your eyelids. You can also use it to blend harsh eyeshadow lines and achieve a diffused effect.

How to use it: Swirl the bristles over your eyeshadow of choice. After tapping off excess product, use windshield wiper motions to apply color all over your lids.

Precise Blending Eyeshadow Brush

This brush features a slightly narrower tip and denser bristles. Use it to precisely apply eyeshadow into the crease or in the usual outer V area of your eyelids.

How to use it: Use a precise blending brush to precisely apply darker eyeshadows on the contours of your eyes. Make sure to buff away harsh edges so that colors blend seamlessly into one another.

Pencil Brush

The pencil brush is a small eye brush with short bristles and a pointed tip. Its shape makes it perfect for applying eyeshadow along your lower lash line. You can also use a pencil brush to apply a pop of highlight near your tear ducts for a wide-awake look.

How to use it: Sweep eyeshadow along your lower lash line using a pencil brush to balance out your eyeshadow look. With a clean brush, you can also apply a small amount of highlighter in the inner corners of your eyes using light tapping motions.

Flat Shader Brush

A flat shader brush is useful for packing pigment onto your eyelids. Some eyeshadows, like shimmery metallic shades, will require a nice, layered application to achieve full-impact color. The shape of the flat shader brush makes it super easy to pick up product and deposit pigment onto your lids.

How to use it: Load up one side of the flat shader brush with an even layer of pigment. Apply the eyeshadow using tap-and-swipe motions until your desired eyeshadow intensity is achieved. Use the clean side of the brush to blend out excess product.

Lip Brush

Lip brushes are great for lining your lips and filling them in with your lip color of choice. A lip brush offers an application that is a lot more precise than swiping a bullet directly on your lips.

How to use it: First, use the brush to outline your lips until you get crisp and clean edges. Apply more lipstick on the bristles and then fill in the rest of your puckers with a wash of color.

Synthetic vs. Natural Bristles

Unlike other makeup products where a plethora of types, forms, and formulas are available, makeup brushes are classified into just two major categories: synthetic and natural. For makeup beginners, distinguishing between the two can be challenging—and that’s totally okay because that’s what we’re here for!

So, what sets synthetic bristles apart from natural ones? And is one necessarily better than the other? Let’s find out.

Synthetic Bristles

Synthetic makeup brushes use synthetic bristles that are made from materials like nylon and Taklon. Synthetic bristles are usually white or black in color, but they can sometimes be dyed brown or cream to look like natural bristles, too.

What makes synthetic brushes great is that they’re a lot more affordable than natural ones. They also shed less and are easier to wash than natural brushes. The downside? They aren’t as soft—and some synthetic bristles can even feel scratchy on the skin.

Application-wise, synthetic bristles are best used with cream and liquid products. So if you have a wide stash of liquid foundations, concealers, and cream blushes, and bronzers, synthetic brushes are your best bet. Compared to using a damp sponge to apply these products, synthetic brushes are also more economical since they don’t absorb as much product.

And, of course, we must mention that cruelty-free synthetic bristles are the only vegan-approved option when it comes to makeup brushes.

Natural Bristles

Natural brushes use animal hair as bristles. Typically, hair from goats, squirrels, and boars are used. Natural brushes are favored by many because they are delightfully soft, but they’re also more expensive and prone to shedding.

Natural bristles are considered superior when it comes to applying powder products, especially loose-pigment eyeshadows. This is because hair strands naturally contain tiny porous holes which help them pick up more pigment. Brushes with natural bristles are also better in terms of control and precision when applying makeup, which explains why professional makeup artists still prefer them over synthetic brushes.

On the flip side, the presence of porous holes in the brush also makes natural bristles a bit harder to wash. And because they are made from animal hair, people who are prone to animal allergies might not react well to the product.

The Duo-Fiber Brush

A newer, smaller category of makeup brushes also exists – duo-fiber brushes. The duo fiber brush looks characteristically unique with its two-tone bristles—black at the base and white through the top. As the name suggests, duo-fiber brushes contain both synthetic and animal hair, which makes them great for both liquid and powder applications.

Brush Care Tips and Tricks

Regardless of the price of the makeup brush set you end up buying, taking care of your brushes will help extend their lifespan and allow you to get the most out of your purchase. With proper care and maintenance, your makeup brushes can last you years of use.

Cleaning your makeup brushes should be a habit. Many of us are guilty of using our brushes for weeks without washing them at all. But dirty brushes can cause all sorts of trouble—from breakouts to rashes to nasty skin infections.

So, how exactly can you keep your makeup tools in tiptop shape? Follow the tips below!

• Wash your brushes at least once a week. Assuming you use your brushes almost every day, they’re probably brimming with pigment by the time the week is over. If you’re guilty of sharing brushes, then those brushes must be cleaned after each use.
• Exert extra effort when cleaning natural bristles. Treat them like how you treat your actual hair. They must be cleaned, conditioned, and dried vertically to prevent excessive shedding.
• Use a special brush cleaner or a mild shampoo to wash your brushes. Anything too harsh can damage the bristles and compromise the quality and longevity of the brush.
• Mix some oil into your brush cleaner to handle long-wearing makeup. If you use a lot of waterproof, sweat-proof, and long-wearing makeup, you might find it hard to clean your brushes with just mild shampoo. To remedy this, mix a pea-sized drop of olive oil into your brush cleaner to help break down stubborn makeup.
• Avoid soaking your brushes in water. When cleaning your brushes, try to keep liquids away from the handle and ferrule. Only the bristles should be exposed to water and soap to avoid dissolving the glue that holds the brush together.
• Hang them upside down to dry. Brushes should never be left to dry while standing up with the bristles on top. Otherwise, the water and any leftover cleanser will break down the adhesive in the ferrule.
• Avoid using a blow dryer to speed up the drying process. Again, it’s important to protect the adhesive holding the brush together. The heat from the blow dryer can cause the glue to break down, so stick to air drying your brushes for best results.