It’s no secret that quality brushes make all the difference to makeup application. Here are my current top 5 favourite face brushes.
From blush application to bronzer blending, the right brush can elevate your products and make your life so much easier. So when I find a face brush that not only applies my makeup beautifully but also makes my life easier, it becomes a stable in my everyday makeup routine. I’m talking about a ‘forget-about-all-my-other-brushes’ kind of usage. Here I’ve selected my top 5 favourite face brushes that I use almost everyday when I do my makeup. Not only do I recommend these brushes in particular, I also recommend the brands themselves as they all make beautiful brushes for any kind of makeup application! Keep in mind as well that you don’t have to use these brushes how I use them, just experiment and see how they work best for you and your makeup routine.
xoBeauty Small Face brush ($20)
I have to start with this brush as I use it everyday without fail to set my under eye concealer with powder. The petite size of this brush makes it perfect to powder small areas of the face and it is so soft! I’ve owned this brush for over a year now and the only signs of wear is slight smudging of the logo on the brush handle. This brand was created by beauty influencer ‘Shaaanxo’ and operates out of New Zealand so they are easy and quick to get your hands on if you live in Australia. All the brushes are made in Italy (so luxe) and are cruelty free. This brush in particular is made using dermatologically tested synthetic fibres and is vegan. This brush would also be great for highlighter and contour powder.
Smith Cosmetics 112 Bronzer Brush ($33 USD)
If you watch beauty tutorials, I’m sure you’ve heard of Smith Cosmetics. Smith Cosmetics is an innovative, high quality makeup brush brand created out of Canada that creates unique brushes with a strong focus on application and the makeup artist experience. These are not your typical makeup brushes as they do not replicate other popular styles, their saying is literally “Innovation not Replication”. I bought a few Smith brushes from a makeup expo a few years ago (I was even lucky enough to meet and speak with Janelle from the Smith team) and fell in love with this brush for applying my Hourglass finishing powders under my eyes and on the high points of my face. It is the perfect size for the under eye area and gets fluffier the longer you own it and wash it. Funnily enough I have never used it to apply bronzer, despite its name. This brush is made from soft pure black goat hair and is perfect for applying soft, diffused colour to the face. Since this brand is based in Canada, it can be a little expensive to get your hands on them so keep your eyes out for any makeup expos that Smith may be attending.
Morphe E3-Precision Pointed Powder ($26)
I absolutely adore this brush for applying my powder blushes. I bought this brush and a few others from the Elite collection after Morhpe announced their Australian website. I had mixed feelings with Morphe as I previously owned some of the Gunmetal collection brushes and loved them but owned a generic Morphe collection brush and really disliked it (it’s not the best quality). The Elite collection seemed more towards the luxurious side of their brushes so I gave them a go and I wasn’t disappointed. The brushes are super soft and they have a high quality look and feel. I feel in love with this brush due to its pointed shape and the way it diffuses powder products on the face. I use it every day to apply my blush and have also used it for bronzer. I highly recommend this brush and I am even considering buying a second for my collection!
Morphe E34-Tapered Blush ($26)
Originally when I bought this brush I wasn’t fussed about it as I prefer a fluffier brush for my blusher but then I tried it to apply my bronzer and well…I’ve been using it everyday since. It’s a very dense brush and its medium size is perfect for applying bronzer along the contours of the face. I also like that it fits perfectly in my Hourglass Ambient Lighting Edit palette as the pans in it are a bit small which makes it harder for some of my other brushes to pick up product. I have been using this brush to primarily apply my Golden Bronze Light bronzer from my Hourglass ‘Ambient Lighting Edit – Unlocked’ palette and it does such a lovely job at giving me a precise yet soft bronze wash of colour.
Zoeva 134 Luxe Powder Fusion ($19)
I bought this brush recently and wrote about my first impressions of it in my “New Makeup and Old Favourites: Makeup Haul Part 3” blog post. Since purchasing it I have used it almost every time I’ve applied highlighter as it does a great job at really buffing in the powders and making them look more ‘wet’ and glossy. I learnt this tip from Mariah Leonard on YouTube as she says the more you buff and work a powder highlight into your skin, the glassier and dewier it becomes. This brush is perfect for this technique as it’s a smaller size that gives you room to buff powders in circular motions around your face. And as I guessed, it has also become fluffier in size after washing (a good thing in my opinion). Zoeva is a great brand and really accessible for us Australians as it’s sold in Sephora, and for a very good price I might add.
So that’s my round-up of my current top 5 favourite face brushes, I hope you found a brush or brand that intrigues you! I would love to know any brushes that you are currently loving and how you use them to apply your makeup because I’m always on the hunt for some new gems!