My Favorite Eyeshadow Brushes

While the quality of a product matters a great deal, the quality of the tool being used to work with the product matters a great deal more. That’s basically a complicated way of saying that if your brushes suck, so will the way your eyeshadow looks. It doesn’t matter if you’re working with luxury eyeshadows, crappy brushes will destroy your look – guaranteed.

But the good news is that quality brushes don’t have to be expensive! There are lots of affordable brushes out there that perform very well, and that’s exactly what we’re going to talk about today.

Brushes that rock my world but don’t kill my wallet.

Let’s just jump right into it!

Starting From the Top

Pencil Brush

A pencil brush is a must for precise application. I specifically like to use it for highlighting my inner corner. Lots of brands create amazing pencil brushes – the main thing you want to look for is a pointed tip and soft bristles. Mine is from a limited edition Sonia Kashuk brush set.

Fluffy Blending Brush

This is probably one of the most important brushes I own, because I can create an entire look from it. I particularly like this one from Wet N Wild because of how the bristles are packed – it’s just fluffy enough.

Eye Smudger Brush

This is a Mary Kay brush and I love it because it is densely packed. The length and density of the bristles easily smudges your eye shadow with minimal effort. I use it to add darker eye shadow colors closer to my lash line for depth and dimension.

Packing Brush

This brush is from ELF, well loved (as you can see), and cost me $1. The flat shape of this brush makes it ideal for packing color on the lid. Both mattes and shimmers apply beautifully with it!

Tapered Blending Brush

This is the BR-250 brush from Coastal Scents. I love this brush for its shape. The ferrule is slightly pinched, making the bristles display in an oval shape, as opposed to circular. This makes it ideal for blending in the crease. It keeps the shadow slightly tighter and neater than a typical fluffy brush.

Eye Color Brush

Another Mary Kay brush, this one is unique to my collection. It’s basically a more dense, less fluffy version of the BR-250. It’s great for a more precise application, especially on the lower lash line because it still has some fluff to it.

When doing my eyeshadow, I reach for these brushes every time. They help me achieve basic and more complicated looks. Everyone would benefit from having brushes like this in their collection!

Question of the Day:

What are some of your most used brushes?