How I Built My Brush Collection: Face Edition

For the longest time, the only makeup brush I owned was a big powder one that came with some mineral foundation I bought one time. Now, I have about ten brushes dedicated to use on my face, most of which I reach for every time I decided to wear makeup. In this post I’ll tell you a bit about each brush, specifically why I bought it and what I use it for (if I still use it).

The full list (with links and explanations to follow) is:

• Nude by Nature Application Brush
• Manicare Precision Blending Sponge
• Ecotools Brush Set
• Makeup Geek Angled Contour Brush
• Makeup Geek Deluxe Foundation Stippling Brush
• Amuse Fan Brush
• Sigma F55 Small Duo Fibre Brush
• Sigma F10 Powder/Blush Brush
• Sigma Hollywood Glamour Retractable Kabuki Brush
• Bobbi Brown Face Blender Brush

Nude by Nature Application Brush - This is the aforementioned “big powder brush.” It came with my Nude by Nature mineral foundation (which I don’t use anymore because I recently discovered it did not match my skin at all). It is still a good brush, however, and is super soft even after I’ve had it for about 18 months or so. I use it to apply any mineral powder foundations I might be trying (or my current go-to one that I won in an online competition - Estee Lauder Double Wear Loose Powder Mineral Rich Makeup).

Manicare Precision Blending Sponge - To apply liquid foundation, I found a highly recommended product called the BeautyBlender, which is very popular among makeup fans online. However, I couldn’t justify the high price as a beginner, so I found this cheap alternative. It’s not at all like the BeautyBlender as it’s basically just a latex sponge shaped a different way, but I found it does the job nicely. I might switch to something else pretty soon, as I’ve had this for quite some time and it’s due for a change.

Ecotools Brush Set (Powder Brush and Concealer Brush) - After some initial research, I found many recommendations for Ecotools’ Brush Set (which also comes with three eye brushes), which I found were delightfully soft and cruelty-free. I initially used the Powder Brush to apply bronzer when contouring my face and I now use it to apply blush to my cheeks (though this function has largely been overtaken by the Sigma brush I got later on). I occasionally use the Concealer Brush to blend in concealer on my face, but only on special nights out; most of the time I just use my fingers for this.

Makeup Geek Angled Contour Brush - After some deliberation, I decided to buy a brush better suited for contouring my face. The Ecotools brush was fine, but I found it did not do a very good job of picking up enough color unless I pinched the bristles in. Controlling the line of the contour was also more difficult. Hence, I got this brush and I really like it. I use it with bronzer to draw a line on my cheek as the basis for my contour and then use it to blend the bronzer upwards as necessary.

Makeup Geek Deluxe Foundation Stippling Brush - I bought this brush after watching Marlena (owner of Makeup Geek) use it in many of her videos. It’s very soft and definitely of very high quality for the price, but I’ve since only used it on liquid foundations, and even then only when I want very full coverage. I’ve found it doesn’t spread product very well, so for light coverage it’s not very good and I use the Manicare sponge instead. For full coverage though it serves to give a very nice finish.

Amuse Fan Brush - Now, I apply my face makeup before I do my eyes, because I find it easier to apply face makeup without worrying about messing up my eye makeup. However, some of the eyeshadows I used had a lot of fallout, which meant that I would get specks of eyeshadow all over my cheeks, and removing it with my fingers would leave smears of eyeshadow on my face. Lovely. I looked up the solution to this problem and a brush like this one was the answer. A gentle sweep across the cheeks took care of the problem.

Sigma F55 Small Duo Fibre Brush - When the MAC Matchmaster foundation was recommended to me as a good match for my skin and skintype (and oh my gosh it really is), the makeup artist recommended I use a brush like this one to apply it. I’ve tried it a couple of times and while it’s a good brush, but I far prefer the result I get from using the Manicare sponge, so I don’t use this much anymore. I may go back to it when I start using more blush and highlight products on my face.

Sigma F10 Powder/Blush Brush - I ordered this brush the same time I ordered the previous brush, mainly as a brush I could use to apply a finishing or setting powder over my foundation. I used it this way a few times, intending to give my skin a dewy finish like the research told me it would… and it was great, but now that it’s summer a dewy finish is the last thing I want. Plus, it tends to shed a lot so I don’t like using it much. I now use this apply blush to the apples of my cheeks.

Sigma Hollywood Glamour Retractable Kabuki Brush - During one of Sigma’s sales, I splurged a little bit as an early Christmas treat and bought this (along with some eye brushes that I LOVE but will talk about another time), following a lovely makeup artist’s advice that this helps make bronzer look more natural. This is probably one of my favourite brushes because it’s super soft and is perfect for buffing out and softening the bronzer on my face. So I use the Angled Contour Brush from Makeup Geek to apply bronzer and pack on color, then use this brush to buff it out and blend out any harsh lines.

Bobbi Brown Face Blender Brush - This came along with the Bobbi Brown Shimmer Brick I bought during an end-of-year sale. I use it to apply the Shimmer Brick’s highlight shades onto the tops of my cheekbones, then follow with the Sigma Kabuki Brush to blend together.

Next on my list will be the Beauty Blender Pure, which I intend to get as part of my “Self-Congratulatory Prize Pack” that I am getting myself as a treat for getting my new awesome job and also passing my driving test. I’ll be sure to let you all know how it goes!