A few weeks ago, I pondered doing a Favorite Brushes post, as I was discussing how much I liked the BH Cosmetics Marble Luxe set in my Current Favorites, so I decided to just go ahead and do it. My brushes were *reasonably* clean, so it seemed as good of a time as any. I am not married to any one brand of brushes and I tend to use a range of brushes, from affordable to more high end, but I think most of them live somewhere in the middle. I use a lot of Morphe brushes, who are known for their affordable brushes, but I tend to gravitate to their Elite line, which is a bit pricier (but better quality) than some of their cheaper options. But I’ll get into all those details below!
And keep an eye out for Part 2, which is all about my favorite eye brushes, coming next week.
Morphe E6 Premium Flat Buffer ($15): When I’m not using a damp sponge to apply foundation, I’m using this flat-top kabuki from the Morphe Elite line. It’s super dense and soft, and I’ve never noticed an issue with brush shedding when I’m applying product or washing the brush itself. This brush has a nice weight to it and it feels nice to hold and use. And I think this goes without saying, since this is my brush faves, but it applies product really nicely and evenly.
BH Cosmetics Marble Luxe Brush Set (#6 – Multi-tasking face Brush) ($26.60/set): This is one of the brushes from that BH Cosmetics set that I am always talking about now. You could use this brush for a number of things, but I specifically use it to apply eye primer, to ensure it’s applied evenly. But I’m sure you could use this for under-eye concealer or even a contour brush. The bristles are super soft and really nice quality.
IT Brushes for Ulta Love Beauty Fully Blending Concealer Brush #203 ($22): I used to use this brush for my eye primer, but eventually went back and started using it for its intended use: concealer. I use this brush with my pot concealers: the NARS Soft Matte Complete Concealer ($30) which I use on my nose and blemishes and my Glossier Stretch Concealer ($18) which I use under my eyes on lighter makeup days. This brush makes it easy to get a nice even layer of coverage without going overboard and looking cake-y. This is on the higher-end of some of the brushes I’m mentioning, but Ulta has sales all the time, so I’m sure you could get a discount on it.
BH Cosmetics Marble Luxe Brush Set (16 – Jumbo Face Brush) ($26.60/set): This is another brush from that BH Cosmetics brush set I keep talking about (see, you can tell I legitimately love this set!). The brush is giant and it feels heavy and expensive. Very luxe. I will use a smaller brush (The Morphe M501 below) to dust powder under my eyes and on my nose, but when I want to set the rest of my face very quickly, this is the brush I turn to.
Morphe Y11 Deluxe Pointed Contour Brush ($8): I alternate using this brush and the M501 when dusting powder under my eyes. I’ve been reaching for the M501 more recently, but this one is just a bit more dense. I really like the shape of it, in terms of setting the under-eye area. I also think the quality of the Y line is better than the M line, and I think this has held up to washing better than the M501.
Morphe M501 Pro Pointed Blender (Currently Sold Out but I think it’s like $5?): I think this brush is intended to be a highlighter brush, but I didn’t like it for highlighter at all. However, because the bristles are not very densely packed, I think it’s great for dusting a very light layer of powder under my eyes. Because I am old now (almost 37, WHAT!) I have to be careful about using too much powder under my eyes or else it highlights Every. Single. Wrinkle. When I use a brush like this, I can set my concealer nicely without using too much powder. I have noticed that this brush sheds a little bit when I’m applying makeup and when I’m washing the brush. I am going to look for a similar brush in the Elite line if I can find one because I know the quality will be much better. However, until then, I’m still using this one pretty much every day.
Morphe E4 Angled Contour Brush ($14): I use the E4 Angled Contour brush for blush, actually. I struggle with blush brushes that are just a big round fluff, because I feel like it applies more blush than I want, in areas I do not want it. This angled brush fits my cheeks perfectly and applies the perfect amount of blush. I have two of these – one for my home vanity and one for my travel bag. I can’t apply blush without it! I’d be lost!
Smith Cosmetics 112 Bronzer Brush ($33): This might be the most expensive brush I own, and I got it in a Smith Cosmetics brush set from my parents on my birthday a year or so ago and I love it so much. So many bronzer brushes you see on the market today are GIANT. Similar to the BH Cosmetics powder brush i mentioned above. However, I find those to be super unwieldy, as I don’t WANT bronzer in that many places. Since my face is pretty small, I don’t need bronzer EVERYWHERE. A small brush like this is all I really need. While this is an expensive brush, it will last you a long time with proper care. You can also use this brush for a variety of things due to its size.
Morphe M510 Pro Round Blender ($8): I’m pretty sure Jaclyn Hill has raved about this brush for a long time for her highlighter, and I only recently hopped on the bandwagon. Now it’s like… I don’t know where this brush has been all my life. It applies highlighter perfectly. The bristles are a bit rough but I feel like this helps them grab a bit more product and disperse the perfect amount on your cheekbones. And shoulders. And collarbones. Wherever else you need highlighter. I’ll be honest, after I washed it for the first time, it looked a little rough. But I used a mesh brush shaper to get it back into place, and it worked just fine.
Now… stay tuned for Part 2… all of my favorite eye brushes. And I do mean ALL.
laurenelectro
A self-proclaimed beauty junkie/hoarder with a serious Sephora problem. This blog is a total rationalization of that problem. Everything is TOTALLY fine. Her free time is a mixed combination of making fun of reality TV with her husband, hanging out with cats and finally trying to figure out how to do her hair.