My Favorite/Most Used Brushes

MAC 239 / MAC 217 / MAC 224 / Real Techniques Expert Face Brush / Real Techniques Setting Brush / Real Techniques Stippling Brush / MAC 109

We've all got the tools we love to use and I'm not sure about you but I love reading about favorite brushes. Why? Well why not? I love finding things that make application a little bit faster and a little bit easier. These are my favorites (and hopefully they're some of yours too)!

Eyes: The MAC 239 is my favorite for packing on color — any color at all. Want a brown smoky eye? Use this to pop the base color all over the lid, and maybe along the bottom lashes as well. Then grab your trusty 217 aka the Mother of All Brushes (IMO) and add some crease color. Go on, add some more and blend that allll out. Not blended quite enough? That's where the 224 comes in. A fluffy one this is, making it perfect for blending evenly and softly. I feel like if you've got these three brushes in your possession, you don't really need many any more. You can create a whole eye look with just these three. Want two instead? Stick with the 239 and the 217, they'll be your best friends. I'm talking BBF4L.

Face: Is it surprising that I haven't included the ever-loved Buffing Brush? I'm gonna be honest, I really don't love that brush at all. The only thing I use it for is Laura Mercier Mineral Foundation and that's about it. When it comes to foundation application I stick with the Expert Face Brush. It perfectly applies YSL Le Teint Touché Éclat and Jouer Matte Moisture tint like a dream (when I'm not using my fingers). Something about the way this brush buffs foundation into the skin makes you look totally flawless.

I'm not at all a concealer girl but when I do use it (effing creepy stealth blemishes), I use the Setting Brush. Dot, swirl, brush. It covers anything I need covered and with minimal effort. It's also super great for setting concealer under the eyes.

The Stippling Brush is my go-to for cream blush. Stippling one of Stila's Convertible Color blushes onto the skin is a breeze with this thing. It picks up just the right amount and leaves you with a natural flush of color.

Lastly, my beloved 109. Probably my favorite brush of all time. I use this for contouring, blush, highlighter, basically anything cheek related. Since it is a contour brush, it fits perfectly under your cheekbones to give you a lovely defined look (which I'm really into). For some reason this lil thang is also amazing with blush; NARS, MAC, whatever you like. I haven't tried it with cream blush so I'm not exactly sure how it'd work, but as far as powder goes, it's the cream of the brush crop.

Aaaaand that pretty much sums up my favorite brushes. I'm pretty sure if I had to live with only these I would be totally okay with that. What are your favorite brushes? I love trying out new ones!