With the advent of beauty gurus and beauty vloggers online making makeup techniques more accessible to people, more and more regular people are starting to realize the benefits of owning makeup brushes in achieving their beauty looks. Having the right tools to apply your products can spell the difference between a polished makeup look and a sloppy one. Good thing there’s no shortage of makeup brushes being sold now, especially online.
Even gurus and vloggers are launching their own brushes to complement their other merch.
But given the abundance of choices, it can be quite overwhelming to try and pick a great set that’ll work perfectly with your current needs. There are some things you need to consider first like your budget, your preferences and what kind of makeup looks your planning to do.
Factors to consider when buying a Makeup Brush – Buying Guide
To help you find the best makeup brushes, here’s a short guide detailing the most common kinds of makeup brushes and what they’re for. We’ve also included a short section on the different materials brushes can be made of. Lastly, you’ll see a list of the top 10 best makeup brush sets we found for you.
Since it’d be much cheaper and convenient if you buy your brushes in a set, we recommend that you do so. Just make sure that all the kinds of brushes you need are in the set that you’ll buy. If you’re relatively new to makeup, here’s a list of some of the most common types of makeup brushes and what they’re used for.
As the name implies, face brushes are typically larger brushes which are used to apply products that go on wider areas of the face. Here are some of them:
- Foundation brush: Usually, one of the largest brush on a set, foundation brushes are used to apply, spread and blend in your foundation on the skin flawlessly. Some are shaped with an angled side for better application but they commonly just have a flattened top. Meanwhile, traditional ones have a more elongated hair shape.
- Powder brush: This brush is used to apply pressed or loose powder on the face after applying foundation usually to achieve a no-shine matte look. Unlike the foundation brush, powder brushes are shaped like a dome and are more ‘poofy’.
- Bronzer brush: Used to achieve a sun-glow look, bronzer brushes are typically on the larger side of the face brushes. Before contouring was a thing, people would just apply a bronzy, brown powder to give dimension to the face.
- Blusher brush: Most makeup brush sets come with a blusher brush which, you guessed it, is for applying blush on the cheeks. Blushers come in a variety of sizes with some being wider than others.
- Contour brush: Contour brushes are typically angled. They are used to apply contour on the cheeks and forehead to achieve a more chiseled look.
Eye brushes usually comprise the majority of makeup brush sets. Here are some of the most common ones.
- Eyeliner brush: This brush is characterized by its sharp angle and compact body to make it easier to apply or wing your liquid eyeliner.
- Blender brush: If you’re into eye makeup, then a blender brush is an essential in your bag. It’s used to apply eyeshadow and blend it flawlessly with other colors.
- Eye smudger brush: This brush has a compact shape and is probably the smallest one on a makeup brush set. It’s used to add color to specific areas of the eye and smudge it in along with the others. It’s also used for putting a highlighter in the inner corner of the eyes.
Other common tools in makeup brush sets
- Lip brush: This is usually used by professional makeup artists to apply lipstick in a sanitary way. It’s also great for creating polished lip looks.
- Beauty blender: This foam-like tool sometimes comes in makeup brush sets. They can be used to apply, spread and blend liquid and cream products such as concealers and foundation in place of regular brushes.
- Spoolie: This tool is used for brushing eyebrow hair in place and blending eyebrow products evenly.
Makeup brushes are typically made of either synthetic hair fibers or natural hair from animals.
- Synthetic makeup brushes are the more popular choice as they are cheaper and work well with liquid and cream products which are in vogue right now. They can apply and blend makeup quite well and don’t absorb too much of the product. What more, they are also cruelty-free since they’re 100% of man-made products.
- Still, many makeup enthusiasts and professionals prefer to use natural hair makeup brushes. These brushes are made from the animal hair of goats, boars, and squirrels which make them incredibly soft and more expensive. However, they tend to shed easily and cling on to pigment which makes them hard to clean.
Now, that you have an idea of what to look for in a makeup brush set, here are some of our recommendations. You’ll notice that all of these are made of synthetic material.
We also made sure that they are all very affordable for those of you who are on a budget. Check out what each set has to offer in our more detailed reviews below!
The 10 Best Makeup Brushes in 2024
[amazon template=”table” box=”B07CHSWLHZ,B0749F539K,B00UJ0P4PM,B01EWBYUDU,B01F36JBDM,B01FAH2KDW,B00I3VHKVK,B0773PWTY3,B00FZKB51S,B01LZ3RLPC” /]10. Luxe Premium Makeup Brush Set (with Brush Cleaning Solution)
Both professionals and enthusiasts will find that the Luxe Premium Makeup Brush Set has everything they might need. The set has a great balance of both face and eye brushes. It has every basic face brush from angled ones from sculpting and contouring to a flat top one for applying foundation. This Luxe set also an abundance of eye brushes to help you achieve different eye looks from simple two-tones to a more elaborate night out looks.
In total, the set has 14 makeup brushes made from synthetic fiber hairs and birch wood handles. Another thing we love about these brushes is their professional and sleek look. The hairs have a dark brown color which fades to white on top and wooden handles of peachy rose gold and black. What more it also comes with a free cleaning solution to bathe your brushes with when they get dirty.
- Complete face brushes
- Good variety of eye brushes
- Nice coloring
- Sturdy wood handles
- Comes with a cleaning solution
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9. Anjou Makeup Brush Set
Here’s another great set of makeup brushes. What sets the Anjou Makeup Brush Set from the Luxe is that the former comes with two more brushes and a waterproof leather clutch bag to keep the brushes in which makes it more ideal for professional makeup artists.
Having 16 makeup brushes, the set has 7 face brushes, including a concealer brush and a blending brush, and 9 eye/precision brushes. It has similar coloring as the Luxe brush set except the Anjou brushes have lighter brown synthetic hairs.
What we like best about them is that they’re extra fluffy despite being made of synthetic materials. Some users even say that their quality is comparable to that of higher end makeup brushes like Real Techniques.
- Varied face brushes
- Has free leather clutch bag for safekeeping brushes
- Fluffy hair
- Quality comparable to more expensive brush sets
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8. USpicy Professional Makeup Brush Set
This next one’s for you professional makeup artists out there. Even we couldn’t believe how great of a deal buying these USpicy makeup brushes are. You’ll get 32 high-quality brushes and a foldable brush pouch for the very affordable price. That amounts to just half a dollar for each brush!
It has all the basic face brushes with the addition of a small fan brush and a large fan brush for highlighting. But it’s clear what the priority of this brush set is. It has a fantastic collection of 25 eye, lip and precision brushes for just about any eye makeup need you might have.
We personally think that its precision brushes are perfect for making subtle contours on smaller face parts such as the nose, eyes and lips.
- Has two fan brushes for highlighting
- Complete face brushes
- Amazing range of eye and precision brushes
- Great deal for the price
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7. EmaxDesign Professional Makeup Brush Set
If you already have a small collection of makeup brushes at home but still looking for some good eye brushes to complete your kit, this EmaxDesign Professional Makeup Brush Set. The makeup brushes set is a 20-piece one that is primarily focused on eye, lip and eyebrow brushes.
It only has two face brushes (a foundation and concealer brush) but 18 brushes dedicated for perfecting eyes, lips, and eyebrows. We recommend this set mostly for professional makeup artists looking for cheap, but high-quality eye brushes to add to their kit. The EmaxDesign brushes have a very sleek and professional look about them because of their solid black handle color and white to brown synthetic brush hair.
They’re also easy to clean. The manufacturer recommends just washing them under warm running water to rinse of makeup fast. Our only complaint about these professional brush set is that it doesn’t come with a pouch.
- Perfect addition to pro makeup artist kits
- Wide variety of eye brushes
- Minimalist and professional look
- Easy to clean
- Doesn’t come with a pouch
6. Beakey Makeup Brush Set
We recommend Beakey Makeup Brush Set for absolute makeup beginners who are looking for an all-in-one brush set to get them started. It also makes for an excellent gift idea for birthdays and other special occasions.
This Beakey set has 10 pieces of all the basic makeup brushes you need and one sponge blender along with a brush egg which is used to clean brushes after use.
You’ll be able to recreate your favorite simple looks from beauty vloggers in no time when you use with five face brushes and five eye brushes. What more, these brushes can be used both when wet and dry depending on the product that you’re using.
- Perfect for beginners
- Has all essential face and eye makeup brushes
- Has sponge blender and brush egg
- No precision brushes
5. Yoseng Makeup Brush Set
Paddle makeup brushes have risen in popularity in the beauty community in recent years. This Yoseng Makeup Brush Set is the perfect one to try if you want to check out what all the fuss is about with these brushes. The Yoseng set has a total of ten paddle brushes four of which are dedicated for applying face makeup while the rest are for eye makeup.
Paddle makeup brushes have been praised for having denser brush hair which makes them great for applying liquid foundation flawlessly in just a few seconds. However, using the smaller brushes to apply eye makeup may take more practice to get used to. What we like best about these unique brushes is that they extra soft bristles which makes makeup application smoothly.
- Denser brush bristles
- Really soft brush hair
- Makes for smooth and flawless application
- Using smaller brushes may take a few tries to get used to
4. BS-MALL Makeup Brush Set
These makeup brushes from the BS-MALL makeup brush set are probably some of the classiest and fancy looking ones we’ve seen so far especially considering their affordable price. They’re perfect for makeup beginners given their basic brushes for face and eyes and thick, sturdy handle for easy use.
And yep, they’re actually quite as good as they look. Each of the ten brushes in the set are made of dense, soft synthetic fiber hair bristles and are full-sized. They also prove to be pretty sturdy despite everyday use. Most importantly, they are able to apply and blend both liquid and powder makeup flawlessly on the skin.
- High quality construction
- Soft and dense bristles
- Great and flawless makeup application
- Looks expensive
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3. BESTOPE Makeup Brush Set
If you’re now confident of your makeup skills and is looking for an upgrade to your basic brush set, look no further than the BESTOPE Makeup Brush Set.
This 16-piece set has six face brushes and 10 for eye and eyebrow makeup. Its face brushes boast of having extra dense hair bristles for better application of products such as foundation, concealers, contour, and highlight for that snatched makeup look that Instagram gurus have.
Of course, BESTOPE didn’t skimp out on their eye brushes. You can definitely achieve crease cut looks with their variety of precision and blending eye brushes. What more, they have a very classy look about them. You surely won’t hesitate to display them in your vanity or use them in Instagram flatlays.
- Extra dense face brushes
- Great variety of eye and precision brushes
- Classy looking brushes
- Good upgrade from basic sets
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2. EmaxDesign Professional Bamboo Handle Makeup Brush Set
Here we have another makeup brush set from EmaxDesign. This time we have 12-piece set of bamboo handle brushes that come with a string pouch.
The professional-quality brush set is composed of five face brushes and seven eye brushes. But here’s the catch, three of the face brushes are travel-sized making them great for keeping in your everyday makeup kit to use on the go for retouches. The rest of the brushes are also relatively small, so they can fit easily in your kit as well.
The handmade brush set also boasts of having high quality synthetic hair which applies makeup just as well as brand name brushes.
- Comes with a string pouch
- Includes three travel-sized face brushes
- Has sturdy bamboo handles
- Made of high quality synthetic hair
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1. BS-MALL Premium Makeup Brush Set
The BS-MALL Premium Makeup Brush Set is the perfect buy for any professional makeup artist or avid makeup enthusiast.
The 14-piece set has everything you might need to achieve any makeup look from simple everyday ones to full-on glam looks for special occasions. It has five dense and fluffy face brushes and nine eye and lip brushes. And did we mention how pretty they look? Just look at that combination of black and rose gold.
- Looks expensive and professional
- All-in-one makeup brush set for enthusiasts and professionals
- Very affordable
- Brushes have dense hair for flawless application
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Conclusion
Found the makeup brushes that’ll complete your kit? We hope this article has been helpful in your quest to achieving beauty guru-approved and snatched makeup looks. Don’t forget to share this guide and reviews to your friends or followers!
