The Best Makeup Brushes for an Expert Look

When it comes to a flawless makeup look, your tools matter as much as your products. Good brushes are the difference between a finish that looks blended and one that looks applied. Here is what to actually own.

What are the essential brushes?

A short list covers most of it: a foundation brush for seamless application, a fluffy powder brush for setting, a blending brush for smooth transitions between colors, and an angled brush for precise work like eyeliner and brow pomade. You do not need a thirty-piece set.

Which brushes give a flawless complexion?

For base, look for a dense, flat-top brush for foundation, a tapered brush for concealer, and a fluffy brush for blending out cream products. The Handi Brush and the Multiuse Blending Brush are the two I use most, and between them they handle foundation, blush and bronzer.

How do you build the perfect eye look?

Invest in a small set of eyeshadow brushes: a flat shader for packing on color, a blending brush for seamless transitions, and a pencil brush for the crease and lash line. With those three you can do everything from a natural daytime eye to a smokey one. If you want your lashes to carry more of the look without mascara, a lash lift and tint does a lot of the work for you.

How to choose and care for them

Quality matters more than quantity. Look for synthetic or natural fibers that are soft, durable and easy to clean, and wash them regularly, because dirty brushes are one of the most overlooked causes of congested skin. Cheap brushes shed, and shedding fibers end up in your eyes and on your face.

You can see the brushes I carry in the Jane Iredale collection. If your foundation keeps going patchy, it may be your skin rather than your brush, and a dermaplaning treatment or a hydrating facial is usually the fix.