These 11 Makeup Brushes Put Sponges (and Fingers) to Shame

This makeup brush isn't the most affordable out there, but its versatility and effectiveness make it well worth the price. Since it can blend liquid, cream, and powder makeup including foundation, bronzer, blush, and contour, it takes the place of multiple brushes in your routine. What's more, the bristles feel like a pillow against the skin and reveal a flawless finish. One more benefit (for good measure): Even the handle has been specially designed for the ideal grip so you can glide the brush across your face, neck, and chest without getting a cramp.

e.l.f. Cosmetics makeup brushes are easily accessible and affordable, making them a great option for makeup newbies. With this set, you get everything you need if you’re a beginner, on a budget, or both, all in a water-resistant zip-up case.

It’s a good mix of face and eye brushes, including the beloved “C” eyeshadow brush (which is perfect for packing on shadow), an angled brush for blush or contour, and a fluffy powder brush. If you need to build your makeup brush collection from scratch, this set is a great way to start without emptying your pockets.

See more reviews of our favorite drugstore makeup brushes available for purchase.

To properly lay down eyeshadow, you need a brush with a short, dense, rounded head. This Sigma brush features synthetic bristles that grab on to eyeshadow easily and gently pat on cream or powder pigment all over your lid without poking you in the eye.

Shimmer shadows can seem like a bait-and-switch without the right brush. They’ll glimmer in the pan, only to coat your finger and refuse to transfer to your lid or barely adhere to the brush at all. The painterly MAC 242S, on the other hand, coaxes tricky shimmer, duo-chrome, and foil shadows on to your eyes with its flat synthetic bristles. It also applies regular matte shadows with no problem.

If you need to blend out a transition shade or soften edges, a brush with longer bristles, like this one from Make Up For Ever, is your best bet. The large, flared synthetic brush head diffuses color all over the lid and blends shadow colors with ease. And since the bristles are on the longer end, go in with a gentle hand for better control—try holding the brush near the end as you blend.

For liquid foundation, look for a dense, flat-topped brush. This Cover FX brush works with liquid, cream and powder formulas; its tightly-packed bristles can buff liquid foundation into the skin for an airbrushed finish. It also maneuvers the foundation along the hairline and makes a little product go a long way. The brush is more petite than traditional buffing brushes, but the smaller size allows for better control.

Check out other reviews of the best foundation brushes that will make your skin look perfect.

This beautiful brush is rose gold eye candy, but that's just one reason why we love it. The other? Its dense, soft bristles massage product in and resist shedding. You can use it to blend out both cream and powder contour while keeping the product exactly where you placed it.

Check out our guide to the best contour brushes you can buy today.

For a powder brush, you don’t have to go high-end. You do, however, need a brush with soft enough bristles to dust powder over your makeup without streaking. The synthetic bristles on this fluffy, rounded Real Techniques brush picks up powder and deposits it flawlessly on skin. No poky bristles, cakiness, or relentless shedding with this one.

This brush is an indulgence for sure, but an oversized, fluffy, reliable one at that. Aside from the actual functionality, the best part of this giant Marc Jacobs brush is how luxurious the bristles feel against the skin. The soft, synthetic bristles and slightly tapered dome shape diffuse bronzer without much work, which is a relief if you’ve ever tried to rescue patchy bronzer. The brush also lets you pick up and tap off product as you need.

Take a look at our roundup of the best blush brushes on the market.

If you’re after a brush set that you can lean on when applying your entire makeup look—from your eyeshadow to your foundation to your bronzer, blush, and highlighter—then this 24-piece set from SHANY is definitely the one for you. These professional-grade brushes are made with an expertly-curated blend of sable-, goat badger-, and pony hair and microfiber bristles that allow for the most seamless blend every single time.

Each and every single brush is soft, resilient, and long-lasting so you won’t have to worry about it falling apart after one use. This set in particular features oak and rosewood handles with a sleek, black finish. Each brush is hypoallergenic and anti-bacterial, so it won’t be the culprit of any break out in between washes. Plus, it comes in a vegan leather brush roll so it’s easy to stash away or take it with you when you’re traveling.