Must-Have Makeup Brushes for Beginners

Using the right makeup brushes makes a huge difference when applying makeup. I am sharing with you the best makeup brushes every beginner should have!

I have been freelancing as a makeup artist for a few years now and have gained a crazy collection of makeup brushes. One question I get asked a lot by friends is what my favorite makeup brushes are. So to help you all out, I have put together my list of Must-Have Makeup Brushes for beginners!

Achieving a flawless makeup look really depends on the brushes you have. I have used so many different brushes and have learned which ones do the best job and also at the best price point.

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Using Great Brushes is Key to Great Makeup

Investing in a good set of brushes will really help your makeup application go on much more smoothly and help you get that “professional” look we all want to achieve. And shockingly, some of my favorites are drugstore, which means budget-friendly…yay!

So if you are a beginner with makeup or someone who has been doing it for a while and just wants to find another amazing brush, this list will be very helpful for you. I personally use and love these brushes and honestly, could not live without them! Come check them out!

My List Of Must-Have Makeup Brushes For Beginners

1. Foundation Brush

It Cosmetics Airbrush Blurring Foundation Brush #101

This is my favorite foundation brush! I highly recommend buying this one.

It is seriously so soft and blends out foundation so beautifully. Whenever I used this brush on clients, they always commented on how soft the brush felt. The head of the brush is a little bit bigger, which makes for a quicker application.

Real Techniques Face Brush

If you want something a little cheaper, Real Techniques is one of my favorite drug store brands for makeup brushes.

This specific brush does a really great job and is amazing quality as well! I own a few of these brushes, and for the price, you really can’t beat it! The bristles are soft and have not shed or fallen apart. In my opinion, it is the best quality drug store foundation brush.

2. Concealer Brush

It Cosmetics Love Beauty Fully Blending Concealer Brush #203

This brush is amazing at blending and blurring out concealer! It is also super soft like all the other It Cosmetics brushes and has a tapered edge that helps blend out those smaller corners of the face.

And a cool fact to share: It is also part of the “Look Good, Feel Better” program, which helps women battling cancer look and feel beautiful. It Cosmetics donates a brush for every brush purchased! Pretty awesome 🙂

Elf Flawless Concealer Brush

If you want to try a more affordable option, this Elf Concealer brush is only $3!! I own several of these and like using it for detailed work like blending concealer around the nose, the eyes, and chin. You can find it at Target too!

3. Beauty Blender

I love beauty blenders! They give a very natural and soft finish and I especially love using them when blending concealer in the under-eye area. If you have dry skin or like a natural finish, this tool is a must-have makeup brush for beginners and honestly for everyone!

I don’t like having a thick amount of product under the eyes because it tends to accentuate or settle into your fine lines, and a beauty blender does the best job at keeping a light and natural layer of product.

The Beauty Blender brand is very expensive, so I have found another option that I love at a more affordable price.

Amazon 6 Pack Beauty Blender

This 6 pack is only $8.99 and is an amazing deal!! A single beauty blender from the Beauty Blender brand is $20. Whaatttt. That’s crazy…I say buy the cheaper pack of 6 from Amazon!

You can buy it HERE.

4. Face Powder Brush

EcoTools Full Powder Brush

Oh my goodness you guys, this brush is soooooo soft! Read the reviews, I am not kidding. It is one of the BEST drug store powder brushes and is only $5.39 at Target (crazy cheap).

It works great with both loose and compact powders. If you want an affordable and amazing powder brush, you have to give this one a try!

Elf Flawless Face Brush

This is also a great drug store powder brush! It is dense but still soft and fluffy and applies powder very well. I own several of these powder brushes and use them often on clients and have not shed one hair or fallen apart.

I have even used this to bronze my face. It is overall another great drug store powder brush to try!

5. Setting Brush

Real Techniques Setting Brush

An affordable option would be this brush! I love this brush for setting concealer with powder. The shape of it is smaller with flat and tapered bristles which make it perfect for sweeping powder over small areas like under the eyes.

I use it for highlighting also, making it a really great multi-purpose brush that costs only $3.99!

Elf Small Tapered Brush

This is another great affordable brush for setting concealer! Like the Real Techniques one, the head of the brush is small and tapered making it perfect for setting the small contours of the face.

You can also use it for highlighting or applying contour powder in the hollows of your cheeks!

6. Contour Brush

MAC #168 Large Angled Contour Brush

This is by far my FAVORITE brush for contouring. I have bought cheaper options but always reach for this brush!

It is perfectly shaped and tapered to hug the contours of your cheeks, forehead, and jawline. When applying a bronzer to contour my face, I like having more precision and this brush does it for you. It won’t spread the product all over and is just so darn good!

7. Bronzing Brush

EcoTools Blending And Bronzing Brush

This brush is only $7.49 and is such an amazing bronzing brush! The bristles are duo fiber, which means it gives a natural and soft wash of bronzing glow without being too heavy. But you can also build up the color if you want.

You can use it with both powder and cream bronzers, and can even use it to apply your tinted moisturizer. It is seriously a great brush that I highly recommend trying!

8. Blush Brush

Sigma Beauty F10 Powder/Blush Brush

This is one of my go-to blush brushes. It is dense enough to pick up product and also soft and fluffy enough to sweep blush smoothly over the cheeks. When doing makeup on clients, I always reached for this brush first!

Eco Tools Blush Brush

This is my favorite drug store blush brush! I own a couple of them and think they are a great quality option for the price! Like I mentioned before, Eco Tools has amazingly soft brushes and this brush is a great one to consider. It costs only $4.79 too!

9. Highlighting Brush

Sigma Beauty F35 Tapered Highlighter Brush

This is my absolute favorite highlighting brush! It is sooooo soft and perfectly sized and tapered to apply highlighter flawlessly. I also use this to set my concealer with powder, especially for under the eyes.

Sigma Beauty makes incredible brushes and was the first professional makeup brush kit I ever bought. Every brush they make is very high quality and worth every penny.

Must-Have Eye Brushes

10. Eyebrow Brush

Anastasia Beverly Hills 7B Dual-Ended Angled Brush

I have tried a few different eyebrow brow brushes, many of which were cheaper options and I hated them. They never applied right and the spooley always scratched my skin!

When it comes to brows, I recommend getting a brush that isn’t cheap and investing in a good quality one. Who wants janky brows??! I use this specifically for brow powder and it creates perfect hair-like strokes.

When it comes to my brows, Anastasia Beverly Hills is by far my favorite brand!

11. Blending BrushES

Sigma Beauty E35 Tapered Blending Brush

This brush is an amazing blending brush! It really does the job for you and requires little thought. If you get any eye brush, you gotta get a great blending brush and this is definitely a must-have makeup brush for beginners. I love using this brush to place my transition shade and to contour my eye. It blends so easily!

MAC 217S Synthetic Blending Brush

If you ask any makeup artist, there is a 100% chance they will have this brush in their kit. It is a versatile brush that works well with both powder and cream products. It is a little bit denser and flatter in shape with a tapered tip. And is fluffy/flexible enough to blend eye shadow out. I have even used it to blend out concealer under the eyes and hard to reach places. It’s such a great brush to own!

Morphe E22 Pointed Blender Brush

This brush is soooo soft and at an amazing price point of $8. It blends eyeshadow so well and is more pointed and slightly denser than the other crease brushes. I like using this one to layer a deeper shadow into my crease over my transition shade.

Sigma Beauty E45 Small Tapered Blending Brush

I love this brush for even more precise placement of color on my lid. It is smaller with a pointed tip but still fluffy enough to blend at the same time. If I want to do a more smokey eye look, I like using this brush to blend darker shades in the outer v of my eye or in my crease. Also, if you have hooded eyes or smaller eyes and want a great blending brush, this one is perfect!

12. Flat Shader Brush

MAC 242S Synthetic Shader Brush

This is the BEST brush for packing eyeshadow on the lid, specifically pigment, glitter, or any eyeshadow you want to “wet” to get a richer color on the lid.

It took me years before I decided to buy it (due to me being cheap…arg), but I wish I bought it sooner! It’s more expensive but is worth every penny and does the best job. Trust me, it’s amazing!

13. Smudging Eyeliner brush

Bobbi Brown Smokey Eye Liner Brush

I don’t buy many Bobbi Brown brushes due to the high price, but if you were to invest in an eye brush from that brand, this Smokey Eye Liner Brush is a must-have!

This brush will help you blend eyeliner along your upper or lower lash line, creating a softer or more smokey liner look. I also use it to blend eyeshadow over eyeliner to soften a harsh line.

For years, I struggled to find a brush that created this effect with ease, and once I bought this brush….it made a world of a difference! I love, love, love it!

14. Flat Definer Brush

Morphe M432 Flat Liner Definer Brush

I own a few of these brushes and love it….especially when it’s only $5! I love using it to clean up and define my brows with concealer. It is also a great brush to tight line with since it is synthetic, flat and firm. It’s really a great multi-purpose tool!

15. Gel Eyeliner Brush

Bdellium Tools Eye Liner Brush 710

I love doing winged eyeliner looks and have tried so many different gel eyeliner brushes and have to say that this brush is my favorite! It is definitely a must-have makeup brush for beginners.

I also love that I can get it on Amazon for only $8.99. Such a good deal!! It has the perfect pointed tip, making it easy to get that pointed winged liner look. Love, love, love this brush!

Best Value Makeup Brush Kit

If you don’t want to buy separate brushes from different brands and looking for a full makeup brush kit to meet all your needs, this is the kit I bought from Sigma Beauty.

It came in a nice black case with a slot for each brush, making it perfect for travel and storage! I bought this kit 4 years ago and every brush has held up with no shedding or handles breaking.

This brush kit has everything you need to apply makeup flawlessly!

Brushes Included:

• F25 TAPERED FACE BRUSH: Apply blush right where you want it
• F15 DUO FIBRE POWDER/BLUSH BRUSH: Achieve a natural blush application
• F10 POWDER/BLUSH BRUSH: Get controlled coverage with powder products
• L05 LIP BRUSH: Perfect lip looks on the go
• F35 TAPERED HIGHLIGHTER BRUSH: Achieve diffused highlighting
• F20 LARGE POWDER BRUSH: Apply powder all over with control
• E35 TAPERED BLENDING BRUSH: Blend and diffuse crease color precisely
• F75 CONCEALER BRUSH: Clean up lip and eye looks
• E25 BLENDING BRUSH: Apply and combine shadow shades
• E45 SMALL TAPERED BLENDING BRUSH: Blend color into crease creating depth
• F65 LARGE CONCEALER BRUSH: Conceal large areas of the face
• E15 FLAT DEFINER BRUSH: Apply color for definition along lashlines
• E50 LARGE FLUFF BRUSH: Highlight the upper cheekbone and brow bone
• E10 SMALL EYE LINER BRUSH: Create extra-fine lines with gel or liquid
• E20 SHORT SHADER BRUSH: Apply and blend shadows for definition

Sigma Beauty makes very high-quality brushes and is a brand I trust and love! There’s a reason why everyone raves about them…they are amazing brushes to invest in!

You can purchase this awesome brush kit HERE.

Take care of your brushes and they will Last forever!

I did a blog post on how I clean my makeup brushes in 4 easy steps. You can check out that post HERE.

It’s so important to wash and condition them weekly…it’s not only good for your skin and hygiene but also helps your brushes last for years to come!

Hope you discovered some amazing brushes!

That’s my list of must-have makeup brushes for beginners!

Investing in some great brushes really does make makeup application go much more smoothly. And as you can tell from my list, there are a lot of great affordable options out there.

Let me know if there are any brushes you absolutely love! Have a great day!