What use is drawers of makeup if you haven’t got the right tools to apply it with. With so many brushes on the market, it is so hard knowing what is worth splashing the cash on and what should be skipped over. While some people tend to buy brush collections and work with what they have, I personally like to mix and match my brushes to suit my every need. In saying that, if I was pushed to recommend a set that ticks the boxes the most, it would have to the the Buff and Blend set, which you can read about here.

To help you put together the ultimate brush collection, I have picked out my favourite brushes and detailed them all below. Of course you don’t need all of these. Keep in mind that I am a makeup brush fiend, but this will give you an idea of what brushes you can use for different uses. The best part about this is, the majority of the brushes that I use are from Irish brands!!!

Face brushes

Foundation

I am going to cheat a little here and show you two brushes. The reason being both these brushes are unreal and I couldn’t possibly pick between the two. I don’t find I use one brush more than the other, but instead alternate between the two, especially when my brushes are dirty.

Buff and blend Buffing foundation brush – BB03

I love this brush for buffing in foundation. I find that there is a little more give in this brush than the Nima brush down below, so it does move a little faster, while at the same time it buffs the foundation into you skin beautifully. The density of the BBO3 brush is fantastic. I personally love a dense brush as I find it doesn’t leave any streaks of foundation on the skin and it also means that you applied your foundation a lot faster . Each time I use this brush I find myself thinking “God I love this brush”. I honestly can’t recommend this brush enough. The bb03 brush costs €15

Nima Brush Kabuki brush

This is yet another fantastic brush. It differs from the buff and blend brush, as it is a little more densely packed with hairs, which means that the brush itself is stiffer. It comes with a round head or a flat head, but personally for no particular reason, I prefer the round head brush myself. It applies your foundation fast and is great for both buffing and stippling the foundation into your skin. If you want to see the Nima Brush in action you can check out a video here. The Round head kabuki costs €18

Powder

Buff and Blend BB01

I use this powder brush for setting powders and not bronzer, although it can be used for that too. The hairs on the brush are tightly packed making it great for pushing the powder into your skin to stop your foundation from wearing off.

Bronzer

Sigma F25 Tapered face brush

I am still on the hunt for a good bronzer brush, but for the moment this is what I have used. I find it a grand brush for bronzer, but if your a fan of a softer less dense brush for powder, than this might just be the powder brush for you. This is an expensive brush at €33.95 but if you keep an eye on cloud10beauty , they often have discounts.

Contouring

Again I am going to cheat a little and offer you two brushes for contouring. The reason for this being, both brushes are very different and I know that some people prefer a more angled brush while others prefer a more tapered brush. Personally for me it is whatever comes to my hand first.

Buff and Blend BB05

This brush has two functions. It can be used for contouring or applying blusher. I find this great for sculpting out the cheek bones as it fits perfectly in the hallows of your cheeks. Or in my case, my imaginary hallows. The density of the brush hairs, allows your powder product to just sweep across the cheeks. I found that this brush was perfect to use with my Make Up For Ever Bronzer, as this bronzer requires a specific type brush to pick up product. This angled brush really does pick up the right amount of product every time.

Nima Blaithín

If however you’re more of a fan of a domed tapered type brush, the Nima Blaithín brush is a great little brush for fitting into the hollows of your cheeks and sculpting out the cheekbones. It’s super soft and perfect for picking up product. This brush can also be used for highlighting. The Blaithín brush costs €16

Highlighter

Again there are two types of highlighter brushes to pick from. A fan brush, which I personally prefer or a small tapered brush which I know many other makeup addicts love.

The Erin Brush

When it comes to highlighter, I love to apply mine with a fan brush and then using then blend it in using the brush in a back and forth motion. I have used quite a few fan brushes in my time but what I like about the Erin brush is that it picks up a great amount of product and the product doesn’t fall off the brush hairs. The Erin brush costs €10.

Black Canvas F15 brush

This brush is perfect for applying and blending in your highlighter. This is the brush that many makeup lovers use. I personally love this for setting my under eye concealer. So if you’re not going to use this type of brush for your highlighter, it is a brilliant one to have for setting your concealer with powder. The Black Canvas F15 brush costs €14.95

Eyes

Shader brush – Sigma E55

This is a flat head brush for placing colour all over the lids. It has the perfect density that you get just the right amount of product onto your lids without having to drag. You can buy it here for €14.95

Petite Pencil brush- BB02

A pencil brush is the one brush I could normally give or take. I’d never used a pencil brush before and gone, ” That’s a great little brush”. To me all pencil brushes were the same. Except this one. The hairs on this are brilliant for buffing out the eyeshadow under your eye and yet they are soft enough that it doesn’t irriate the eye either. Over the past few weeks, this has been the only pencil brush that I have used, as it performs so much better than any other pencil brush I have. As far as pencil brushes go, this is heads and shoulders above the other pencil brushes I own.

Crease Brush

Again I am going to show you a few different brushes here because while they are all for working product into the crease, they all do it in a different way.

Powder n Pout Duo Crease P245

I really love this little brush for placing product into the crease. Not only is it great for placing the product but it blends it out at the same time. I find it really good for doing a soft cut crease. The Powder N Pout Du0 Crease brush costs €10

Blank Canvas small socket blender E10

This is a great little brush if you’re doing more detailed work in the crease. It has a tiny little head to it that makes it easier to apply product more accurately and yet still blend it out. The E10 brush won’t break the bank either at only €6.95.

Blending Brush

Small Blending brush – Mac 217

Every self respecting beauty addict needs a Mac 217 brush in their collection. This brush is brilliant for placing product into the crease and blending out too. It isn’t the cheapest brush, but it is a cult favourite for a reason.I personally don’t do my makeup without this brush, this is an absolute must have for me.  You can buy one here for €25

Large Blending brush – BB08

This is the ultimate fluffy blending brush. This is a must have brush to make sure that you’re left with no harsh lines and every thing is beautifully blended. The is the large blending brush that I have been searching for so long. It is absolutely brilliant and another must have in your collection. The BB08 cost €14

Eyeliner brush

Buff and Blend BB10

The hairs on this brush are absolutely brilliant for applying your liner smoothly. The hairs are so soft but yet stiff enough that you’re not going to get a really wobbly hand while applying liner. This can also double up as a brow brush. The BB10 costs  €10.