Makeup Brushes 101

There are so many different kinds of makeup brushes it can be hard to know what to do with all of them, especially when just dipping your toes in the world of makeup. I’ve had lots of requests to do this post so I thought I would break it down to basics with makeup brushes 101, and talk about the essential brushes you should pack in your makeup bag. These are my suggestions for the minimum brushes you would need for a full polished look, although there are some ways to cut corners which I talk about in the video.

I’m thinking of making this a 2 part series, so if you like this post and would like to learn more about what to do with an expanded amount of makeup brushes please leave me a comment below.

Watch the Video

Makeup Brush Essentials

Foundation Brush

You have at least 3 options for a foundation applicator: foundation brush, blending sponge, or silicone applicator. I personally prefer and recommend a dense flat top foundation brush because you get to keep a lot more of the product when compared to a blending sponge that absorbs some of that expensive foundation.

Blush Brush

You also have 3 options when shopping for a blush brush. I recommend a fan brush for beginners, and a dense angled flat brush for those who want to play a bit more. You can also use a more traditional fluffy tapered brush.

Multi Purpose Brush

A lightly dense smaller tapered brush will save you from buying several brushes. You can use it for contour, highlight, or even concealer.

Powder Brush

A big fluffy brush is great for setting powder and blending your face products.

Related Post: How to Clean Your Makeup Brushes at Home

Shadow Brush

A basic medium density small tapered brush can be used for many of your eye shadow needs. You can pack shadow on your lid, brush it along your brow bone, or even apply powder to your crease.

Blending Brush

A blending brush is a must for eye shadow application. After applying your eye shadow you should always blend it out with a nice fluffy blending brush.

Spooly Brush

A spooly brush is great for getting your brows in place, but you don’t need to buy a brush! Next time you’re finished with your mascara and want to throw it out, remove the wand, wash it out, and bam, you’ve got a new spooly brush to tame those brows!

Shop Vegan Brushes

Receive 15% off your MOTD Cosmetics purchase with coupon code: “Jannine”.

There ya have it, your makeup brushes 101 crash course about your makeup brush essentials. If you’d like to learn more about a broader range of brushes please let me know in the comments below!

xo Jannine