My Favourite Makeup Brushes! ♥

After cleaning my brushes yesterday, I thought now would be the perfect chance to let you know about my go-to, favourite make-up brushes that I use on a regular basis. I probably have more brushes than I should, so I’ve narrowed it down to the essentials!

So let’s begin with my top 5 face brushes…

The first contender is my relatively new, but definitely well-loved, Real Techniques Duo Fibre Face

brush. (Beware there is continual theme of Real Techniques haha). This is just a great all over, multi-use face brush for bronzer and powder etc. Being duo fibre means it’s designed to not pick up too much excess product and gives a light coverage. Therefore it’s particularly great for powder, as I have dry skin; too much powder isn’t a good look so this gives just the right amount of powder to keep the slight bit of oil on my t-zone at bay without being cakey. I also love to use this with my Benefit Hoola bronzer as in the winter it’s slightly too dark for my pale complexion, so as it’s duo fibre it doesn’t give too much colour that I look orange, but just gives a nice warmth and glow.

Secondly we have a pair of foundation brushes because I just can't decide which I like more, so I use them alternatively! The first is the Real Techniques Buffing Brush which I bought first from the Core Collection and I loved it so much and used it every day. Then for Christmas I received the Expert Face Brush and now I use that a lot too! I really can't decide which one I prefer more I just think they're both really high quality blending brushes that work brilliantly with liquid foundations to give a flawless complexion. Sometimes, when I haven't used it for foundation, I like to use the Buffing Brush to pack on powder in areas that I need shine to stay away rather than using a fluffy brush. But other than that, these are two of my top brushes that I used every day!

Something I really couldn't live without has to be my Real Techniques Contour brush! A-m-a-zing! It fits perfectly into the hollows of my cheeks and creates really defined cheekbones that also look natural because it blends out product sooo nicely. I use this with powder bronzer but I think it would work just as well with a cream bronzer like the Chanel Soleil De Chanel. I've also used this for concealer because it fits just under your eyes and blends out seamlessly. I wish they sold this brush separate from the core collection and then I would by two- one for contouring and one for concealer! This is just an overall great, unique brush that I haven't yet discovered anything like it on the market.

And lastly for face brushes we have the Real Techniques Stippling Brush. This was my first ever RT purchase and I used it for foundation religiously. After incorporating the Buffing Brush and Expert Face Brush into my routine, this sadly got neglected.  After spending around £10 on it and I felt extremely sorry for it, I had to find a use for it so I started using it for blush and now I would never go back! It blends all blush out perfectly to a really natural flush to the cheeks without being too harsh. Occasionally I opt to using this for foundation and I still love it for that but it's essential for my blush!

Okay, so next we have all of my favourite eye brushes. I now that I bombarded you with Real Technique brushes, but they really are the best face brushes I've tried for a reasonable price. You'll be glad to know that my selection of eye brushes is less of a RT theme haha.

Firstly we have my two favessss. My favourite blending brushes are No7 Eyeshadow Blend and Contour and the famous Mac 217. I was forever longing over the 217 but really couldn't justify the price so I heard that the No7 was a good but not an exact dupe so I tried it with a voucher off at Boots. Yes it did shed a little at first but other than that it blends out beautifully and is sooo soft on my eyes which is obviously a good thing because no one wants scratchy lids! I finally plucked up the courage to get the 217 and it is only £16 but £16 for an eye brush is slightly OTT if you had asked me before I brought it. But now that I own it and know how GOOD it is, it's totally worth the money. It's a lot more dense than the No7 so is good for blending out harsh edges and packing on colour. I still adore the No7 one as the bristles are a longer, it's more flexible so its great for the crease. If any of you girlies have also been longing over the 217, DEFINITELY try the No7 one first- and Boots alwaysss have vouchers of No7 cosmetics.

Next is an essential brush that every one needs- an eye shadow brush. My favourite is just a cheap and cheerful yet very effective ELF Eyeshadow Brush. I have quite a few Elf brushes and I think they are really great quality for the price and especially good to help build up your makeup brush collection. This basically just do what it says on the tin, packs on basic colour to the lid but I couldn't be without it!

Another Elf brush is the Eye Crease Brush. In my opinion, it's much more like a pencil brush however I do sometimes use it to define my crease in a heavy smokey eye but mainly I use it to smudge colour onto my lower lash line. I reallly couldn't be with out this brush as smudging a little bit of brown or whatever colour on your lower lash line just completes whatever look and adds dimension to your eyes.

Lastly but definitely not least is my Elf Small Angled Brush which I use every single day to fill in my eyebrows. I really like this one in particular because the brush hairs are slightly longer so it's not so dense so it produces much more natural, softer eyebrows without any harsh lines. I also use it to line my upper and lower lash lines to add extra dimension. It's just a simple brush that everyone needs in their collection.

Well that's it for today's post! I hope you enjoyed finding out about my favourite makeup brushes that I use regularly. I'd love to know what makeup brush brand is your favourite or what your ultimate holygrail brush is!

See you soon, Hollie X