# Brushes...



## CCKK (Jun 7, 2016)

I am a make-up junkie and adore MAC. I have tons of shadow, lipstick, etc  but when it comes to brushes I am lost. I have some brushes as the 266 and infamous 217 but am clueless otherwise! I have done the youtube  thang for help but I leave even more confused. PLEASE, PLEASE, PLEASE help! Now, they don't have to be MAC brushes only.  Brushes that  wowed you.  Ones that you cant live without.  I apologize if this thread already exists and for those that respond; I truly THANK YOU!


----------



## alle685 (Jun 9, 2016)

Real Techniques have great brushes for a great price!


----------



## ginestra213 (Jun 9, 2016)

Zoeva, but best to get the permanent (black handle) versions.


----------



## color_makeup (Jul 21, 2016)

*Best Brushes!*

Hey Guys!!!

I was guys wondering what your favorite/holy grail makeup brushes were. I dont have a large collection so what are the best brushes ever! Hahaha also just wanted to try out new brushes.


----------



## mushroomteagirl (Jul 22, 2016)

Hiya!

Here are mine:

RT = Real techniques.

RM = Rae Morris

WG = Wayne Goss

I've put my holy grail(s) in bold.

Foundation -  RT Expert Face, *Zoeva 102 Silk Finish*, Shu Uemura Natural 18, Mac 187, *Sephora Pro 55 Airbrush, *Rae Morris Radiance,* Rae Morris Liquid Foundation, *Hakuhodo G5557.

Concealer - MAC 195, Sigma P80 or P82*, *Zoeva 142 Concealer Buffer, *Sigma F68 Pin Point Concealer, Sephora Pro 57 Airbrush Concealer.
*
Powder - Suqqu Face,* RM 22 Pro Powder,  RT Setting.
*
Blush - RM 6 Deluxe Pro Blender, *Suqqu Cheek, *WG Air Brush,  WG 14, *Chikuhodo Z4, *MAC 129, RT Blush and for creams *MAC 130 *and 188.

Highlight and/or Contour - *WG 2 (H&C), **Chikuhodo Z2 (H&C) *Zoeva 109 Face Paint (C), WG 15 (H) RM Ultimate Cheekbone (C), RM 25 Fan (H).

Eye Blending - *MAC 217, *MAC 224, MAC 221*, *WG 6, * Hakuhodo J142, Hakuhodo J146, Hakuhodo J5523, Hakuhodo G5522, *RM 7 Deluxe Point Shader and 8 Medium Point Shader.

Eyeshadow Laydown - *MAC 239, Mac 242, *WG 18, Chikuhodo T7, Hakuhodo J242, *Chikuhodo GSN 9 *and for creams *MAC 249 *(sadly discontinued).

Eyeshadow Detail* - MAC 228, *MAC 219,WG 20,*WG 7, Chikuhodo Z10, Suqqu M,* Nars 44 and 45

Eyeliner* - Mac 266, RM 15 Precision Bent Liner.

*Lip - *Shu Uemura Kolinsky 7H
*
If you're on a budget you can't go too far wrong with Real Techniques. I've not had a brush from them that i've hated or even disliked and the sponge is also a great alternative to the Beauty Blender.

I know a lot of people like Zoeva but i find their non synthetic brushes quite scratchy particularly their eye brushes, a lot more scratchy than even MAC for example. 

For liquid and cream products it's always best to go for synthetic bristles as synthetic brushes can handle more washing and suck up less product .Animal hair is traditionally the best for powder as the hairs are more textured and so are more effective at picking up and blending powder products.

For powder products if you can afford to and don't mind using (claimed) cruelty free animal hair brushes I would highly recommend Wayne Goss brushes for the most bang for your buck as they're really high quality, soft and have very functional shapes. 

Sigma's new brushes are synthetic hair which supposedly mimics natural animal hairs but I have to say that apart from a few standout concealer brushes which i've listed above I would not recommend them as you can get much better quality for the price.

Hope that helps!


----------



## shellygrrl (Jul 22, 2016)

The "best" ones are going to be the shapes and fibers/hairs/bristles that suit your needs and purposes.

My favourites are as follows...

Foundation: beautyblender (not a brush, I know, but I finally bought my first real one last year, and I totally understand the hype now), Sigma F80 (though I don't reach for it often these days).

Concealer: For under the eyes, most of the time I use a finger to apply and blend it out, but I also like using the flat end of the UD Naked 2 brush for applying it, followed by the Real Techniques Deluxe Crease Brush (from the Starter Kit) to blend it out. If you want solely that brush but don't want to buy the full set, Zoeva's 142 seems to be a close dupe for it (I don't own it but I want it!). Sigma P82 is the same shape, but it's denser. For pinpoint/spot concealing, I'm enjoying the Sephora #35. It's marketed as a brow liner brush (to draw in hairs w/coloured brow pomade (e.g., Anastasia's or Inglot's), but I find the shape is great for scribbling concealer on a blemish (I then use a finger to blend). (NB: The #35 has been out of stock for a while. Their #24 Pro Smoky Liner Brush looks like it would serve a similar purpose, I think. Laura Mercier's Smoky Eyeliner Brush is another one that could be good for that.)

Setting Powder: I've been using the e.l.f. Powder Brush from their Studio range for years, when setting my face. It's not bad, but I'm in want of something else nowadays (currently eyeing the Chikuhodo R-P4, which I could also use for bronzer application). For under the eyes, I've been low-key "baking" with good ol' fashioned wedge sponges, but I want to try out the mini beautyblenders for this.

Blush: Chikuhodo T4.

Contour: Weirdly I've been using the MAC 116 for this, but it's not that great. I've used RT's Expert Face for cream and powder contour, but it's a little too much for my smaller features. I've got at least one contender in mind, though, at least for powder contour (Rae Morris #4 Square Kabuki). 

Powder Highlighter: Smashbox Fan Brush.

Eyeshadow brushes...
Laydown: MAC 239 for powder eyeshadow; RT Shading Brush for creams.
Blending and crease work: Hakuhodo J5523, J5533, J142, J146; MAC 226; MAC 217; RT Base Shadow Brush.
Detail work: Louise Young LY13, Hakuhodo J5529, Sigma E30 (I have one of the really old ones... meh).
Eyelining: EcoTools Angle Brush (I also use this for filling in brows with powder).


----------



## SydVicious (Aug 4, 2016)

I have to say one of my favorites is the MAC 163 flat contour brush.  I actually don't use it for contour as it's a bit wide, but it's so densely packed it's great or applying liquid foundation, or even studio fix powder foundation for lighter days.  It really works the product into your skin nicely.  I love it. 

Mac's 212 brush is a tiny little square brush and makes getting in under your eye a breeze.  I use that one all the time.  You can smudge liner or use shadow to line. You can even lightly smudge shadow with this brush.  

Mac's 214 is a short little densely packed brush that I love for blending out shadows.  Sometimes when you use a shadow primer it can really cling and I have a hard time blending out with the 217, I grab the 214 and help it along.  

These are some of the more unique brushes that I have found from Mac that I really love.


----------



## shellygrrl (Aug 4, 2016)

Quick note that I moved a brushes thread from another section of the forum to here, and merged it into an existing brushes thread. If the conversation looks a bit choppy to you, that's why.


----------



## PrettyTwisted (Aug 18, 2016)

Can't say enough about the MAC 217


----------

