Beauty and glamour aren’t about excess, no matter what makeup gurus might have you think with their collections of hundreds of brushes. Just like you don’t need tons of products to achieve a beautiful face of makeup, you also don’t need tons of tools. Ideally, you’ll have a few super-reliable brushes that do the job perfectly every time but won’t clutter your beauty area. In this guide, we’ll show what makeup brushes you actually need so you can keep life simple while still creating glamorous looks for every occasion!

 

 

1. Concealer Brush

The traditional concealer brush is tightly packed and flat with a precise, rounded flat tip, good for getting into tight areas like the inner corners of your eye or the creases of your nose. If you like to carve out your eyebrows, a flat concealer brush can help you achieve a straight line, or be used for touch ups when smudges happen. 

2. Foundation Brush

The type of brush you choose as a foundation brush will depend on what you are looking for in a foundation, and your application technique. Some people prefer a flat foundation brush that resembles a large concealer brush, while others prefer a densely packed cone-shaped brush with a flat head. For the smoothest application and the most versatility, we recommend choosing a tightly packed but still fluffy foundation brush with a slightly dome-shaped head since these types of brushes work beautifully for applying liquid or powder.

 

 

3. Bronzer Brush

If you like to contour, try using your concealer brush to apply a darker shade of concealer under your foundation. If you want to warm up the face after foundation, you’ll need a bronzer brush. Where contour emphasizes shadow and hallows in the face, bronzer emphasizes your naturally radiant points, areas where the sun hits you. A good bronzer brush will be fluffy and angled so that you can easily get it into the hollow of your temples and cheeks. 

4. Blush Brush

Some people like to use their bronzer brush for both blush and bronzer, but we think it’s worth it to invest in a second blush brush. Using the same brush for blush and bronzer can muddy the color of your blush, and make your brushes dirtier faster. Blush brushes should also be fluffy, but should not be angled. Instead, a dome shape is ideal for applying blush to the apples of your cheeks. 

5. Powder Brush

Once your face is finished, you might want to set everything with a thin layer of setting powder. A large, fluffy powder brush is the perfect tool for this job since it can cover more of your face in fewer strokes. Powder brushes can be used for finishing powders, setting powders, or removing excess powder from baking. 

 

 

6. Highlight Brush

The fan brush used to be the standard for highlight, but now, we prefer a smaller cone-shaped fluffy brush. Like a large blending brush, these types of highlight brushes give you incredible precision and control. 

7. Shadow Brush

Flat shadow brushes are less densely packed than concealer brushes, but more tightly packed than fluffy brushes. Small enough to be used for precision blending while still giving you enough surface area to apply a wash of color across the lid, a flat shadow brush is a must for any makeup lover. If you are looking for a rockstar brush to round out your collection, check out the Shadow Brush from Bésame. Cruelty-free and made from synthetic bristles, this brush picks up and deposits pigment without excess fall out. 

8. Blending Round Brush

To blend out the edges of your eye makeup, and to apply lighter transition tones, be sure to have a fluffy blending round brush in your arsenal. Narrower at the bottom and jutting outwards slightly at the top, these brushes help tremendously when eliminating harsh lines or blending two colors. 

 

 

9. Tapered Eye Brush

To get the perfect outer corner smokey eyes, packing and blending a crease shadow you’ll want to have a tapered eye brush in your collection. These small, densely packed brushes are perfect for adding finishing touches to an eye look, swiping color under the waterline, or adding subtle touches of highlight. 

10. Eyeliner Brush

 

Whether you like subtle, natural liner or a more graphic look, you’ll need a precision eyeliner brush to get the job done. Bésame’s Mascara Brush Set features a spoolie and a pencil liner brush that work wonderfully with Bésame’s vintage-inspired Black Cake Mascara.

11. Lip Brush

 

 

Applying lipstick directly from the tube can leave your lips looking clumsy and messy, especially if you use the lipstick often. Bright colors like reds and pinks require a little extra precision, which is why we recommend always having a lip brush on hand. Lip brushes also come in handy for touch-ups throughout the day and after meals. 

Want to learn more about simplifying your beauty routine? Discover more Bésame products and check out our blog!