41 Professional Makeup Artists Pick the Best Brushes of All Time

“I use this for an all-around blending brush after I’ve applied my foundation and contour,” Jessica Elbaum, a makeup artist and hairstylist who currently does hair on Modern Family, says, “you can also use it to apply bronzer.”

Elbaum uses this brush to apply eyeshadow. “It’s a perfect gradual angle eyeshadow brush that is almost fool-proof when it comes to applying that perfect, smudgy, eyeshadow fade.”

“Louise [Young] is a brilliant makeup artist so I was so happy when she brought out this range,” says Nadia Stacey, who did the hair and makeup on The Favourite and won the BAFTA for it. She loves several of Young’s brushes, but specifically calls out the fan brush for period makeup. “Her fan brush LY53 is a thing of beauty, I use it to push color onto the lashes for period pieces when I don’t want it to look like the actors are wearing mascara,” she says.

“This is a lovely little blending brush; perfect for softening the crease,” Stacey says. “I use it for creamy concealers for a softer look.”

Stacey calls this a “kit staple” and says she uses it for everything, even to create special effects bruising. “Which means I’ve ruined lots of them, but I always replace,” she says. “Makes a smokey eye so much easier.”

“MAC brushes have been in my kit since I was a trainee and they are still going strong,” Stacey admits. “I love these foundation brushes. They are big enough to carry a good amount of product, but allow you to be delicate with the application. They never lose bristles, either.”

“I’ve used this Blush Brush since it first came out and I actually use to swirl and buff in cream bronzers, powders, and skin care — not blush at all!” Emma Willis, the makeup artist for JoJo Fletcher, Ashley Greene, Jana Kramer, Audrina Patridge, and Giuliana Rancic says, adding, “That’s the fab thing about brushes; finding which ones works best for your own individual style and technique. What it says on the box doesn’t have to apply at all. I use it to seamlessly buff product from the face into the neck and décolletage areas, too!”

“The bristles are soft enough to blend a wash of color but have [the] density to pack on pigment,” Nina Park, who works with Bella Hadid and Zoe Kravitz, says. “The slightly tapered shape distributes shadow evenly, hugging perfectly along the crease.”

Park recommends this brush for tight-lining with cream, gel, or cake liner. “It’s perfect for stippling on products as close to the lash line as possible,” she says. It also does double-duty to create “sharp edges around the mouth for a clean, perfect lipstick pout.”

Park uses “this brush to dust off any excess powder” and to “strategically place [a] pop of color at the apples of the cheek.” The natural “goat bristles are perfect to create a diffused, natural-looking highlight along the top of the cheekbones, bridge of [the] nose, and collarbone.”

Robert Sesneck, who counts Kendall Jenner and Adriana Lima as clients, uses this natural hair brush “to buff any type of foundation [… to] flawlessly blend into a seamless finish.” If the hefty price tag is cause for concern, consider his tip: “If you wash and care for your brushes, they will last a lifetime.”

For the lips, Sesneck uses Bobbi Brown’s concealer brush: “I think it’s the perfect size and its synthetic bristles make for crisp red lips.”

Sesneck calls this brush a “must have” because it “can be used for powder, contour and blush- great for multitasking!

“This one is great for loose and pressed powder applications,” says editorial makeup artist Christopher Ardoff. On set, he uses it for touchups because, “it fans out products evenly and flawlessly.”

“It is great for blending and diffusing color around the eyes and cheeks,” Ardoff says.

“This brush is great for blending in the crease or socket of the eye,” Ardoff says. It “helps to distribute product densely and evenly” and is “great for softening and blending in areas where you would require a smaller brush.”

Ardoff uses this brush “for buffing and softening either cream or pencil eyeliner” and “for applying shadow on top” of liner for an even bolder look.

If you’re in a hurry but still want the ultimate boy brow, grab this brush. “I have literally never seen any other makeup line do a brush like this one,” says Julianne Kaye, the makeup artist to Dove Cameron and Karimah Westbrook.

“I love the tapered shape of this brush,” says Kaye. “I can use it for highlighting, setting powder, under the eyes, and contouring.”

The perfect paint brush for contouring. “I like to use this brush with a darker shade to find the hollows of the cheeks and carve out the jawline,” says Kaye.

This foundation brush is a favorite of both makeup artists and their clients. “This is hands down my favorite brush for applying foundation,” says Kaye. “I have never had a client not ask me about this brush because it just buffs in the make up so flawlessly and feels dreamy on the client’s skin.”

This is the only lip brush Nick Barose, who works with Priyanka Chopra and Lupita Nyong’o, will use. “It cuts in an angle so it makes the shape easy to fit any hard to reach areas of the lips,” explains Barose. “It helps me to be precise without doing too much of the work. “

“I use this for filling in brows and lining eyes because it has the right small shape and angle to easily line,” says Barose. “The bristles are perfect for both cream and powder formulas.”

If you’re looking for one brush to do it all, this might be it. “This dual, multi-purpose brush is great for blush, bronzer, defining contour,” says Barose. “It’s one of my kit’s favorites.”

Hakuhodo offers the ultimate set of brushes. The bristles are exquisitely cut to give an artist complete control over the makeup application process. “My favorite brushes are by Hakuhodo,” says Elaine Offers, the woman behind Dakota Johnson and Julianne Moore’s flawless looks. “An extremely talented makeup artist named Vivian Baker told me about them 10 years ago, and I’ve been hooked ever since.”

“Chanel’s precision powder brush is the perfect length and density to apply bronzer on the halo of the face,” says Jenna Kristina, who calls Hari Nef and Rashida Jones reoccurring clients. It’s the perfect blending brush. 

Kristina also always uses a metal eyelash comb after she applies mascara. ”I like a whispie feathery lash and it always helps to take out chucks,” says Kristina. Her go-to choice is this pink eyelash comb by Hakuhoda. 

Kristina is also obsessed with Anastasia’s Angled Cut Brush’s bristles. “The synthetic hairs keep this brush sturdy and stiff for the most precise lines,” explains Kristina. “I use it to create hair like strokes with powder on brows and also for the sharpest pointed cat eyeliner.” 

The MAC 217 Blending Brush is a staple for Jamie Greenberg, Busy Philipps and Rashida Jones’ makeup artist. According to Greenberg, the brush can turn a novice into a pro in no time. 

Greenberg loves all of Jenny Patinkin’s brushes but the Large Domed Powder Brush is her all-time favorite. The fluffy fibers relax clients in her chair. 

Dior ambassador Sabrina Bedrani loves this brush because of its ability to apply foundation evenly and smoothly. It’s also a Bella Hadid-approved brush. 

The ultimate cheekbone definer. The tapered shape works to spotlight cheekbones on Bedrani’s celebrity clientele. 

Kira Nasrat, who works with Bebe Rexha, uses Chanel’s Contouring Brush because of its slant angle that helps to sculpt the cheeks and contour the face. It also works well as a setting powder brush. 

Nasrat says she has a bunch of these Utowa Hood eyeshadow brushes in her makeup bag.  “The brush is fluffy, flat and with a gradual point,” says Narsa. “It’s perfect for adding eyeshadow onto the lids, contouring into the crease, and great for blending.” She also uses it to set makeup with translucent powder in concentrated areas of the face especially the t-zone.