Makeup artist facial brushes

You can have the best skin care products and the most amazing makeup , but the truth about makeup is that the finished product will only look as good as the tools you use to put it on with. Artists don't use finger paints for a masterpiece, so you shouldn't use your hands to apply your makeup if you want a truly flawless finish. Your makeup brushes should conceal imperfections and give all-day, natural-looking coverage, and using the wrong makeup brushes or worse, your hands can result in an uneven tone, streaky application, and blemishes peeking through. That's why our Good Housekeeping Institute Beauty Lab experts teamed with professional makeup artists to find the best makeup brushes on the market. We narrowed down the field to 65 brushes across six categories eye shadow, foundation, concealer, blush, contour, and powder , obscured brand labels to remove any bias, and had our makeup artists put the brushes to the test to find the best of the best. In our tests, all of the top performing brushes were synthetic.

There are several factors that go into what allows makeup artists to do truly phenomenal work. First is talent — the creativity, instinct, and skill that separates them from the everyday, amateur makeup applier. Then, of course, is the makeup itself; eye shadow, blush, lipstick, liner, and other color cosmetics are arguably the most essential element of a makeup artist's work. But having the right tools with which to apply them — and the expertise to use those tools correctly — can make the difference between a nice makeup look and an incredible one. Just like makeup artists try countless shades and formulas to find the ones they like working with the most, they also test out tons of makeup brushes. And while many of us may consider our tool kit complete with a blush brush, a couple of eye-shadow brushes, and a trusty finger or two , makeup artists have fluffy-headed magic wands for every imaginable area of the face and every conceivable application technique. Asking a makeup artist to choose their favorite makeup brush is like asking a parent to choose their favorite child — but we asked anyway.

Sure, Instagram-friendly sets of glittery unicorn horn brushes and toothbrush-like makeup tools are fun and total vanity candy. But if you ask a professional makeup artist about the best makeup brushes on the market, their selections will be decidedly classic, refined, and time-tested — no matter if the tools are intended for use on the eyes, lips, cheekbones, or anywhere else. To prove it, we asked the pros to reveal the tools they always keep in their kits. Some even keep multiples of them, just in case. The following picks for the best makeup brushes include the fluffiest, sharpest, softest, and most precise ones that makeup artists swear by when creating all those stunning looks we admire so much on your favorite celebrities and on Instagram.

They are typically small, equipped with synthetic hairs, and have a flat brush head. Sometimes you need to powder, bronze, or blush yourself mid-commute or in the unflattering light of an airport bathroom on the way to baggage claim. This convenient brush retracts into itself without a fuss so you can toss it into your purse or fancy fanny pack without worrying about squishing it. In addition to a shine-free forehead, this EcoTools brush will give you peace of mind with its cruelty-free bristles and a sturdy case made of recycled aluminum.