The Best Makeup Brushes For a Flawless Companion

With the right makeup brushes, you can create a flawless complexion that looks natural and airbrushed. Our testers looked for dense bristles that distribute products evenly, as well as a comfortable grip and easy cleanup.

Our beauty experts also took into account whether the bristles were natural or synthetic. The best makeup brushes feature both, though natural ones deteriorate faster and require more frequent cleaning.

Merit Tapered Blending Brush

The best makeup brushes should be versatile enough to work with both powder and liquid products. This brush does the trick, with a tapered shape that makes it ideal for applying highlighter and bronzer. It also works well with foundation.

A favorite of celebs like Kim Kardashian and Rosie Huntington-Whiteley, this brush is perfect for creating a seamless complexion. Its dense bristles help blend out any product and blur imperfections so that you can’t tell where the skin meets the makeup. Plus, it’s vegan and cruelty-free, with a luxe handle made from recycled aluminum.

This brush is the definition of high-end and a true luxury product. It’s handmade by artisanal makers in Kumano, Japan, which is known as the Napa of makeup brushes (it even hosts an annual brush festival). The soft, squoval-shaped brush features a unique double fiber construction with white threads at the tip that are more loosely packed than those at the base, meaning it can be used for various different looks. It’s a bit of a splurge, but beauty lovers say it’s well worth it.

Chantecaille Flat Blending Brush

The key to flawless complexion is a great foundation, and this brush will help you achieve it. Its dense bristles won’t absorb your foundation and distribute it evenly across your face for a super smooth finish. It also comes with a convenient cap so you can travel without worrying about getting your bristles wet.

Designed to mimic the look of your fingertips, this angled brush will let you blend and shape your makeup with precision. It’s soft, plush and ideal for applying blush or highlighter to the apples of your cheeks.

While many people, including Pat McGrath, use their fingers to apply and blend metallic and glittery eyeshadow, this brush is a foolproof way to get the same effect without getting your hands dirty. It has flat flexible bristles that can be used to buff and blend products across your lid. This brush is vegan and made best makeup brushes with high-quality synthetic fibers. It’s easy to wash, too. It will last for years, and it’s perfect for blending cream or powder products. It works great with blush and bronzer, too.

Surratt Beauty Natural Bristle Blending Brush

This is a really lovely blush brush. It’s a good size for those that want a cute diffused blush look rather than sculpting the cheeks and it can also be used with light coverage foundation to add just a haze of color back to the skin.

It’s made in the tradition of Fude brushes, meaning the hairs are uncut and shaped by hand. This means they feel much softer against the face than brushes with blunt cut tips and they’re more resistant.

The bristles are gathered tightly at the base and then loosen out at the top so they can apply the thinnest layer of powder (pressed or loose) with minimal build up and zero cakey effect. This is why it’s best for translucent powder, especially since the brush will leave a gossamer-feeling layer that will be invisible compared to what you get using many other brushes with less densely packed squirrel hairs.

The only downside is the price point, it’s a major investment but if you are someone who values quality and a brush lover that knows what they are looking for, this is definitely one to consider.

Hourglass Dual-Ended Powder Brush

Whether you’re setting an area with translucent powder, locking in your foundation with a pressed or loose powder, or buffing in blush and highlighter, this double-ended brush does it all. It features a smaller, tapered side that’s custom-designed to set the under-eye area and the larger, rounded side is perfect for allover complexion application. It’s also PETA-approved and made with synthetic Taklon bristles that are hypoallergenic.

When our makeup experts tested this brush for design and application, they were impressed with its ability to blend liquid and cream foundations into the skin without leaving unsightly streaks behind. Its bristles are densely packed and shorter than those of some Kabuki brushes, which allows for a more concentrated approach to blending. And it’s easy to clean, too: You simply massage the bristles with soapy water until the excess makeup is rinsed away.

Chantecaille Angled Contour Brush

Whether you want to achieve a lit-from-within glow or just a subtle spark of shine, the right highlighter brush will help you get there. Choose from a traditional powder-buffing, paddle-style laydown tool that’s great for best makeup brushes wholesale packing on pigment or sweeping on a light shade for a one-and-done look to an ultra soft fan brush with a cheek hugging shape that’s ideal for sheer application of more shimmery formulas.

While many people use their fingers to apply foundation, a good makeup brush will make your base look like a second skin. Opt for this angled brush from Chantecaille, which features a softly shaped, ombre synthetic fiber blend that effortlessly creates definition and adds radiance to the complexion.

When it comes to eyeshadow, a dense crease and liner brush can help you achieve a variety of looks from subtle to dramatic. A mini version of this brush from Merit is a great choice for applying gel or pressed powder liner, and it’s made with ethically sourced pony hair for a soft and smooth finish. The angled, finely tapered bristles are also perfect for creating a wide range of eyebrow looks, from Brooke Shields-esque arches to more precise lines and smudging.