I love having LOTS of brushes at my disposal, so for me, affordable makeup brushes are the way to go! But all makeup brushes are not created — or priced — equally.
For face makeup brushes, here are a few that have earned my gold star sticker of approval.
1. Sonia Kashuk Star Struck Large Powder Brush (Disc.)
The Sonia Kashuk Star Struck Large Powder Brush is one of the softest natural hair brushes I own. In fact, none of my higher-end brushes can apply bronzer as well as this one.
I like this full rounded brush because I can really work powder into my skin with it. Unfortunately, the set I got it with has been discontinued…and I also didn’t love any of the other brushes in the set. Still, I would re-buy the set just for this one brush.
2. Sonia Kashuk No. 29 Domed Blusher Brush ($17.99)
Another Sonia Kashuk brush, except that this one IS still available (it’s permanent). My nickname for the No. 29 brush is “the bunny butt” brush because it’s so round and soft! It’s the perfect medium size to fit into the cheek contour or right on top of the cheek as well.
This one is a little bit pricier than my other brush recommendations, but I think the plastic handles hold up very well over time.
3. Morphe M438 Pointed Contour Brush ($9.99)
This brush fell into my life after a recommendation by Jaclyn Hill on Youtube. I think she uses it for a targeted highlighter application, but I love it for setting the under-eye area, although the tapered tip is handy for a lot of other uses as well. It’s probably one of the most unique brushes in my collection.
4. MUA Pro Multi Purpose Brush ($12)
A synthetic rounded kabuki-style brush, the MUA Pro Multipurpose brush is my current favorite foundation brush. For comparison, it’s a little denser than the Real Techniques Buffing Brush.
I’ve had brushes that were too dense, but this one sits right in the middle, which makes it great!
5. EcoTools Bamboo Powder Brush ($9.99)
This is THE brush for setting powder. With long, tapered hairs that apply the perfect amount of powder, it’s also great for blending away excess product without disturbing your makeup. I lay it on its flat side and set my liquids with a patting motion.
If you have any affordable (or expensive) brushes that you love more than words, I’d love to hear about them!
Chris25 says
June 10th, 2016 at 1:08 pmThe Morphe Pointed Contour seems to be useful for a lot of things. I love multi-use brushes. 😀
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Anna Oh says
June 10th, 2016 at 1:26 pmMe too! I bought a back up of the Morphe brush so I don’t have to mix my colors 🙂
Rachel says
June 10th, 2016 at 3:08 pmI started buying cheaper brushes after one of my (sorta) expensive Clinique ones literally fell apart. ELF makes a pretty good powder brush and all of MUAs are really soft but I only own the blush brush.
Anna Oh says
June 20th, 2016 at 2:38 pmThe ELF powder brush is another one of my main stays 🙂 Recently I got into Morphe brushes and haven’t looked back 🙂
Aliya says
June 10th, 2016 at 3:38 pmThese look great! I love the look of the MUA one, it looks dense and would be perfect for anything. Glad there is budget alternatives available
Aliya x | thecatandthegirl.blogspot.co.uk | https://www.bloglovin.com/people/thegirl09-10150959
Kiss & Make-up says
June 11th, 2016 at 1:44 amI think I might get the Sonia Kashuk brush! Thanks for the tip.
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Nivedita says
June 11th, 2016 at 2:01 amCall me cheap, but I buy the brushes from Chiense websites all the time. I have actually found good dupes of Sigma and others which work equally well. Since I am extremely finicky about clean brushes, I need quite a few in each category so that I can clean them after every use and use the back ups while the other one is drying.
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Anna Oh says
June 20th, 2016 at 2:42 pmWould those include the ebay brushes? Because I’ve seen great synthetic brushes on ebay and amazon that look REALLY similar to some Sigma brushes!
Erin says
June 11th, 2016 at 2:34 pmI love Sonia Kashuk brushes. Have you tried Crown Brushes. I found they are similar to Morphe Brushes.
Anna Oh says
June 20th, 2016 at 2:43 pmI haven’t! I see the brand on Hautelook a lot though.
Sakura says
June 12th, 2016 at 7:00 pmCool, thanks for your post! I have a lot to learn about brushes! It’s always good to see what the more experienced use. I have the eco tools brush. I like it for applying bronzer. One of my favorites is the Too Faced Teddy Bear kabuki brush. It is so very soft and dispenses my facial powder very well.
Anna Oh says
June 20th, 2016 at 2:44 pmThe Too Faced brushes look adorable!!!
Fancie says
June 13th, 2016 at 3:46 pmSuch great suggestions! I love Sonia Kashuk brushes. I never tried MUA or Morphe though. They’re definitely on my list now! The Morphe contour brush looks like a must have for me. I may need to order a couple lol
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Anna Oh says
June 20th, 2016 at 2:45 pmI love them! Every time I have a Morphe haul I get SO excited 🙂
Erin says
June 16th, 2016 at 9:10 amI really like RT and SK brushes. I have a few EcoTools too. That Morphe brush looks perfect for setting the under eye, highlighting, and color washing.
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