The Makeup Brush Starter Kit

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No matter how much makeup you have, it’ll never look right if you don’t have the correct tools to apply it with. A good brush can make all the difference to how your makeup looks, and some can even multi-task for different products.

Gone are the days when high end stores were the only place you could buy good makeup brushes. Thanks to Real Techniques you can sort yourself out with a good brush kit for a fraction of the price of a high-end one. Even better, I actually prefer Real Techniques brushes over MAC brushes.

Whether you’re just getting into makeup and are wondering what brushes you need in your kit or if you’ve a dresser bursting to the brim with products, these 8 brushes would definitely be a beneficial addition to your makeup bag.

From top of The Glam Guide:

Real Techniques Blush Brush – My MAC 168 brush has taken a back seat since I picked this baby up. It’s the perfect tapered shape to apply blush, and can double as a bronzing brush too.

Real Techniques Buffing Brush – i.e. the best foundation brush of all time. Dense and with a slightly flat-top, this is the ultimate base brush. It blends the product seamlessly into the skin, and is super soft so it doesn’t scratch or irritate your face.

Real Techniques Powder Brush – This might just be the biggest, fluffiest brush of all time. It picks up and distributes just the right amount of powder, and doesn’t leave you looking like you’ve dipped your face in talc.

Real Techniques Contour Brush – This little brush is the perfect shape to fit right under the cheekbone for contouring, and is small enough that you can apply the product only where you want it without getting it all over your face.

From left to right on Vogue cover: 

Real Techniques Base Shadow Brush – It does exactly what it says on the tin. This little fluffy brush is just the right size for applying eyeshadow all over the lid, but is slightly tapered at the ends so you can work product into the outer-v of the eye too.

MAC 217 – I’ve to give MAC credit for this one, it’s the famous 217 blending brush. Super fluffy and tapered, it’s the ultimate crease brush. This is one MAC brush worth the splurge.

Jessup fluffy brush – This brush doesn’t actually have a name and came as part of a set, but any dense fluffy brush will do. I use this for concealer as it’s small enough to use under the eye and has a slightly flat top so you can press product onto a blemish easily.

Real Techniques Eyeliner Brush – Use it for gel eyeliner, for a smokey eye, to add colour under the eye, to fill in your eyebrows – whatever. This small angled brush can do so many different things and can really change up an eye makeup look.

Eight brushes is really all you need when it comes to the basic makeup kit – who knew?! Real Techniques really is the best brand for brushes – they’re affordable, don’t shed and there’s a brush for everything you need.

Let me know in the comments what your essential makeup brushes are, I’d love to hear!

Shout out to my dog Bella who loves to jump in on blog photos :’)