polish insomniac

Top 10 Makeup Brushes


Purchased by Me Press Sample Affiliate Link



I thought this week’s Top 10 would be easy, as we are sharing our favorite makeup brushes with you. Who knew I couldn’t get mind down below 15?!? So I have narrowed my list down to my Top 10 Makeup Brushes for the Face… I have another 10 Eye Brushes that I want to share with you too sometime! I was going to share both of them with you today, but alas I ran out of time. (I blame Facebook.)

My brushes are a mix of high end and drugstore, as is most of my makeup collection:


IT Cosmetics Airbrush Flat Foundation Brush (Special Edition 6-pc. Vanity Brush Collection • $49.50) IT Cosmetics Heavenly Luxe Dual Foundation/Concealer Brush • $48.00
Since all of my favorite foundations are from IT Cosmetics, it’s only natural that my favorite makeup brushes to apply them with are also from IT Cosmetics! The Airbrush Flat Foundation Brush is perfect for applying both Your Skin But Better CC Cream and IT-02 Liquid Oxygen Foundation.

The Heavenly Luxe Dual Foundation/Concealer Brush is perfect for both creams and powders – I use the black handled one to apply my Bye Bye Under Eye, and the silver handled brush to apply my Celebration Foundation and Celebration Illumination Foundation. The brush applies just the right amount of powder to give me medium coverage without making my dehydrated skin look dry or flakey. These brushes can be expensive. At $48 each, it’s a much, much better deal to pick them up as part of a set that includes one of the foundations.


MAC 165 Tapered Cheek & Highlighter Brush (Discontinued) Sonia Kashuk Contour Brush (from the Limited Edition 15pc Professional Brush Set) • $39.99 Real Techniques Stippling Brush • $9.99 Real Techniques Contour Brush (from the Core Collection Set • $15.79)
I have become addicted to highlighting and contouring lately. I love, love, love the Real Techniques brushes for any cream product. The Real Techniques Contour Brush is p.e.r.f.e.c.t. for cream bronzers (like butter LONDON Fit Baker). The Real Techniques Stippling Brush works wonders on both highlighters and blush without going over the top.

The Sonia Kashuk Contour Brush is the entire reason I purchased the 15th Anniversary Set at Target. It’s such a fun and unique shape! I have very small cheeks and I love how tightly I can shade in the hollows of my cheeks with this brush.

My number one addiction this past month is my Hourglass Ambient Lighting Palette. Now that I know the glow I can get from it, my skin looks flat, dull and lackluster without it. My MAC 165 Tapered Cheek & Highlighter Brush (that I picked up not too long ago at a CCO) is perfect for applying Incandescent Light.



IT Cosmetics Dual-Airbrush Multi-Powder Brush (Special Edition 6-pc Vanity Brush Collection • $49.50)
Sonia Kashuk Powder Brush (from the Limited Edition 15pc Professional Brush Set) • $39.99
Real Techniques Blush Brush • $8.99
Bobbi Brown Powder Brush • $62.00
I have owned my Bobbi Brown Powder Brush for over 8 years. It’s a real workhorse, in it’s time I have used it for setting powder, blush, bronzer, and finishing powder. Right now I am using it to gently sculpt my cheeks with Dim Light after I dust Radiant Light all over my face with the Sonia Kashuk Powder Brush, which might be the softest (and prettiest) synthetic powder brush I have ever used!

I haven't been reaching for my go-to powder bronzer lately (Too Faced Chocolate Soleil) but when I do I love to apply it with my IT Cosmetics Dual-Airbrush Multi-Powder Brush. I love how big and fluffy it is! It makes it impossible to over apply bronzer. I actually love every single brush in the Special Edition 6-pc Vanity Brush Collection • $49.50) which is somehow still available. I highly recommend that you pick it up if you don't own it already. It would also make a great gift for the beauty lover in your life!

  1. Bobbi Brown Powder Brush • $62.00
  2. IT Cosmetics Heavenly Luxe Dual Foundation/Concealer Brush • $48.00*
  3. IT Cosmetics Airbrush Flat Foundation Brush (Special Edition 6-pc. Vanity Brush Collection • $49.50)*
  4. IT Cosmetics Dual-Airbrush Multi-Powder Brush (Special Edition 6-pc. Vanity Brush Collection • $49.50)*
  5. MAC 165 Tapered Cheek & Highlighter Brush (Discontinued)
  6. Real Techniques Stippling Brush • $9.99
  7. Real Techniques Contour Brush (from the Core Collection Set • $15.79)
  8. Real Techniques Blush Brush • $8.99
  9. Sonia Kashuk Powder Brush (from the Limited Edition 15pc Professional Brush Set) • $39.99
  10. Sonia Kashuk Contour Brush (from the Limited Edition 15pc Professional Brush Set) • $39.99

*provided for review

What are YOUR favorite face brushes? Let me know in the comments!
Disclosures: polish insomniac at times reviews products provided by a representative of the company. When we do so, we specifically state so. We also use affiliate links. For more, please see the disclosure page.

© copyright 2010-2013 – All rights reserved

polish insomniac
  • Love
  • Save
    3 loves
    Add a blog to Bloglovin’
    Enter the full blog address (e.g. https://www.fashionsquad.com)
    We're working on your request. This will take just a minute...