The Perfect Brush Set for Beginners & Pros

As I looked through all of my brushes, I wondered what it would look like if I put together my ideal set. I sifted through my collection and put together a compilation of brushes from different brands to compile a begginer & pro set.

If buying a brush set from any brand, it is almost always cheaper than buying brushes individually. That being said, many people start with a few brushes at first and then add to their collection over time. 

The set that I compiled on the left side (above) is perfect for beginners/personal use. 

From left to right they are:

• Royal & Langnickel Flat foundation brush from their green line.
  
• The next brush is from Everyday Minerals and can be used to apply any powders to the face.
• Next is the #3 All Over Shadow Brush from Hourglass
• The 776 (green bambu line) blending brush from Bdellium Tools is one that I absolutely can't live without personally, or in my professional kit. 
• The 542 Bold Lip Brush from Bdellium Tools works great as a lip brush, but I also love it for applying concealer, creating a cut crease, and cream eyeshadow.
• Finally a small angled brush from Real Techniques can be used to fill in brows, or draw on winged eyeliner.

While you do not have to buy these specific brands, I do highly recommend these types of brushes. Even if you apply foundation with a sponge, a flat paddle foundation brush is great for applying an even layer of moisturizer or primer to the skin. 

For my professional kit, I included the same types of brushes, but opted for longer handled brushes where possible. In addition to the brushes on the right (above) I still need more for my professional kit.

From left to right (in the right side of the photo above) the brushes pictured are:

• Sedona Lace 727
• Furless Cosmetics Black Beauty Tapered Powder Brush
• Rae Morris #20 Concealer Brush
• Bdellium Tools 776 (pink bambu line) with a longer handle  than the green one.
• Royal & Langnickel Lip GL-12 Brush 
• Beauty Addicts Brow Shaper, which is an angled brush, but has a spoolie on the other end for grooming brows.

For a complete professional brush set, I always bring the below brushes as well.

When doing makeup on others, I find it helpful to have more eyeshadow brushes on hand, especially blending brushes.

Pictured above from left to right:

• Sigma E35 Tapered Blending
• Furless Cosmetics PRO2E 
• Royal & Langnickel S.I.L.K. Pro C450 Flat Eyeliner 
• Cozzette D300 which is a fine liner brush that can be used for eyeliner or pinpoint concealing
• Rae Morris #17 Mascara Applicator, which is a must have for combing through clumpy mascara.
• Bdellium Tools #777 flat eyeshadow brush (green bambu line)  for packing pigment onto the eyelids. I do not have this brush in a longer handle, but check their pink bambu line if you prefer something longer. 
• Antonym flat brush that can be used for concealer or eyeshadow. 
• The newest addition to my kit, the MyKitCo Tapered Crease Brush

While this may seem like a lot of brushes, these are the absolute minimum that I like to have for a complete makeup application. 

When it comes to eyeshadow brushes, I always carry multiples in my professional kit, especially of the 776 from Bdellium Tools. Again, you do not have to purchase these brands specifically. However any of the brushes that I mentioned in this post are ones that I personally swear by and love. I use all of these on a regular basis and you can see most of them pictured in previous posts. 

I wish that more professional brush sets came with more eye brushes than they do. Many only come with one flat eyeshadow brush and one blending brush. When I am working on a client, it is much more efficient to pick up a new clean blending brush rather than having only one that must be cleaned in the middle of application. So even if you buy a pre-made set, I highly recommend purchasing extra blending brushes if you are looking to work as a professional makeup artist.

I hope you find this post helpful. If you have any questions, please ask me in the comments below!

*This post contains both brushes purchased by me and some sent for consideration by the company. I do not get paid to write reviews. This is not a sponsored post.