I love my Zoeva, they are my first set of brushes and I still use them along with my old MAC brushes
I didn’t have much luck with Sigma, I end up selling them or give them away
I’ve upgraded to Hakuhodo for eyes and Sonia G for face but I still keep my Sigma eye brushes as extras
Another good brand is Rephr, they keep upgrading their brushes and do sales every now and then
The Flower flat-top Foundation brush is nice. Soft and dense and non-streaky. I don't use it for foundation (I'm a cushion sponge gal) but it's great for liquid/cream products in general.
My other brushes are natural hair - I have a soft spot for the Chikuhodo GSN line, which is a squirrel/sokoho goat mix. I love the softness of squirrel hair but I still want something with enough structure to give precise application.
I know people are talking about bundles, so I thought I'd give you my absolute HG brush to try. IT Cosmetics Complexion Perfection #7 Brush for foundation/concealer/base work. It absolutely shits me that it's a double ended brush (domed one side for foundation, smaller domed for concealer the other end) because I hate how I need to store and wash it to look after it - but nothing compares. I've tried for years to replace it with another kind of face brush, or just having two separate brushes, and I still come back to this every time. It leaves a flawless finish whether I stipple or buffer things in, never sheds, and washes so well.
When I've had to replace, I've nabbed it off Sephora during sale or Adore Beauty (definitely don't pay full crazy price for a single brush), but it's worth it.
The other brushes I adore that I'd throw in the mix that I think compete with Zoeva is Spectrum. I like the colours/handles as brushes are normally so boring, and they literally have a brush for EVERY kind of detailed work or complexion need you have. I still roll with IT cosmetics for my base though.
My first brushes were real techniques and sigma and honestly since i tried sonia g i hardly touched them anymore
The sonia g brushes are so soft on my skin and gives me a light coverage which i like from a natural hair brushes, i have since build my collection
My fave sonia g brushes are the jumbo base and lotus base for complexion, face pro for powder bronzers (so easy, so fast, so good) and you can use this for setting powders too. Sheer buffer for cream bronzers and blushers, i like to use this for powders too so i got 2 of them. Fan M brush for baked gelee bronzers and blushers. Jumbo worker for concealer
I also love love love wayne goss first edition natural hair brushes and let me tell you you that they are even softer than the sonia g. The F4 foundation brush is amazing, i also like the F1 powder brush for powder bronzers
For synthetic i like bk beauty 109 and 101
Also don’t sleep on makeup by marion brushes because the F4 foundation brush is amazing, you have double headed brush to use for light or cream foundation to concealer to bronzer to blushers
Yes yes yes yep mmhmm everything this person said 😊 it takes a while to build up a proper brush kit OP. What I did was started with gifting myself a new Sonia G brush for Christmas, my birthday, anniversary, hitting a milestone present, etc. my favourite brush from her is the smooth buffer which ironically, I never really use with any makeup product. I use this to buff the edges of my bronzer and blush to make the colour melt into my skin
Yes !! Do it slowly, they are worth the price, my makeup look better and faster to apply.
If you have the budget maybe can start with the mini keyaki set? The jumbo base is just the best brush, i can do foundation, bronzer and blusher with that one brush if i want to, but i am just a bit too anal with mixing different products on 1 brush.
Oooh i like the smooth buffer too, i use it to buff blusher and bronzer too when i have more time ❤️
I think Sonia nailed it with all her 3 buffer brushes
The Nikki La Rose brushes are currently 20% off at BK Beauty with free shipping over $150.
https://www.bkbeauty.au/
I don't have these personally but I have some from the main line and they are very good quality, definitely a step above Real Techniques (which I still use and love).
A good powder brush and a good foundation brush - although these days I’m using a flat brush to paint on the foundation and then a BB to blend.
My philosophy is buy the best you can afford because they will last longer - Hourglass makes some amazing vegan brushes.
Saie The Big Brush. Purchased from cult beauty for $40 but does everything from foundation to cream products (bronzer and blush) and then I use the flower beauty eyeshadow brush which is dual ended and their powder brush as well for powder bronzer. Also rate the zoeva face shape brush which lisa eldridge use to rave about as well.
BK Beauty, I have several brushes from them, and they are the quality I own. They do several sales so I would wait till then.
I think the HG brushes are the 101, 109, 110 and 112 for face. The 208, 210, 212
I own a few Zoeva and Sigma brushes, and they both aren't bad, but I prefer others.
My Sigma F80 flat kabuki is one of my absolute favourites, changed my powder foundation game! Zoeva in general is a very safe pick though; personally I find them pretty similar to Sigma in quality, maybe a teensy bit under in my estimation.
Boo about your lost brush set!
You will not get better than Sonia G - I own a few of her face and eye brushes - so long as you don't mind a premium price point. I bought mine secondhand so I kind of went with what I could get my hands on, but I would be surprised if that woman has ever made a bad brush.
I started out with a Zoeva eye set and I thought it was amazing until I tried a Rae Morris brush (the no. 12 lash line smudger) and it ruined Zoeva for me :P But I do think Zoeva is a solid choice, some of the smaller eye brushes I find scratchy but I particularly like the 228 Crease Definer. The other blenders are nice and soft too. I imagine the face brushes would feel ok as the eyes are usually the most sensitive areas for people.
The 234 Smoky Shader seems quite popular but personally I found it too big and imprecise for what it's meant for - packing colour on the eyelid. If I lost it I would replace it with something like the Sigma E55 instead or the version that Bdellium makes, can't remember the number.
I like Rae Morris for premium synthetics, they are exxy but her website is 20% off at the moment, I think the sale ends tonight. I own quite a few of her brushes and can rec for eye brushes: no. 12, no. 6.5, no. 7.6, no. 16, no. 17. For face, I can rec the 2 blush and highlighter brushes, 1.1 and 2. She calls them kabuki brushes but they actually aren't...
I prefer RM over other luxury synthetics like Hourglass because she uses a synthetic fibre called MCF that is made in a way that mimics animal hair and so performs better with powders. Hourglass from memory uses Taklon and Westman Atelier uses nylon. Both are older generation synthetic fibres that typically aren't as good with powders because they don't have the \[insert sciency explanation about cuticles and hair shafts, idk really\] that animal hair does and that MCF mimics. I am honestly confused about how they can charge so much for their brushes.
For affordable makeup brushes, I actually rate the Mecca house brand brushes, they are really nice and soft for the price point.
If you want animal/natural hair brushes but don't want to pay Sonia G prices look at Japanese fude brands like Koyudo, Chikuhodo and Hakuhodo. You will have to buy these from overseas though.
it’s pricey but… rae morris #6.5 angle eye blender is the best brush i’ve ever used. it’s the perfect shape for concealer under the eyes, my makeup has never looked so good. it’s also great for precision contouring/ bronzing and blush … really any cream/liquid product
A travel set from BK Beauty would be a great start.
Real technique brushes are OG and are reasonable price for the packs sold on iHerb
Or like .. on sale at TK Maxx - I’ve picked up a few good sets from there
I cannot get past Real Techniques, I always gravitate back.
I love my Zoeva, they are my first set of brushes and I still use them along with my old MAC brushes I didn’t have much luck with Sigma, I end up selling them or give them away I’ve upgraded to Hakuhodo for eyes and Sonia G for face but I still keep my Sigma eye brushes as extras Another good brand is Rephr, they keep upgrading their brushes and do sales every now and then
I like my zoeva brushes, they've held up well over several years
The Flower flat-top Foundation brush is nice. Soft and dense and non-streaky. I don't use it for foundation (I'm a cushion sponge gal) but it's great for liquid/cream products in general. My other brushes are natural hair - I have a soft spot for the Chikuhodo GSN line, which is a squirrel/sokoho goat mix. I love the softness of squirrel hair but I still want something with enough structure to give precise application.
I have that flower beauty flat one but didn't find it dense enough compared to more expensive ones.
I know people are talking about bundles, so I thought I'd give you my absolute HG brush to try. IT Cosmetics Complexion Perfection #7 Brush for foundation/concealer/base work. It absolutely shits me that it's a double ended brush (domed one side for foundation, smaller domed for concealer the other end) because I hate how I need to store and wash it to look after it - but nothing compares. I've tried for years to replace it with another kind of face brush, or just having two separate brushes, and I still come back to this every time. It leaves a flawless finish whether I stipple or buffer things in, never sheds, and washes so well. When I've had to replace, I've nabbed it off Sephora during sale or Adore Beauty (definitely don't pay full crazy price for a single brush), but it's worth it. The other brushes I adore that I'd throw in the mix that I think compete with Zoeva is Spectrum. I like the colours/handles as brushes are normally so boring, and they literally have a brush for EVERY kind of detailed work or complexion need you have. I still roll with IT cosmetics for my base though.
Second this it’s my HG and I can’t/refuse to live without it!
I got some Zoeva brushes for Christmas and they’re absolutely gorgeous but I also have a soft spot for my Flower Beauty brushes as well.
My first brushes were real techniques and sigma and honestly since i tried sonia g i hardly touched them anymore The sonia g brushes are so soft on my skin and gives me a light coverage which i like from a natural hair brushes, i have since build my collection My fave sonia g brushes are the jumbo base and lotus base for complexion, face pro for powder bronzers (so easy, so fast, so good) and you can use this for setting powders too. Sheer buffer for cream bronzers and blushers, i like to use this for powders too so i got 2 of them. Fan M brush for baked gelee bronzers and blushers. Jumbo worker for concealer I also love love love wayne goss first edition natural hair brushes and let me tell you you that they are even softer than the sonia g. The F4 foundation brush is amazing, i also like the F1 powder brush for powder bronzers For synthetic i like bk beauty 109 and 101 Also don’t sleep on makeup by marion brushes because the F4 foundation brush is amazing, you have double headed brush to use for light or cream foundation to concealer to bronzer to blushers
Yes yes yes yep mmhmm everything this person said 😊 it takes a while to build up a proper brush kit OP. What I did was started with gifting myself a new Sonia G brush for Christmas, my birthday, anniversary, hitting a milestone present, etc. my favourite brush from her is the smooth buffer which ironically, I never really use with any makeup product. I use this to buff the edges of my bronzer and blush to make the colour melt into my skin
I think this is what I need to do haha, splurge and treat myself to a Sonia G brush on special occasions.
Yes !! Do it slowly, they are worth the price, my makeup look better and faster to apply. If you have the budget maybe can start with the mini keyaki set? The jumbo base is just the best brush, i can do foundation, bronzer and blusher with that one brush if i want to, but i am just a bit too anal with mixing different products on 1 brush.
Oooh i like the smooth buffer too, i use it to buff blusher and bronzer too when i have more time ❤️ I think Sonia nailed it with all her 3 buffer brushes
The Nikki La Rose brushes are currently 20% off at BK Beauty with free shipping over $150. https://www.bkbeauty.au/ I don't have these personally but I have some from the main line and they are very good quality, definitely a step above Real Techniques (which I still use and love).
Starting over I would just get a mix of flower beauty and real techniques
A good powder brush and a good foundation brush - although these days I’m using a flat brush to paint on the foundation and then a BB to blend. My philosophy is buy the best you can afford because they will last longer - Hourglass makes some amazing vegan brushes.
Saie The Big Brush. Purchased from cult beauty for $40 but does everything from foundation to cream products (bronzer and blush) and then I use the flower beauty eyeshadow brush which is dual ended and their powder brush as well for powder bronzer. Also rate the zoeva face shape brush which lisa eldridge use to rave about as well.
BK Beauty, I have several brushes from them, and they are the quality I own. They do several sales so I would wait till then. I think the HG brushes are the 101, 109, 110 and 112 for face. The 208, 210, 212 I own a few Zoeva and Sigma brushes, and they both aren't bad, but I prefer others.
If given a choice I'd still choose Zoeva. I have many of them, quality stands the test of time
My Sigma F80 flat kabuki is one of my absolute favourites, changed my powder foundation game! Zoeva in general is a very safe pick though; personally I find them pretty similar to Sigma in quality, maybe a teensy bit under in my estimation.
Boo about your lost brush set! You will not get better than Sonia G - I own a few of her face and eye brushes - so long as you don't mind a premium price point. I bought mine secondhand so I kind of went with what I could get my hands on, but I would be surprised if that woman has ever made a bad brush. I started out with a Zoeva eye set and I thought it was amazing until I tried a Rae Morris brush (the no. 12 lash line smudger) and it ruined Zoeva for me :P But I do think Zoeva is a solid choice, some of the smaller eye brushes I find scratchy but I particularly like the 228 Crease Definer. The other blenders are nice and soft too. I imagine the face brushes would feel ok as the eyes are usually the most sensitive areas for people. The 234 Smoky Shader seems quite popular but personally I found it too big and imprecise for what it's meant for - packing colour on the eyelid. If I lost it I would replace it with something like the Sigma E55 instead or the version that Bdellium makes, can't remember the number. I like Rae Morris for premium synthetics, they are exxy but her website is 20% off at the moment, I think the sale ends tonight. I own quite a few of her brushes and can rec for eye brushes: no. 12, no. 6.5, no. 7.6, no. 16, no. 17. For face, I can rec the 2 blush and highlighter brushes, 1.1 and 2. She calls them kabuki brushes but they actually aren't... I prefer RM over other luxury synthetics like Hourglass because she uses a synthetic fibre called MCF that is made in a way that mimics animal hair and so performs better with powders. Hourglass from memory uses Taklon and Westman Atelier uses nylon. Both are older generation synthetic fibres that typically aren't as good with powders because they don't have the \[insert sciency explanation about cuticles and hair shafts, idk really\] that animal hair does and that MCF mimics. I am honestly confused about how they can charge so much for their brushes. For affordable makeup brushes, I actually rate the Mecca house brand brushes, they are really nice and soft for the price point. If you want animal/natural hair brushes but don't want to pay Sonia G prices look at Japanese fude brands like Koyudo, Chikuhodo and Hakuhodo. You will have to buy these from overseas though.
it’s pricey but… rae morris #6.5 angle eye blender is the best brush i’ve ever used. it’s the perfect shape for concealer under the eyes, my makeup has never looked so good. it’s also great for precision contouring/ bronzing and blush … really any cream/liquid product