The Best Makeup Brushes for Taking Your Beauty Routine Up a Notch

This five-piece set, with a powder brush, foundation brush, highlighter brush, eyeshadow brush, and blending sponge, is a great first buy. Vanessa says, “my personal favorite is the setting brush for its tapered shape for precise application underneath the eyes.” ($19.99, Ulta)

With dense bristles great for holding as much (or as little) product as you'd like, this foundation brush will help with whatever you’re going for — whether that’s “no-makeup”-style sheer coverage or a more fully made-up look. It’s ideal for your everyday foundation application, but also works with cream bronzers, powder blushes, and skin tints. ($30, Sephora)

While this one’s designed for blending blushes, “I find it to be amazing for sculpting the face — even with cream contour sticks,” says Vanessa. It has a super lightweight touch and slanted design that’s great for creating shadows. We recommend trying it with this blush or cream contour. ($30, Sephora)

“For liquid liner and graphic liner designs, your best and most affordable bet is to try out nail art brushes,” Vanessa says. So if you want to hop on the liquid liner trend, check out this set. It has five different brushes — all for under $10. ($9.99, Amazon)

If you’re already experimenting with a smokey eye, invest in this kit to up your game. It comes with an eyeshadow C brush, blending brush, small angled brush, small precision brush, and fluffy eye blender brush — so pretty much everything you need for the most dramatic looks. ($12, Ulta)

“This brush is perfect for blending out harsh edges that most domed fluffy eye brushes would blend away,” says Vanessa. Which basically means it’ll help your eyeshadow stand out and stay super bright. It’s weighted and made with high-quality synthetic fibers that really pack in eyeshadow for an ultra-pigmented look. ($34, Saks Fifth Avenue)

Vanessa knows a thing or two about working with gels and creams, and says, “If you’re looking for a small dense liner brush for those products, look no further! This tiny guy is precise and it lays on cream liner smoothly.” ($21, Saks Fifth Avenue)

If you want a bigger set that’ll last a long time without breaking the bank, this is it. With 15 different brushes — for blush, concealer, eyeliner, and more — it’s basically a one-stop shop. Vanessa says, “This was one of my first brush sets. They’ve definitely withstood the test of time — I literally still have all of these in my brush collection.” ($23.92+, Amazon)

This one has countless five-star reviews — it’s even snagged an Allure Best of Beauty Award to prove it. The bristles are super soft and just the right density for blending creams (goodbye, foundation patches). If you’re someone who’s constantly on the go, it’s the perfect size for traveling. Psst…snag the complexion stick to go with it if you’re looking for light-to-medium coverage to lessen dark spots. ($32, Merit)