Stop Spending a TON of Money on Fancy Makeup Brushes

So, there are a bunch of videos and blog posts about drugstore dupes for all the best selling makeup products on the market, but I feel like no one ever talks about options for affordable makeup brushes. I used to think that the only good makeup brushes were from Sephora or Sigma because I heard that they were super soft and applied makeup nicely. Because of this, I had this misconception that drugstore brushes must be stratchy and must fall apart really easily. But then when I was in need of a new highlight brush and didn't feel like spending 20 bucks on it, I discovered that there are some amazing brushes for less than 10 dollars. I know that most people consider E.L.F. to be a hit or miss brand, but all of their brushes are a hit. Whether you are just starting out with makeup or are a professional artist, here are some super affordable ELF brushes that you need to add to your collection.

Face:

Blush Brush ($3)

I believe that this is one of their newer brushes so I was only able to pick it up about a month ago, but I haven't been able to stop using it since then. It is similar in shape to the Mac 116 brush with the long and wide tapered hairs and therefor, it is super easy to not only pick up product, but also to blend it out. I also have a brush that is similar in shape from Prescriptives except that it has natural hair and is 10 times more expensive. This brush is only $3 and it has completely replaced all my other blush brushes. The synthetic bristles are super soft and pick up the perfect amount of product every single time.

Pointed Powder Brush ($6)

I originally bought this brush because I thought it looked cool, but then I couldn't figure out what I wanted to use it for. And when the rest of my powder brushes were drying one day, I decided to use it to set my face and I fell in love. The point on top makes it the perfect powder brush because it can easily set large areas like your cheek or forehead, but then it can get into the inner corner to set your under eyes. it can also be a great brush for bronzer because it is fluffy enough to give you a natural bronze. This brush is only $6 yet it feels so soft and sturdy that I would have easily believed it if someone told me they bought it for $25.

Highlighting Brush ($3)

This was the brush that started it all for me. This was the first ELF brush that I bought and after using it, I knew I had to buy more. This job does a really goof job at picking up product and being able to distribute it evenly on the cheekbones. It is really easy to blend highlighter with this brush because it is super fluffy, but at the same time, it can also help you achieve a really blinding highlight. And because this brush is tapered at the end, it is very easy to concentrate the product exactly where you want it.

Small Stipple Brush ($3)

I have recently gotten really into cream bronzer and I used to just apply it straight from the stick onto my face. However, I realized that it looked really muddy because it was really hard to keep it concentrated. So basically, this brush will be the best thing to happen to you if want concentrate cream products on a specific area. The two types the bristles make it really easy to diffuse and blend the product seamlessly on the skin. It distributes the perfect amount of product and you can use this brush to sheer coverage or to build up the product for more intensity.

Cheek Cream and Powder Brush ($6)

If you are looking for a brush that will blend all of your cheek products, this one is perfect. Its wide side is perfect for cream and powder bronzer because it fits perfectly under your cheekbones to help you carve them out. Its flat side is perfect for cream and powder blush because it is just wispy enough to apply the perfect amount of blush. Its tapered ends are perfect for cream and powder highlighter because it will place the product perfectly on the tops of the cheekbones. The bristles are denser at the bottom which allows it to hold pigment while the more separated bristles on top allow you to blend the product in.

Contouring Brush ($6)

I am sure that you can find the more expensive versions of something similar to the other brushes I've talked about, but I am positive that this brush is an exact dupe of so many other high end brushes. I have seen YouTubers like Jaclyn Hill and MannyMUA use a brush exactly like this from Morphe. The Morphe M459 is exactly the same except that it is twice as expensive. This incredibly dense flat brush is intended for contouring, but I know that some people love to use it for baking or carving out their contour. Basically, it is perfect for drawing a super precise line anywhere on your face.

Ultimate Blending Brush ($6)

99 out of 100 times I will use a beauty sponge to apply my foundation, but just like everyone else, there are times when I can't be bothered to get up and wet by beauty sponge. In times like those, I will reach for a brush to blend out my base makeup. I used to use the Urban Decay Optical Blurring Brush and it was okay, but it caused my foundation to stick to any dry patches that I had on my skin. However this brush a lot fluffier than the Urban Decay one so it blends my foundation seamlessly so that there are no streaks on my face.

Flawless Face Brush ($6)

I had originally bought this brush because of my mom. I got her one when she said that she needed a new bronzer brush and after hearing her rave about it, I thought that it was about time that I got one for myself. This brush is the perfect combination of firm and flexible, and tapered and wide. It can pretty much be used for anything on the face, but, just like my mom, I love using this brush for bronzer when I just want an all over bronzy glow. It is really good at distributing a thin layer of product everywhere so that it looks like you just spent a week on a tropical island soaking up the sun.

Fan Brush ($4)

There is really nothing that makes this brush unique from other fan brushes except for the price. But with that being said, it is another reason for you to stop spending upwards of $15 for a fan brush when you can get this one for only $4. The bristles are really soft and flexible so it does a really good job at concentrating the highlighter on your cheekbones, but then also blending it out so it doesn't leave any harsh lines.

Eyes

Beautifully Precise Blending Eye Brush ($6)

I originally stayed away from ELF eye brushes because not only do I already have a ton of crease and lid brushes, but also because I was really worried that they would scratch my eyes. However, after seeing how soft and good quality the face brushes were, I decided it was time to give the eye brushes a fair shot. This was the first brush I bought because I was curious to see if ELF crease brushes could blend out my eye shadow the same way as my expensive brushes. So before I give my glowing review of this brush, I thought I would explain why this brush looks a little different and is a little bit more expensive than the other brushes. Basically, ELF has two brush collections- one with the standard matte black handles and the other with clear acrylic handles. And while this has quickly become one of my new favorite crease brushes, overall I would still recommend the brushes with the classic matte handles because they are cheaper and they feel sturdier. However, the reason that I still love this brush is because the bristles blend out any eye shadow really easily. It is probably the densest crease brush I own, but that allows it to dispense a ton of pigment seamlessly on my eyes.

Fluffy Eye Blender Brush ($3)

When I first got obsessed with watching makeup videos on YouTube, I remember that everyone used the Sigma E40 brush to apply a transition color and blend their eye shadow. Well that brush is $17 and honestly this ELF one is an exact dupe less than half the price. The bristles are super soft and fluffy so that it can apply and blend the perfect amount of shadow in the crease. It also gets really tapered towards the top so that you are able to concentrate the product if you use a lighter hand.

Blending Brush ($3)

If you are a beginner looking for a couple basic eye shadow brushes, this one and the previous one are pretty much the only ones you will need to achieve a ton of looks. This brush is pretty much the exact opposite of the previous brush. Its bristles are much shorter and instead of being thin and fluffy, this one is wide and firm. It still does a really good job of applying and blending your eye shadow, but while the other one will give you a nice wash of color, this one will allow you to concentrate the product in your crease.

Flat Eyeshadow Brush ($3)

I thought that in order to give you guys a wide spectrum on all the different types of brushes so I thought it is only fair for me to try one of their lid brushes. I love brushes like this especially for applying shimmery or metallic eyeshadow because it picks up and distributes the pigment. It is also really easy to wet the brush in order to make the eyeshadow more intense. But what makes the brush different from other brushes I have like this is that it is stiff enough to pick up the product, but then also flexible enough to get precisely into the corners of your eyes.