Best make-up brush sets for flawless application

By far the best set I tried, this 12-piece collection from BH Cosmetics caught me completely by surprise. Initially, I wasn’t taken by the white and rose gold design but, when it came to performance, these brushes really stood out.

This was one of the few sets with enough complexion brushes – welcome news if you like to apply foundation, powder, blush and bronzer/contour. The variety of smaller brushes – from compact concealer-friendly styles to fluffy blending sorts – was brilliant, too, and the angled brow brush was the best of all those on test. The bristles were tightly packed and, upon using with my brow pomade, they neither flopped nor splayed, allowing me to apply firm pressure while recreating fine brow hairs.

I also found the bigger brushes – such as the powder brush – were soft and fluffy, without causing me to lose my product. Because of this, I could apply a generous amount of powder to my T-zone, without it misting into the air around me. For the price, I’m very impressed.

This collection comes with everything you could possibly need, from a flat-top foundation buffer to a precise curved concealer brush. The two-in-one travel case is one of the key draws, as its lid detaches entirely, for when you’re using it at home, leaving you with a handy pot.

What’s more, the brushes are velvety soft and performed well in terms of buffing, blending, outlining and so on. I particularly enjoyed the angled brow brush and found it easy to fill in sparse areas, create fine brow hairs and outline my arch without appearing heavy handed. For the price, I would certainly recommend this set – though, you might need to keep on top of cleaning the brushes, given the slight impracticality of the white handles.

Hourglass’s make-up brushes have been going viral on TikTok. The question is: with celebs such as Hailey Bieber coveting the brushes, do they live up to the social media hype? Of course, I have to acknowledge the price of these brushes with each of the four (if you count the double-ended one as two brushes) coming in at around £40. That said, upon first handling the tools, it becomes immediately evident they’re high quality, with both a glossy metal handle and premium weighted feel.

I was particularly impressed with the smaller concealer brush, which – with a slanted shape – slots nicely into the under-eye area and inner corners. The soft glow foundation brush worked well, with the bristles packed in more tightly towards the handle, tapering out for a fluffier feel at the ends. In essence, this meant the brush worked well for moving stubborn/dryer foundations around the skin and for even buffing and a seamless finish. I do wish the multi-tasking ambient lighting edit brush was slightly more voluminous on either end, though, as I prefer to apply my blush and bronzer with bigger, fluffier brushes. Though, I can imagine if you’re a fan of contour, this more precise style of brush would work well.

While they’re still synthetic (as are all of the sets in this edit), Made by Mitchell’s make-up brushes have a stiffer, firmer feel. Though it’s not common to find real hair make-up brushes these days, Made by Mitchell – aka MUA Mitchell Halliday – has created synthetic bristles reminiscent of sable hair. For me, this meant the brushes held product well, gaving a good colour pay-off when pressing darker colours into the outer corner of my eyelid.

The value of this set is really impressive, with each brush costing just a little more than £2, and the variety of both flat and fluffy smaller brushes makes it a great pick for eyeshadow enthusiasts. I found the selection of complexion brushes to be slightly lacking, however, with the stippler brush a tad too densely packed for foundation blending, and the two blush/bronzer brushes a little small. Much like the Hourglass ambient multi-tasking brush mentioned above, this meant I needed a bit more time when applying, whereas a bigger style of brush would’ve afforded me a simple one-sweep approach to my powder blush and bronzer.

Complete with nine brushes, this set ticks off every step in your routine, without any superfluous stragglers. Much like the Hourglass brushes, each of Tilbury’s rose gold and night crimson handles had a lovely, premium weighted feel and, likewise, the textures of the bristles were silky and gentle on the skin. Interestingly, Tilbury’s choice for a powder brush was the smallest of the larger brushes (with tapered, pyramid-like bristles). While I’d usually say “the bigger, the better” when it comes to brushes for my loose powder, I found the smaller brush here allowed me to focus my application on area particularly prone to shine. I adored the dual Hollywood complexion brush for both concealing and blending my face base, while the long, fluffy eyeshadow brush has become a mainstay in my daily routine.

Although this popular set is currently out of stock, you can sign up (via the brand’s website) to be notified by email when it’s available again.

Bobbi Brown’s brushes have been on my radar since I was 13 years old, and they remain just as relevant today as they did all those years ago (14, to be exact). This is a pared back set, comprising just five tools, which I felt appropriate for use with foundation (full coverage face brush), bronzer/powder (angled face brush), high-pigment eyeshadow (eyeshadow brush), eyeshadow blending shades/blending without product (eye blender brush), and gel eyeliner (ultra fine eyeliner brush).

For me, this set felt suited to the older Parisian-style woman who dabs on a handful of high-quality products before dashing out the door and, indeed, I can see my 60-something mother getting on well with this selection of brushes.

On the other hand, I didn’t love mixing my powder and bronzer on one brush, nor did I find the lack of blush brush helpful in the age of the Sabrina Carpenter/Hailey Bieber trending cheek flush. I will say the brushes that were included performed wonderfully and the full coverage brush especially was a hero for applying everything from tinted moisturisers to – as its name suggests – full coverage foundations. Not to mention this case proved to be one of the more useful ones on test, with a handy elasticated compartment to hold everything in place.

I first became acquainted with Sigma during my 2012 YouTube make-up tutorial days. Now, all these years later, it remains a solid mid-range make-up brush brand with this, the essential kit, a top pick for those still obsessed with all things cut crease eyeshadow and winged liner. The bigger brush in this range, the F30 large powder brush, is as soft as silk and a real treat to sweep over tired skin, come your morning make-up routine.

It didn’t hold my loose powder as well as I might have liked, however. in order to properly set my make-up, I did feel like I ended up using more product than usual. I also wish there was a fifth complexion brush for blush, rather than two foundation-style applicators (one flat curved and one flat-top duo fibre).

However, in the eyeshadow department, this kit really did come through. Certainly, with fluffy, curved, angled, flat and pointed eye brushes, you’ll be able to create everything from glitter eyeliner to a perfect smokey eye, with minimal fuss.

Prior to reviewing this many make-up brush sets, Spectrum brushes already formed part of my beauty routine. Much like Made by Mitchell’s brushes, Spectrum’s bristles have a firmer, real-hair-esque feel. They work well with powders, gripping the pigment and transferring a healthy amount of product in just a few pats or swipes. Again, I felt this set was missing a fourth complexion brush for blush – which seems to be a trend – but, that said, the fluffy powder brush included remains one of my favourites. It works especially well if you’re after a slightly fuller coverage, working to press your setting powder into the skin in a manner akin to a powder compact sponge. For the price and aesthetic design, I think this set is a good, high-quality choice. The variety of smaller brushes – for brows and lips – is impressive and, even after several washes, the brushes perform well, without much bristle fallout.

Whether you first became acquainted with Real Techniques via Pixiwoo (aka founders Sam and Nic Chapman’s YouTube channel) or the make-up aisles of your local Boots, there’s no denying the brand boasts some stellar brushes. Specifically, the expert face brush (£9, Boots.com) is a favourite that I, my friends and colleagues have all reached for over the years, thanks to its competitive price point and multi-purpose functionality.

I was slightly disappointed not to see said expert brush included in this collection of minis. However, that disappointment quickly faded after spotting the equally popular sculpting brush – my go-to for second-to-none liquid bronzer application. Of course, the main appeal of this kit is the space-saving half-size brushes and, as someone who’s often applying their make-up while travelling via planes, trains and automobiles, I definitely found this a useful set to have in my bag.

In contrast to other sets in this guide, this one isn’t missing a blush brush – on the contrary, the 206 brush dusted me with the perfect amount of rosy glow – but rather a foundation brush. Naturally, if you’re a fan of the brand’s best-selling miracle complexion sponge (£8.25, Amazon.co.uk), you wouldn’t have need of a foundation brush anyway and, for the price of this set, it’s hard to complain, considering you get 11 brushes and a travel case. Plus, the included spoolie is a lifesaver for clumpy lashes and brows.

A good starting point from which to build out your brush collection, this set of seven (including a double-ended brow brush) feels high-quality and I enjoyed the texture of each on my skin. Sephora has suggested using the 04 brush for both blush and bronzer, which, personally, I’m not keen to do – in an effort to avoid getting the muddiness of my bronzer on the apples of my cheeks. I’d have liked to have seen one more complexion/big fluffy brush for this purpose. However, in terms of a paired back eye/brow brush collection, I think this trio of blending, pigment-packing and sculpting brushes are just the ticket. The case is also one of my favourites in this guide, owing to its little plastic window, which helped me find everything with ease.