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Let’s be real: You’re prob due for some new ones anyway! Make Up Brushes Natural Hair
Whether you’re looking for a new kabuki brush, new eyeshadow brushes, or just want to trade up from the same ol’ makeup brushes that have been swimming around in your makeup bag for years (Btw, please clean your brushes!), never forget that there is absolutely no shortage of makeup brushes on Amazon. I will say, weeding through the not-so-great ones can take some time. It usually involves a combo of parsing through endless reviews and crossing your fingers to get to the brushes that will give you a streak-free finish on even the fullest-coverage foundation, or diffuse your blush into a lit-from-within glow, or blend your eyeshadow into the most perfect smokey eye.
Lucky for you, I went ahead and dug through the vast jungle that is the internet to find the best 26 makeup brushes on Amazon—all for under $20 and with that sweet Prime shipping. But first, a preview of what’s ahead:
Intrigued? Now keep scrolling to find your new lineup of makeup brushes that are about to replace the crusty old relics from your college or even high school years. (It’s rough out here, I know.) Your skin will very much thank you!!
If you’ve had the same makeup brushes since, uh, the first time The Jonas Brothers were cool, it's time to overhaul your collection with a new makeup brush set. This one has every brush you could possibly need, from a precision brush that's perfect for packing on pigment in small areas, to fluffy brushes for your setting powders and bronzers, to an angled brush for sculpting your cheekbones with contour. "The brush hairs are dense, very soft, and seem high end," writes one reviewer. "I’ve been using these for a month now and they apply my make up smoothly and beautifully."
Since travel is hopefully back, having a makeup brush set that's vacation-friendly is necessary. Not just for your mental state (just thinking about my makeup brushes rolling around in my suitcase makes me sweat), but also for avoiding a total travel skin crisis. Enter: this brush set with a cute little case that will keep them all firmly together.
Looking to completely overhaul your brush set without cutting into your snack budget this month? This makeup brush set on Amazon is by far the best value, with 24 brushes for under $10. According to one reviewer, "I was honestly shocked at how good these brushes are. They blend like an absolute dream, are super easy to use, pick up a good amount of product, are very soft on the face, and feel great in my hand."
Packing your makeup brushes for a trip can be a pain. Look into getting yourself some mini brushes. This pretty pink set comes with staple brushes—aka an eyeshadow, powder, shade, lip, and blush brush. Plus, its case has a built-in mirror! You pretty much have a whole travel-size vanity set-up with this bad boy!
Eyeshadow has always been one of the makeup ~skills~ that I’m good at—partly due to my insatiable need for eyeshadow palettes, but mostly due to using a full eyeshadow brush kit like this one. "The bristles of each brush are soft, yet sturdy," writes one reviewer, "They pick up and hold the pigment of the makeup you are applying very well and glides on smoothly." With a flat brush for smoothing pigment over your eyelids to an angled precision brush for getting that smudged eyeliner look, this 12-brush kit has everything you need for an expertly blended eye.
The best thing about this concealer brush is that the bristles are short and dense, which means you'll have total control over where you tap on your concealer, whether it's on top of a zit, across hyperpigmentation, or along your dark circles (all of which, BTW, are fully normal and fine to leave untouched if you want). Take it from one reviewer, who writes, "I fell in love and returned my $50 brush and ordered another one of these!"
Out of the 11,000 five-star reviews for these bamboo makeup brushes, the major positive points are that they’re super soft, small (think: good for travel), and last way longer than other brushes. And included in the 12-piece set is not one, but two kabuki brushes, plus an eyebrow brush and comb duo.
When it comes to applying highlighter, you want something that's thin and lightweight, but also dense. This brush easily packs on product with just one application. Its wide, soft vegan bristles will let you conquer more real estate in just a few swipes.
The secret to having a perfect winged liner look every time? An angled brush. The sharp and slanted shape of the brush will allow you to create a precise wing with ease. No more smudging or having to redo your wing over and over again!
For the times you need a teeny tiny brush to apply a thin line of lip liner or eyeliner, or you need to spot conceal or clean up your eyebrows, a pencil brush is the answer. Its extra-small brush and extra-dense bristles will let you put on the smallest amount of product.
Since there’s no one contour brush for every makeup look, I’d def suggest picking up this set of five to go with your contour palette. Not only are they "so affordable and do the work of the high end brushes," according to one review, but they're also super versatile. While the short-bristled angle brush (see: first brush on the left) will give you a sharper sculpt, the longer bristled brush (see: second brush from the left) will give you a softer shadow under your cheekbones to help you avoid any harsh lines.
Hi, this is your reminder that you need to clean your makeup brushes. Yes, you. And not only that, but you should clean them every seven to 10 days. This makeup brush kit comes with a cleaning pad that will help you scrub all the makeup, skin oils, and dead skin cells (gross, but true) out of your brushes easily. And if you haven't already, now would be the time to read up on the different types of makeup brushes and how to use them.
Ah, E.l.f., aka my first makeup-brush love. This budget-friendly blending brush will last you a surprisingly long time (with regular cleansing), and the soft fluffy bristles will evenly blend your blush, contour, or highlighter down to an airbrushed-looking finish. "This brush is the perfect brush for my foundation," writes one reviewer. "This brush does NOT shed, and it is very comfortable to use."
Yes, this bb is big, but that's the point: A really fluffy and rounded brush like this one helps blend and diffuse your blush without picking up or depositing too much pigment. Lightly swirl the brush across your powder blush, then blend it over the apples of your cheeks and up along your temples to subtly brighten your face.
This fluffy brush can really be used for any powder makeup, but I especially love it for dusting bronzer along your cheekbones, forehead, and nose to add a little warmth and shimmer. Its bristles are round and fluffy, which helps it blend powder bronzer into your skin, without any streaks or patches. According to one review, "you don't have to use a lot of product for results, and it blends well."
If you haven’t tried an oval brush yet, let me give you the rundown: They’re designed to mimic the motions and the control of applying makeup with your fingers, without absorbing (and wasting) as much product as you would with a typical blending sponge or foundation brush. "I so love these set of brushes," writes one reviewer. "It puts your foundation on so smooth and flawless and in a quarter of the time."
If you’ve been wondering exactly what takes an ombré lip from amateur to pro, the answer is a lip brush. It’s hands down the best and easiest way to seamlessly diffuse the harsh lines between your lip liner and lipstick. And if you like the overdrawn lip look, the flat edge on this brush will give you the precision needed to subtly take your lipstick outside the lines.
Similar to the oval brush, this foundation brush has short, dense bristles which make it ideal for getting a fuller-coverage finish without losing too much product in the brush. "Super soft on my skin yet very efficient at blending foundation," writes one reviewer. "I used a third of the amount of product as opposed to a traditional foundation brush or even a beauty blender." Squeeze or dab your foundation directly onto the brush, then gently glide it over your skin in circular motions.
These dual ended brushes will work for painting on a bold lip, lining your eyelids, or blending in a dark shade for a smokey eye. "When I use these brushes to apply the matte lip colors," writes one reviewer, "the color goes on thinly with perfect and long lasting coverage and no drying or color pilling on the lips." Even better? They're retractable, so you can just toss 'em in your bag and not worry about it getting dirty, because ~hygiene~.
Instead of having just one layer of bristles that are more or less the same length, a stippling brush, like this one, has two: one layer of long, soft bristles and one layer of short, dense bristles to help give your liquid foundation or concealer an airbrushed finish. And if that's not enough, take it from one reviewer: "It allows for very even, smooth coverage without making [your makeup] look heavy on your face."
Megan Uy is the assistant shopping editor at Cosmopolitan, where she searches for the best products in all things fashion, home, beauty, sex, gifts, and more, so you don’t have to. When she’s not writing for the site, she’s whipping up some cool and trendy content for the fashion section of the print magazine. She’s been with the brand since 2019 (when she was an itty-bitty editorial fellow), and she's also written for Delish, House Beautiful, and People. Follow her on Instagram to get some BTS of the editor life and chaotic NYC content. Also, feel free to hit her up if you ever wanna discuss the madness that is TikTok.
Sami Roberts was the previous beauty assistant at Cosmopolitan. Keep up with her cat-filled life in New York on Instagram.
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