When I think back to what drugstore makeup brushes were like back when I first got into makeup years and years ago I shudder at the thought of sponge tipped applicators and flat foundation brushes that used to move foundation all around my face. I had severely unblended eyeshadow and a streaky base that suffered with the odd stripe here and there, which was probably also due to my non-existant technique. It wasn’t pretty. Now the high-street are upping their game and with brands like Real Techniques and Eco-Tools bringing brushes with a bargainalicious price-tag, there are some budget tools that I now pick up on a daily basis. I’ve recently discovered some newbies in the aisles of Boots and Superdrug, so today I thought I’d share the best of my recent budget brush finds along with some tried and tested tools…
B. Finishing Brush – £9.99 – Superdrug. Think you’ve stroked the softest brush in the world? Well have a feel of this one first because it is like the belly of a little fluffy puppy. Being synthetic the fibres wash well and hold their shape. Personally I like this for dusting on powder all over because the fanned-out effect of the brush means you get a very light covering. It’s also good for bronzer too – hitting the high points of your face and diffusing the colour naturally.
B.Blush/Contour Brush – £8.99 – Superdrug. With all the advantages of the above brush (and the fact that this brand is nearly always on offer so you can get a right steal), this brush is more suited to pigmented colour – be it contour or blush. I find this to be just the right size for when I’m attempting to carve out some structure to my face as it hugs into the dips of my cheeks when I do my best fish face and is fluffy enough to blend out any harsh deposits of colour.
Eco-Tools Eye Enhancing Duo Set – £5.99 – FeelUnique. When it comes to eye brushes I’m emotionally attached to my MAC 217, but this little duo set has been meaning I can be even lazier with brush washing than normal (more brushes = less need to wash them, right?). So lazy I know. There’s an end for defining, shading, blending and smudging and I don’t think I could pick a favourite, which is surely a good thing.
Real Techniques Setting Brush – £6.99 – FeelUnique. I know the beauty world has been raving about this brush for years, but I’ve only just joined the party and man, is it a banging one! Diddy face brushes are hard to come by and this doubles up as a concealer blender/setting powder giver. Being small it means you can be precise in your application, just matting out your greasy zones and it can be used for blush, highlighter and contour too.
Real Techniques Miracle Complexion Sponge – £5.99 – FeelUnique. I’m pretty into my BeautyBlender right now, but this is just a fraction of the price and is in no way just a fraction of the quality, so if you’re after a dupe – then here is where to look. The pointed end gets right in under the eye for blending out concealer and the flat-side is nice for bopping out base and getting in round the corner of the nose. It’s a fun little multi-tasker.
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