I believe, you can have all the expensive/amazing make up you want but if you don't have the right tools, you won't achieve the look you're going for. Brushes are an investment but if you take care of them, you can have them up to 20+ years. I've had some of mine for almost 8 years now, since the beginning of my career and they're still perfect.
I've compiled a list of my favorites and what I use them for. My favorite brands are Laura Mercier, Stila and MAC. Shu Uemera also makes amazing brushes but they very expensive. My favorite drug store brand is Sonia Kashuk for Target but I warn you, they don't last as long as a well made, quality brush, some of mine fell apart after only a year.
And remember, your brushes won't last long if you don't wash them REGULARLY at least once every few weeks if not every week. I wash mine with gentle shampoo (never a clarifying one and never baby shampoo, these can strip the hairs) and lay them flat to dry. It is important to lay them flat to dry so that water doesn't get to the glue that holds the bristles together.
FACE:
Laura Mercier Egg Shaped Sponges-these sponges turned me from an avid foundation brush user to a sponge user. They're rubber so they don't suck up any of your product like foam sponges do. They won't hoard bacteria and they are easy to clean. They blend tinted moisturizer, foundations and full coverage foundations seamlessly. One sponge lasts 3 months.
Laura Mercier Secret Camouflage Brush-One of the things that Laura Mercier is most known for is her concealers. She blends 2 colors to get the perfect color for blemishes, age spots and flaws. This brush is flat so you can mix on one side and apply on the other. It's pointed tip allows you to precisely cover a blemish so that it looks natural and blends into the skin.
Laura Mercier Secret Concealer Brush-Technically, this brush is used to set the under eye concealer powder in Mercier's line but I like to use it as my under eye concealer brush. It is large, flat and synthetic and mimics the shape of a finger to press the color into the under eye perfectly.
Stila Double Ended Powder Brush-Stila makes some of my favorite brushes. They are soft, high quality and were created by a professional make up artist (Jeanine Loebelle, creator of Stila). One end is a beautifully shaped blush/powder blush that fits perfectly on the cheekbones. The other end is a dense short brush that applies highlighter to the tops of the cheekbones creating an illuminated dimensional cheek look.
MAC #109 Brush-I use this brush for everything from foundation to blush to highlighter. It is small, dense and blends color really well. I like to use it with the #129 MAC brush (see below).
MAC #129 Brush-This is MAC's original blush brush. Its dome shape and natural bristles make for a perfect diffused color application on the apples of the cheek. I like to apply color to the apples and pull it out and up the cheekbone with this brush.
EYES:
MAC #252 Brush: This large, square shaped, synthetic bristle brush is beautiful for applying all over color to the eyelid. I like it because it makes the application quick and even. It works best with matte colors.
MAC #239 Brush: This small, flat, goat hair brush is perfect for applying color to the lip space. I like to apply sheer, shimmery colors with this brush because it packs the color on flawlessly.
MAC #217 Brush- This is my favorite blending brush! It's shaped like
a ponytail brush but is made out of goat hair instead of sable which makes it soft, but dense enough to move color around. I use it to either apply color into the crease or onto the brow bone or to blend colors into each other without causing them to get muddled.
MAC #208 Brush- This brush is one of my favorite for achieving a dramatic, cat eye with liquid liner. It is small, angled and tapers into a perfect tight line.
MAC #266 Brush- I've been using this brush to apply brow color for 10 years now. It gets the color in perfectly and allows me to shape my brow into a perfect arch.
Stila #15 Brush-I own nearly 5 of this double ended shadow brush. The larger end is great for applying color to the lid or crease while the pointed end I use for either precise, sharp crease application or corner of the eye definition. I also use the small end to apply color to the bottom lashes.
Stila #30 Brush- I cannot sing enough praise over this brush. In fact, if I were forced (heaven forbid) to only use one eye brush for the rest of my life, this double ended beaut would be it. The dense, domed side perfectly applies crease color while the ponytail side buffs it out.
Stila All Over Eye Brush-I like this brush for applying all over color and crease or brow color when I'm in a hurry. It's natural bristles work well with both shimmers and mattes.
Stila #28 Brush-This is the essential liner brush for gel eyeliner. One end has the perfect shape for applying a thin to thick line of gel liner and even does a cat eye perfectly. The other end is a super short flat smudge brush that I use to smudge gel liner to diffuse it out and to apply dark, intense colors over pencil liners.
Laura Mercier Crease Brush-I LOVE this brush. It applies a sheer wash of color to the crease when achieving a natural to dramatic look. The bristles are soft and blend perfectly.
Laura Mercier Flat Eye Line Brush- This is THE only brush you can use to apply Mercier's cake liner. It's bristles are rounded so they don't harm the eyes and they wiggle perfectly into the root of the lashes.
