Wash. Repeat. Fail. Try again. Believe. Do not give up.

via Instagram http://ift.tt/2c3S2V2

Left to right are all the basic brushes one needs:

1) A thin tapered blending brush to apply, blend and deepen crease color. My fave is the MAC 221.

2) A brush made with synthetic bristles for concealer and cream eyeshadow. This is my fave from Laura Mercier which came in a really affordable concealer and base set.

3) A flat shader brush with natural bristles for powder eyeshadows, the most popular of which is this MAC 239. This is my first MAC brush. If you gotta buy one brush from MAC, this is it. It packs on eyeshadow and creates definition and even blends with ease. It's the best.

4) A fluffy round-tipped blending brush like this Morphe M402 to lay down transition shade and blend harsh edges.

5) A pinched yet fluffy blending brush like this Sephora Pro 27 to apply and blend crease color. The use of this brush is kinda similar to the previous brush but the shape is somewhat between brush numbers 1 and 5. An extremely popular brush of this type is the MAC 217. This allows for a more precise application of the crease color than brush number 4 but not as concentrated and precise as brush number 1.

6) A thin feathery brush for highlighting like this MAC 137.

7) A rounded slightly tapered brush like the Benefit Bronzer Brush which can function as a blush, bronzer or contour brush.

8) and 9) Medium-sized powder brushes which can also serve as blush, bronzer and contour brushes or as a powder brush for setting only certain oily areas of the face.

10) A large powder brush to apply a light layer of finishing powder or to blend face makeup.

On top is the MAC 266SE. It's my favorite brush for applying brow powder to shape and fill in my brows. Any kind of slanted and narrow brush will probably do but I find that this one works best for me.