7 Top Rated Professional Makeup Brushes On Amazon

One of the best ways to achieve great makeup is to look to the professionals. A good makeup artist has good quality tools to apply makeup. A professional makeup brush is so important when it comes to good makeup as bad brushes can lead to makeup mishaps and a cakey or clown-like look.

There are many great professional makeup brushes on amazon including, the Bobbi Brown eyeshadow brush, Sigma Beauty L06 brush, NYX foundation brush, MAC blush brush, NARS contour brush, Kat Von D concealer brush, and the Original Beauty Blender.

In this article, we will explore everything there is to know about professional makeup brushes and which professional makeup brushes makeup artists use. We will also learn about the seven top-rated professional makeup brushes on amazon. These brushes are used by makeup artists and are a must for any makeup kit.

What's the Difference Between a Professional Makeup Brush and a Standard Brush?

Many people wonder just how makeup artists manage to do such perfect, flawless, beautiful makeup on their clients. Of course, many factors go into what makes a makeup artist so great. Firstly it’s their talent, of course.

You must have a creative mind, great artistry skills, patience, and hard work to be a makeup artist. Next, the makeup products themselves must be high quality—lastly, the tools they use to apply the makeup. Makeup brushes are one of the most important tools to good makeup.

You may be wondering what exactly the difference is between a professional makeup brush and a standard brush. You may be wondering if there is much difference at all. Of course, there is a difference, and the biggest difference is quality.

When looking for new makeup brushes, you want to avoid cheap standard brushes and find good quality professional makeup brushes. The quality of your makeup brushes can determine how well your makeup will turn out. It can mean the difference between looking cakey and looking flawless. Quality is the biggest difference between professional and standard brushes.

Here are some things to look out for when buying a professional makeup brush:

  • Bristle softness
  • The density of the bristles
  • Handle
  • Brand of the brush
  • Cost of the brush
  • Durability

A standard makeup brush may be cheap, but the materials used to make these brushes will be too. Synthetic bristles can be used in a professional brush. Usually for liquid application, however, a professional brush will be of better quality and softer to touch. One of the best ways to determine a brush’s quality is to feel the bristles on your skin. If it is rough or scratchy, pick another, a rough or scratchy brush can lead to poor application and sometimes irritated skin.

Professional makeup artists look for brushes that can be cleaned regularly between clients without losing their softness or breaking, and good quality means longer use. Standard brushes can be known to break and bristles to fall out when cleaned due to the glue that attaches the bristles to the handle disintegrating. Cheaper brushes may not be suitable to clean, and their bristles may become rougher or not react well with brush cleaner and ruin the texture, making them unable to be used.

Any expert makeup artist will tell you just how important it is to have the right makeup brushes, and the makeup brushes are just as important to the makeup itself. You don’t need to have a lot of brushes, but you do need a few to apply makeup correctly.

Get your checklist done with these essentials needed for a beginner makeup artist kit.

Bristle Softness

The bristles of the brush must be soft on your skin. It is important never to use a scratchy brush as this can cause makeup to look cakey and cause lines and creases. A rough and scratchy brush can also irritate the skin. This can lead to sore, red or itchy skin and can cause breakouts.

Density Of The Bristles

The brush’s bristles must be fairly dense as it needs to hold a good amount of makeup on the brush without losing product when transporting from the palette to the skin.

Handle

When it comes to the brush’s handle, you are looking for a good solid wood or plastic handle. It mustn’t be too heavy so that it’s uncomfortable, but you want some weight to make applying and blending makeup easier.

Brand Of The Brush

The company that created the brush can be a factor to look out for. There are many brands that makeup artists swear by. Here are some of those brands.

  • MAC
  • NARS
  • Bobbi Brown
  • Chanel
  • NYX
  • Illamasqua
  • SURRATT Beauty
  • Morphe

If you buy a brush from a brand most makeup artists use, you will likely find a good quality brush from them.

Cost Of The Brush

If a brush is cheap to buy, the chances are the quality may be low. Makeup brushes are one of the few things you may want to splurge on. Although some budget brushes can be fairly good to use, a professional makeup brush will usually set you back a few dollars.

Durability

Durability is one of the most important things to consider when buying a makeup brush. When applying the product, you don’t want a foundation brush that spills out bristles all over your face. This can happen if you buy a poor-quality brush. You also want a brush you can clean and take care of and know it won’t fall apart.

What Makeup Brushes Do Makeup Artists Use?

When it comes to professional makeup brushes, makeup artists have set brushes they use for separate things. For instance, there are many kinds of brushes they may use for the eyes, a brush for applying eyeshadow, a brush for blending eyeshadow, a brush for eyeliner, and so on. However, only a few are definitely needed and a must-have for any makeup artist’s kit.

Here is a list of brushes makeup artists will use.

  • Foundation brush or Beauty blender
  • Concealer brush
  • Contouring brush
  • Blush brush
  • Highlighter fan brush
  • Eyebrow brush
  • Eyeliner brush
  • Eyeshadow
  • Blending brush
  • Lip brush

These are the essentials. However, there are many other extra specialty brushes a makeup artist may use. Such as various blending brushing and many different eye brushes for different styles of eye makeup.

As for brands, makeup artists tend to use high-end makeup brushes such as MAC, Bobbi Brown, Chanel, NARS, and more. The cheaper drug store ones are less likely to be used by a makeup artist as they often aren’t as high in quality which means they aren’t as durable and will lack performance.

Once you own the basic tools to apply your makeup, you are ready to follow the steps to become a certified licensed makeup artist!

7 Top Rated Professional Makeup Brushes On Amazon

Here are 7 of the top-rated professional makeup brushes on amazon that makeup artists swear by.

1. Bobbi Brown Eyeshadow Brush

This Bobbi Brown eyeshadow brush is perfect for applying and blending eyeshadow, and the rounded head is perfect for a smooth and even application. Compact and small pony hairs make this brush durable and of high quality. The fact that this brush is great for application and blending makes this brush a great two-in-one. Bobbi Brown is a well-known brand loved by all professional makeup artists, and this makes this brush a safe purchase as you know you’ll get a great product.

Use your new eyeshadow brush by practicing applying these green eyeshadow looks!

2. Sigma Beauty L06 Lip Line Brush

The brush head on this professional Sigma lip line makeup brush is sharp, flat, and fine, giving precision for the lip product application and can even be used to replicate hair-like lines in the brow. The bristles on this brush are made from SigmaTech Fibres, which is an exclusive selection of high-performance fibers. This brush promises to hold plenty of product without absorbing it into the bristles.

3. NYX Can't Stop Won't Stop Foundation Brush

This NYX foundation brush is super soft and made with the softest synthetic fibers NYX has to offer. The angled bristles help to buff the foundation or any liquid product into your skin and glide along the contours of your face. Even though the bristles are soft, they are extremely dense, allowing you to pick up the desired amount of product with the brush and apply it to the skin without absorbing it into the brush or losing product when transporting it to your skin.

4. MAC Two-Fibre Blush Brush

This paddle-shaped MAC blush brush has rounded and double-chiselled bristles that are extremely soft and dense, allowing the smooth, blend-able application. This brush allows for both powder and cream applications for blush or highlighter. MAC promises that this brush is made from the finest synthetic fibers that prove to be of the highest quality and promise to be durable. This brush is animal cruelty-free as MAC is promising to stop all animal testing.

5. NARS N21 Contour Brush

This NARS N21 contour brush is perfect for contouring and highlighting cheekbones and other features. Its angled bristles mean you can apply the product with ease as it glides over the contours of your face. The dense bristles help to pick up enough products for you to use without wasting too much. NARS is a well-established brand that is extremely popular with makeup artists.

6. Kat Von D Lock-It Edge Concealer Brush

The Kat Von D concealer brush is the perfect concealer brush for any makeup artist. Its sculpted unique brush head is perfect for the under-eye area and is great to help cover any blemishes and imperfections. This concealer brush works best with a cream concealer. The brush’s handle is beautifully designed and is designed to be a comfortable grip when using it.

7. The Original Beauty Blender

The Original Beauty Blender seems to be a must-have for every makeup artist as they swear by it for a flawless look. This beauty applicator is best used wet and grows to twice its size when soaked with cold water. Squeeze out the water before using the beauty blender to apply foundation and even bronzer or highlighter. This applicator gives a fresh, flawless, dewy glow to your complexion. If cared for correctly, the beauty blender will last for a very long time.

Final Thoughts

When purchasing professional makeup brushes, the most important thing to look for is quality. A bad quality makeup brush leads to bad makeup and possibly even irritation and breakouts. It’s important to find a durable brush with soft-structured bristles and a good dense brush head.

It would be best if you also were on the lookout for a well-respected brand that can promise a great high-performance brush. Amazon has many great brushes, and we have picked the best, one for each particular use. You are sure to find the perfect brush from our list of specially selected professional makeup brushes that makeup artists can’t live without.