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Anyone who is a makeup lover, whether a beginner or professional, knows that creating flawless eye makeup takes patience, time, and the right eye makeup tools. There are numerous eyeshadow brushes available on the market with different shapes and sizes that serve specific purposes. Some of them are designed to give a flawless finish, while others are made to give a sculpted eye look. If you’re a newbie, choosing the right brush can be confusing when such a wide variety exists. Besides, you may pour your money down the drain if you pick just any brush without knowing about its specifications. That’s why we have reviewed some of the leading eyeshadow brushes in 2024 that you can add to your vanity bag with certainty.
Reviewing the Top Eyeshadow Brushes of 2024 in Detail
BS-MALL Brushes — Best Overall
Key Features
- Comes with 14 pieces — 9 eye shadow brushes and 5 face makeup brushes
- Have different shapes and sizes, giving a flawless makeover
- Cruelty-free and skin-friendly brushes are made from synthetic fibers
- Long-lasting and easy to hold handles manufactured using alloy and wood
Are you looking for a brush set that can tackle anything from your eye to face makeup? If so, then you got your perfect match. This is a 14-piece brush set, featuring nine eye makeup brushes and five big kabuki brushes for face makeup. Their bristles are made using synthetic fiber, making them both cruelty-free and skin-friendly. They also have quality handles manufactured using wood and high-end alloy, which make them easy to hold and handle.
Since all of them are labeled, beginners can easily identify and pick the right brush for the right application. Moreover, their bristles don't fall out while applying makeup, making them last longer. Thus, investing in these top-of-the-line brushes will be a win-win situation.
Lamora Brushes — Lightest Set
Key Features
- 100% vegan and cruelty-free set of 7 brushes
- Sleek and lightweight design made with wood
- The travel-friendly size makes them easy to carry around
- Synthetic bristles are non-shedding in nature
This set contains all the essential brushes necessary for achieving all kinds of professional eye looks like smokey and crease-cut. Their soft and durable bristles are made of 100% vegan and cruelty-free synthetic material, picking up the eyeshadow easily and allowing you to apply it on your eyelids without any fallout. This means you can expect even application, blending, and no wastage of product at all.
What’s more, the brushes are extremely sleek and lightweight with wooden handles, and, due to their travel-friendly size, you can easily carry them and rock any look, anywhere, anytime.
Yue Shen Nan Brushes — Most Portable
Key Features
- Comes with a portable aluminum container
- Handles are electroplated to increase the lifespan of the brushes
- Compact and travel-friendly brushes
- The bristles do not shed, even after washing
Want to look picture-perfect everywhere? This makeup brush set is something that you can carry around effortlessly. It comes with 5 eye brushes and a portable brush kit to store the brushes in. The body of the brushes is manufactured from aluminum, making them durable and lightweight.
Furthermore, their bristles are made using synthetic fiber, giving them a smooth and fine application of shadows, just like the animal hair brushes. Whether it is cream, powders, or glittery eye shadows, they work perfectly to blend any eyeshadow you may have.
What we love most about these brushes, though, is that they are travel-friendly, so you can carry them everywhere. To that same tune, they can also be washed easily, meaning you’ll have reliable and long-lasting brushes no matter where you are.
MSQ Brushes — Best Bang for Your Buck
Key Features
- Premium-quality bristles are made using synthetic fibers
- Do not shed, as the bristles remain tightened for a long-time
- Contain no pollution elements, making them eco-friendly
- All the brushes have different shapes and sizes
Want an affordable brush set that contains all the brushes needed to define your eyes? This pack has got you covered with its 12 handmade brushes that can help you fulfill various eye makeup looks, right from your eye lines to the lower lash line. Their bristles are manufactured using premium-quality synthetic fibers, making them shed-proof and long-lasting. They are also highly dense and finely textured to give a smooth finish to your eye makeup.
Since the brushes are reinforced aluminum tubes and wooden handles, they tend to be lightweight and easy to hold. What’s more, this affordable brush set is versatile enough to help you create multiple professional eye makeup looks, from smokey look to crease cut looks.
Wet n' Wild Brushes — Most Conscientious
Key Features
- Short and domed bristles for precise application
- Versatile brush, as it can be used for various purposes
- Lightweight in nature and easy to use
- Picks up a good amount of eyeshadow in one go
If you are struggling with the color intensity on your eyes while applying eyeshadow, then this is a must-have brush. It comes with pink bristles that are short and domed, allowing you to pick up a good amount of eyeshadow in one go. Also, the small size helps you place the product precisely in the areas that are difficult to target.
Moreover, it is 100% vegan and cruelty-free, and, because the handle is made of plastic, it is lightweight and easy to grip. Thanks to its versatility, you can use it to smudge lash lines and highlight inner corners or brow bones.
Buyer's Guide: Find High-Quality Eyeshadow Brushes
It is important to get your hands on the right eyeshadow brushes to achieve seamless eye makeup. Below, we have shared a buying guide in which we cover different brushes and their uses. This will help you know the types of brushes you should purchase to get that perfect eye makeup.
What Are the Various Types of Eyeshadow Brushes?
Flat
A flat eyeshadow brush comes in handy when you want to apply eyeshadow evenly on the lid. It helps to pick up the product in a good quantity from the palette and place it smoothly on your eyelid, without falling onto other areas. It's a must-have product when you want to experiment with different bold eye looks.
Angled
No eye look is complete without finishing it off. Thus is the role of an angled eyeshadow brush, as it is made to work under the arch of the eyebrow. After completing the eye makeup, pick up a shimmery eyeshadow and run it under your eyebrow arch using this brush.
Pencil
Some areas of the eyelids are difficult to target, so pencil brushes are made to work in such areas. They help to place eyeshadow in the crease precisely to deepen the eyes or the areas where you want to place the product in a precise way. It can also be used for highlighting the inner corners of the eyes.
Smudge
As the name describes, a smudge brush is used for smudging shades to create that smokey eye effect. Due to its thick short bristles, you can smudge cream and powder eyeshadows easily. Start by applying gel eyeliner or any eyeshadow on your lash line, then extend it out using this brush for a perfect smokey eye look.
Blending
A blending brush is used for merging different eyeshadows on the lid to make your eyes look flawless and seamless. It is the most common but important technique to master any eye makeup look. Thus, having a blending brush in your vanity bag is necessary.
Fluffy blending
You might be wondering what is the difference between this brush and a blending brush. The last brush was meant to target the eyelids, while this brush with long tapered bristles will help blend the different eyeshadows seamlessly on the eyes. Thus, you can cover large areas to give your eyes a completely blended look from brow bone to lower lash line.
Large
If you are a nine-to-fiver and do not have the time to play with different eye looks using different colors, then this brush is for you. It features large, tapered bristles to help you create an eye makeup look appropriate for the office with just a few swipes onto the lid. Even when you want to go with monochromatic eye makeup, this brush will pull up your eye game in no time.
Precision
As a beginner, when you explore more eye looks, you will know that different brushes are meant to work on different eye areas, and they serve specific purposes. As the name suggests, a precision brush is specifically made to work on small areas where you want to apply and blend eyeshadows precisely. For example, if you have small eyes and want to play with many colors, then this brush will come in handy.
Cream
People are going crazy over cream eyeshadows these days. If you are one of those people, you must have a cream eyeshadow brush and know the right application technique. It features dense bristles with a flat shape that makes the application smooth, leaving no color on the brush, meaning you can get good coverage with just one swipe.
Angled
To achieve a cat-eye look, you definitely need an angled eyeliner/eyeshadow brush. It features a flat angled edge with dense bristles that helps to create a perfect wing from the inner corner to the outer corner. Also, it comes in three variants—small, medium, and large—allowing you to pick any size according to your needs. Though this brush is used for lining your eyes, you can also dip it into shadows, too, for creating colored looks.
Bent Liner
A bent liner brush is a thin pointed brush with soft and short bristles used for applying eyeliner. Just like the angled eyeliner brush, it is also an eyeliner brush, but it does not block the view because of the hand or brush while using it, due to its bent head position, making the eyeliner application faster and easier.
What Are the Various Aspects to Consider When Buying a High-Quality Eyeshadow Brush?
Synthetic vs. natural
The basic difference between synthetic and natural brushes is that the latter ones are made using animal hair and pick up a good amount of eyeshadow in one swipe. On the other hand, synthetic brushes are manufactured using nylon and other plastic materials that don’t pick up much pigment. Besides, they are vegan and cruelty-free, which means they have not been tested on animals. Thus, you can achieve your perfect eye makeup look using synthetic brushes while being kind to animals and saving your money (because they are also low priced!).
Bristles density
Bristle density is the number of bristles in the ferrule (metal part) of the brush. The higher the density of bristles, the higher the color payoff. On the other hand, the lower density of bristles leads to a lower color intensity on your eyes. We recommend picking brushes with thick fibers to get an intense eye look.
Durability
The durability of the bristles is the most important factor to keep in mind when purchasing the right eyeshadow brushes for you. Investing in a brush where the bristles fall out after a few uses would be the last thing you want. That’s why you must always choose brushes with bristles that stay intact and tightened even after multiple washes.
How to Wash Eyeshadow Brushes
Choose your cleanser
Nowadays there are various brush cleaners available on the market. But, if you don't have any cleanser in hand, then you can use a facial cleanser or shampoo to wash away all the makeup caked on the brush without damaging the bristles.
Lather and swirl
Once you choose the cleanser, start the cleaning process by wetting your brush and pouring a few drops of cleanser on it. Next, swirl the brush on your hand to get rid of all the debris. When the lather on your hand starts to change color, your brush is ready to rinse off. Repeat this process until the water starts to come off clear.
Rinse and dry
When you're done cleaning your brushes, it's time to dry them. You’ll want to swirl your brush on a microfiber cloth to check if there is remaining dirt. After that, lay it on a towel to let it dry naturally.
