Real Techniques brushes are really good for the price, I actually prefer them over more expensive brushes I've bought. If you have a TJ Maxx near you, look for them there, the prices are great. You'll need a foundation brush, blush brush, a couple eyeshadow brushes if you're going to wear shadow, and a big fluffy setting powder brush. Those are perfect for a beginner, and you can slowly build your collection. They also make their version of a beauty blender and it's fantastic as well and very handy to have, especially for blending concealer. Hope this helps!

I have been happy with the ELF and ECO Tools brushes from Walmart- then I upgraded ones I found I needed better quality of in Morphe and a few other brands. I didn’t want to drop a ton on a good set until I needed what was in the set or not.

If you have a Marshall’s or TJ Maxx near you, you can get brushes there for a reasonable price. This includes Real Techniques.

I would start with nice fluffy brush for blush and powder & a brush for eyeshadow and see how you like those

Rephr 5 for powders, 18 for creams, 36 for concealer. If you branch out into eyeshadow I recommend 1, 2, 15, 21, 28. Obvs you don't need all, just look into them and see which you could use most. Maybe you'd even prefer one of their other brushes, just have a look!

Honestly, I'd start with a cheap set. There are so many types of brushes and a set will tell you which ones you love and which ones you don't really gravitate towards.

You can get good deals on sets at places like TJ Maxx.

I would start with a cheaper[not super cheap] set to see what brushes you feel are most useful to you.

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I'm not that good when it comes to makeup but I needed some new brushes so got a cheap set a while ago and I actually like them more than I thought I would. I have a couple of double ended eye brushes from soeco that I like, not sure how much they are as I was given them as a gift.

I like sponges for foundation.

Lots of people over look a nice mirror to, as I find that can help a lot. I like ones that have LED's in to give good light and the mirror has two sides one normal and one magnifying.

Love Real Techniques brushes (they are sold at target, Ulta, etc). Also Morphe brushes (sold online and some at Ulta)! Honestly there are a lot of good brands that aren’t that expensive!

elf (black handles) or bh cosmetics are great to start. there's a docolor eye set on am*zon that works great for a decent price

Real Techniques have good quality, affordable and useful brush sets. They cleverly selected various shapes and sizes for beginners. You can explore the different types of brushes and invest in a higher quality brush of a shape/size that you enjoy reaching.

When you decide to invest, I would recommend Mac and Hakuhodo brushes. The natural hair bristled ones hold pigment well and blending is effortless. However, they are pricey and washing them is a chore since you need to be gentle....

Fellow beginner, I find RT brushes to be great! Got the travel size set and they're soft but also dense. I don't have a foundation brush but I plan on purchasing one next month, they're available on Tira, I did find them pricey but apparently they last very long if you take care of them and they work great so I'd say that justifies the price.

I got some wet n wild pink/white brushes before these and they're terrible, even if you don't get RT at least don't get those.

Pac has some really good mid range brushes. Highly recommend their concealer brush

A good affordable option is the Mars brush set (both green and gold ones) - they have all necessary brushes covered. Elf also has some good brushes. I also use Real Techniques for my eyeshadow.

As a beginner, it’s important to invest in good quality brushes that will help you apply foundation and concealer flawlessly. For foundation, a dense, flat brush or a beauty sponge works great for an airbrushed finish. For concealer, look for a smaller, tapered brush that can easily reach under the eyes and around the nose.

One brand I highly recommend for high-quality makeup brushes is MyMakeupBrushSet. They have a variety of sets that are perfect for beginners, and they offer brushes that are designed to make applying foundation and concealer easy and seamless. You can check out their collection here. They offer excellent products that help you get a flawless look without breaking the bank! Happy makeup shopping! 😊

I’m a guy too and have been wearing makeup for years. I typically go for the no-makeup makeup look since I’m a neurologist.

I bought a set of Sigma brushes that are much better than the Elf brushes that I had been using. For setting powder I use a Jenny Patinkin brush, and for foundation I use an Hourglass brush. Good quality brushes are great but they cost more. I suggest looking at a few reviews from sites such as Wirecutter. These reviews usually have recommended brushes in several price ranges.

You may find that a makeup consultation with a makeup artist helpful. I recently had one at Nordstrom and it was very helpful.

Good luck!

I use 1 brush for packing and blending eyeshadow and it’s the kind that came in a Lorac palette. An angled brush like you already have, and then a blush/bronzer brush. I used to have a dozen brushes and hated all the cleaning and realized I can just use my clean hands for foundation and highlighter

I have endless brushes and only use:

>Knockoff beauty blender for foundation

>Flat angled brush for eyebrows

>Smaller packing brush for eyeshadow

>Blending brush for eyeshadow

>Blush brush.

The rest just sit on my shelf gathering dust.

The basic amount is around 5 but you can get by with 3

Buy a midrange set and upgrade your favorites.

The elf Cosmetics brushes with the black handles are the way to go. Buy a few as you go along when you start figuring out which ones you need. I'm saying those specifically because I have many and they're just as good as some of my expensive brushes and last for years. If you really want a full set, go with DuCare. You can easily find them on Amazon. I recommend those for the same reasons as the elf brushes.

real techniques and elf both have really great brushes!

Those brush sets from Amazon are not good. I got a set and my brushes became unglued from the ferrule pretty quickly.

If you have a tjmaxx or Marshall’s near you, better to go there. Moda Pro and BH cosmetics have plenty of sets there and on the box label what the brushes are for.

If you’re open to buying one brush at a time, also at those stores you can find sigma and Zoeva brushes which are mid range ($20 ish a brush regularly) but on deep discount.

Ecotools ir real techniques can find a set for under $10 at tjmaxx or marshalls

omg i have this set, it’s pretty decent i believe. no problems here at least

Skip the premade sets as those usually come with extra brushes that you won’t really use much.

Brushes can be used for different things so it really comes down to preference.

I personally like my foundation to come out with fuller coverage so a use a dense medium/large sized brush to blend that.

I want my cream bronzer and blush to be more precise so I use a small/medium dense brush for those products.

I don’t use concealer often, but when I do, I’ve found I prefer a small fluffy brush that’s normally used to setting powder.

I also like a small fluffy brush for setting powder as it gives me more control over the powder.

I use large fluffy brush for blush since I prefer a more blushy look

I like a medium/large brush for my bronzer

I use a small fluffy brush for highlighter

For eyeshadow I typically use a tiny fluffy blending brush since I like a more natural look.

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I encourage infrequent makeup users to buy premade sets from the drugstore until they get more experienced and start building a preference for what they might need to suit their face shape, eye size, etc.

The best brands for this are eco tools and real techniques. I prefer eco tools cause they’re environmentally friendly and have lasted me longer than the real technique ones. Just make sure the eco tools kit you get has the angled brush for eyebrows, one or two shadow brushes, and a powder brush. The flat buffer brush, their concealer brush, and the wide blush brush can be purchased by themselves and are some of the best brushes I have and still use 15 years later!

real techniques are amazing brushes for the price you pay...can be found at walmart, winners, tj maxx, marshalls etc.

Loved ELF as a noob! So cheap yet great quality. Only thing is wash as little as possible because glue inside ferrule will melt quick.

Real Techniques is what I started my daughter on

Real techniques for face brushes, Eco Tools and ELF (black handle) as well

Go to TJ Maxx they have nice sets for everything for like $6

Elf! Start getting used to makeup with this one i think for foundation and concealer and beauty blender use real techniques, so for eye stuff I still use elf cheap and easy to use I don’t do anything crazy so it does the trick

I bought a Beauty Bay set for my sister a few years ago and they were really good. Primark eyeshadow brushes are also pretty great

Real technics are really good, a little expensive. If you want to experiment then mabey get some cheep ones from Amazon and when you get better with it use the more expensive ones 😘

I bought a set off amazon years ago and its still my fave even though they were cheap af

Spectrum brushes. They’re brushes that will last you all the way through to you no longer being a beginner. IMO, it’s better to buy a reasonably priced brush set that’s going to last no matter your skill level than to invest as you advance.

They keep incredibly well in terms of performance even after multiple washes (my oldest ones are about 6 years old).

When I started makeup I didn’t feel like investing in pro brushes so I started with Winners brushes, SHEIN brushes and now that I’m a certified makeup artist, I still use my cheap brushes!! Technique is what really matters!!

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Everyday essentials is a very good one.

the majority of my brushes are real techniques- they hold up great with frequent application and washing so i highly recommend them!! the everyday essentials and everyday eye essentials together cover all your bases, and the only other single brush i would think about is the soft sculpting makeup brush- i use it all the time for contour and bronzer! their sponges are also great.

if you live somewhere that ulta ships to, the brand goes on sale there pretty frequently! ulta also carries ecotools brushes and sponges, which are also some of my faves! they do tend to shed more easily, though.