The 7 Best Makeup Brushes of 2025
Sets
In the BS-Mall 14 Pcs Brush Set, testers found that the bristles were too rough and not packed densely enough. They also said that several of the brushes in the set served duplicative purposes. All of our testers noted a plasticky off-gas smell upon opening the packaging. We found a better assortment in the E.L.F. Cosmetics Professional Set of 12 Makeup Brushes, but we encountered some loose bristles and improperly cut shapes. Testers also said that the short handles were difficult to control.
The Sonia Kashuk Luminate Collection Complete Brush Set was too chunky, awkward, and inelegant. The Sephora Collection Complete Makeup Brush Set was the exact opposite—so lightweight and insubstantial, one tester likened it to “a kid’s toy set of brushes.”
The EcoTools Core Five Set shed too much, and the Morphe Get Things Started 8-Piece set (no longer available) had crudely shaped brush heads (with the exception of the Morphe Chubby Buffer Concealer Brush).
Foundation brushes
The E.L.F. Cosmetics Buffing Foundation Brush was a nice size, but its bristles were too floppy and sparse, creating a streaky application. Meanwhile, the soft, dense bristles of the IT Cosmetics Heavenly Luxe Flat Top Buffing Foundation Brush #6 had some fans, but its thick handle was awkward to hold. When considering the two-in-one Lancôme Airbrush #2, our testers really liked only the concealer end—the bristles of the larger foundation end were “too squishy” to apply product well.
The NYX Total Control Drop Foundation Brush had an unusual angular brush head, but it’s really designed only for use with liquid foundation. Both the Monika Blunder Hybrid Cream Brush and the M.A.C. 170 Synthetic Rounded Slant Brush felt too insubstantial for their price.
Lastly, the Morphe M406 Large Foundation & Blush Stippling Brush had coarse, poky bristles, and the bristles on the M.A.C. 187S Synthetic Duo Fibre Face Brush were too stiff and not wide enough for an efficient full-face application.
Contour brushes
Even though Kevyn Aucoin’s Contour Brush has a gorgeous handle and a luxurious, heavy feel, our testers said the bristles weren’t angled enough, and the small dome failed to pick up enough product. Similarly, the soft, sparser bristles of the M.A.C. 168 Synthetic Large Angled Contour Brush didn’t grab enough powder, though our testers liked the way it buffed for a finished look.
For something at the top of our price range, the Hourglass Ambient Lighting Edit Brush shed too many bristles. Neither of the two brush ends of IT Cosmetics’s Heavenly Luxe Complexion Perfection Brush #7 was the right size for contouring tasks, and this brush was at the tippy-top of our price range. Many people like Laura Geller’s Angled Blush Brush for contour, and it was our panel’s strongest contender for runner-up for that purpose, but testers ultimately preferred it more for diffuse blush application than for precise contouring.
Our testers thought the Charlotte Tilbury Powder & Sculpt Brush was too skinny for all-over bronzer application; they preferred it for more precise work with highlighter and contouring. The Real Techniques Ultra Plush Blush Makeup Brush, on the other hand, was too big, with bristles that were “too sloppy, too splayed out,” as well as a plastic handle that felt a little crude.
The Ulta Bronzer Blush #21 Brush (discontinued) felt flimsy in the hand and shed way too many bristles, and the Róen Everything Powder brush had a lot of the same assets as the Jenny Patinkin pick but cost 25% more. Finally, while Jones Road’s The Everything Brush is designed as a multitasker for bronzer, blush, powder, and more, our testers found the bristles too stubby and stiff.
Eyebrow brushes
Our panelists had doubly high standards for dual-ended eyebrow brush-spoolie combos, and many options failed to clear both hurdles. For instance, testers liked the spoolie on the E.L.F. Cosmetics Eyebrow Duo Brush but found the brush too bendy and wide.
The Sonia Kashuk Professional Angled Eyeliner Makeup Brush No. 246 was also too big, and it lacked a spoolie altogether. The Sigma E80 Brow and Lash Brush, on the (literal) flip side, was just a spoolie. The Mykitco My Groom & Fill Brush can be hard to come by, and it wasn’t exceptional enough to warrant an in-search-of-Sasquatch–style hunt. Testers loved almost everything about the Tweezerman Angled Brow Brush & Spoolie, but it lost out to the Anastasia model because its brush was a bit too narrow and its spoolie was just a touch too short for those with bushier brows.
Sponges and puffs
A classic flat velour puff, the E.L.F. Cosmetics Halo Glow Powder Puff worked well for applying setting powder and tamping down shine, but our testers much preferred the egg-like sponges. The similarly flat Real Techniques Miracle 2-in-1 Powder Puff was difficult to clean—especially considering that the sponge side sopped up too much product.
Both the Beauty Bakerie Blending Egg Beauty Sponge and the DSMD Swirl Sponges had a nice ovoid form, but neither expanded enough when moistened, and both felt too hard against the face.
As much as our panelists initially liked the shape and facets of the Real Techniques Miracle Complexion Sponge, the foam was too dense, and the sponge was too large to get into smaller areas such as under the eyes and in the creases around the nose. One tester loved the bounciness—and the sub-$2.00 price tag—of the AOA Studio Collection Makeup Sponge Set but found that the sponge ended up soaking up too much product.
Rory Evans contributed reporting. This article was edited by Hannah Morrill and Jennifer Hunter.
