Are cheap mineral makeup brushes "good enough" or should you spend a bit?

Which is best? Synthetic or natural?

Confused?

You won't be after reading this!

Let's start with the basic brushes:

Kabuki Brushes are the most popular mineral makeup brush. They are used to apply mineral foundation and finishing powder. They normally look like little chubby domes with only a ferrule (metal part that holds the bristles to the handle) and no handle. However, they do sometimes have a handle attached, as shown below.

Powder Brushes are large, fluffy brushes. They usually have long handles.They are used for applying loose powder mineral blush, bronzer, all-over color or finishing powder.

Flat Top Brushes are basically powder brushes that have a (shocker!) flat top. Most people use these for buffing on bronzer or blush. They can also be used for applying mineral foundation. They give really great coverage.

Eyeliner Brushes are used to apply eyeliner, of course! They come in various shapes. Some taper into a tiny point, while others are a flat angled brush.

Eye Shadow Brushes are designed to properly apply loose mineral eyeshadow. A good eyeshadow brush will hold the powders within its bristles for perfect application.

Dispensing Brushes / Refillable Brushes are great for busy, on-the-go people. You simply scoop your loose powder makeup into the end of the brush, place the cap on, then begin applying.

The powder flows through the bristles onto your skin! It's a miracle!

These come in various styles: Dial, Pump or Plain.

Dial brushes allow you to choose the intensity of powder flow. Pump brushes push air into the end of the brush, thus causing powder to flow through the bristles better. Plain brushes are most common. The powder simply flows through the bristles with ease on these types of dispensing brushes, with no dialing or pumping required.

Natural Vs. Synthetic

Maybe you've never thought about this option, but you should!

Natural Brushes are made from animal hair. The bristles are usually goat hair, pony hair, badger, squirrel, etc. Each type of hair comes in various quality ranges. Cheap goat hair doesn't feel the same as a nicer quality version.

Some people who enjoy vegan products choose not to use or sell these brushes. But that is totally up to you to decide.

These are usually hand-shaped and glued. They range from being silky soft to rough and scratchy. This just depends on the quality of the bristles. Natural brushes do have a tendency to shed somewhat, depending upon the quality.

I prefer natural bristles for smaller brushes like eyeshadow brushes, as they hold the powder better.

Synthetic Brushes are made using synthetic materials. These also range from cheap and rough-feeling to super nice, soft and silky bristles.

I will say these are my personal pick for larger brushes. I love quality synthetic bristles because they don't shed! Since they are synthetic, the bristles tend to melt into the ferrule, and "stick" better.

Also, the soft bristles are excellent for those with sensitive skin. They glide over your face with ease, rather than feeling scratchy and prickly like some natural hair brushes.

The bristles also seem to last longer and not break as easily as natural brushes. Good synthetic brushes will often cost you a little more than cheaper synthetic brushes or cheap natural brushes, but are worth it in the long run.

You save money because you won't have to buy a new brush every few months. Good synthetic mineral makeup brushes can last for years.

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