Cheaper options:
- E.L.F cosmetics: brushes are very cheap but quite good, for eye brushes go for Essentials line, for face brushes take rather brushes from Studio line as they are a lot better than Essentials ones, you can buy them cheaper on www.iherb.com (code IPO591 for first buy discount if you want).
- Sedona lace: most of the brushes are, in general, very good (except EB21, the bristles are so stiff that it hurts to use it). I have 2 Sedona Lace brushes that I love (and have more than one of them). It is EB13 (for blending the eyeshadows) and FB05 (for contouring and blush).
- Lightinthebox: it is a Chinese virtual market place, they sell lot of brushes (and other things), and of course not all of them are great. So far I loved their Kabuki brushes which are comparable to Sigmax Essentials kit (review here) and I also have some individual brushes that I’m going to review soon as well.
- Real techniques brushes: created by 2 YouTube gurus (sisters), their brushes are nice as well and not very expensive (you can buy them cheaper from www.iherb.com).
- Sigma beauty: I like their eye brushes, they have great variety of them and they are good quality. On the other hand, I’m not a big fan of their face brushes as they shed hair for very long time after first use; they also change their shape after a while even if you take good care of them.
- Zoeva: I heard only good things about Zoeva brushes (German company) and I’m definitely planning to buy some to review and compare them with what I already have. My friend Beata swears by them and since she is make-up maniac like me I trust her opinion and that’s why I’m mentioning them there.
- Makeup atelier: I went to the brand's make-up school last June and I got the chance to use their products all week long. Brushes are very nice just like everything else from the brand but of course since it is a brand for professional makeup artists, the price range is higher.
- MAC cosmetics: I don’t think I need to present this brand too much. I think all the cheap brands basically duplicated what MAC had to offer at their beginnings. MAC’s price level was quite high so naturally they’ve seen this gap in the market and well profited by selling affordable yet good quality MAC dupes.
- Sephora Pro brushes: The Pro collection is really good although I think the price could be lower (it costs the same as MAC). From time to time they have 20-25% sale and that is the time to buy them.
I haven’t bought any High price level brushes so far but I heard great things about Wayne Goss brushes (another YouTube star and makeup artist) and Hakuhodo brushes (both brands’ brushes are handmade, produced in Japan). From the brands that are available in perfumeries, I would suggest Bobby Brown brushes; other brands don’t offer such a variety and quality that I would pay high price for them.
