The Only 4 Eyeshadow Brushes You Need in Your Makeup Bag

In one of the good ol' days of high school, I got my makeup done at MAC for a dance. The woman used one eyeshadow brush on me (which now that I'm thinking about it is not the best form of application...) which happened to be the MAC 224. She said she used it for everything, so I bought it. It was one of my first ever MAC purchases, and to this day, I still have it and love it. MAC brushes are made with real hair which is not only kind of gross (it's animal hair, don't worry) but also ideal because they're soft and will last you a long time with proper care and cleaning.

You may be tempted to grab the cheapest eyeshadow brushes you can find, but having quality brushes makes a lot of difference. The application goes on smoother, the blending is easier, and you can more easily avoid looking like a hooker on all your smokey eye attempts. That's obviously very important. These are my most used brushes out of all the ones I own, and these 4 will suffice any kind of eyeshadow look you could want. Take good care of them, clean them, and they'll be worth your money.

MAC 266 Angled Brush - Starting from the left side of the picture is the only brush I've found that I can use to apply liquid eyeliner that won't make me want to cry and scream and end up looking like I just smeared my eyelids with black coal. It's angled perfectly, easy to hold, and not too flimsy, meaning gel liner and this brush are just meant to be. Also very good for lining the eyes with eyeshadow for a softer look.

MAC 217 Blending Brush - I use this brush solely for blending. It's got a shorter, fluffy tip and with a light hand, this makes your shadow blend perfectly, helping to avoid creasing and the panda eye look.

MAC 224 Tapered Blending Brush - As I said previously, one of my first MAC purchases and my first ever MAC makeup brush. It's got a fluffy tip perfect for applying one shadow and blending it out. It's also really good for blending in your concealer (just make sure it's clean!).

MAC 239 Eye Shader Brush - This brush has a straight, flatter tip, which is perfect for smudging out eyeliner for a softer look or piling on eyeshadow underneath your eyes. I use this brush when I have on gold eyeshadow because I like to have it all around my eyes, and also with MAC Woodwinked - the perfect bronze summer shade.