My five most used makeup brushes

Like any blogger, I have a pretty decent collection of make up brushes.  Not as many as some I'm sure, but still enough to make cleaning them take forever! These are the five brushes I use most often, and the ones I wouldn't be without.

Real Techniques Buffing Brush

I think everyone loves this brush, and I do wonder how I coped without it! I use it every day to apply my foundation and it blends it in so effortlessly and seamlessly, and it helps to achieve a flawless finish.  My only criticism is that it can't be bought individually.  It comes as part of the Core Collection as we all know, and I just can't justify another £20 when I have no need for the other brushes.  I am tempted to try out the Expert Face Brush as it does look similar and could work as a back up for my Buffing Brush.

Real Techniques Blush Brush

Yes, another brush from Samantha Chapman's line! Although a little on the large side, it's tapered top means as long as you're careful you shouldn't end up looking like a clown! It's best to use this with a light hand, especially if using a particularly bright blush. The fluffiness of the brush means you can blend your blusher out with ease to give a nice natural look. I guess it wouldn't hurt for it to be a little bit smaller, but once you're used to the size, it's not too much of an issue.  It also doubles up as a brilliant highlight/bronzer brush so it's a real multi-tasker!

Real Techniques Powder Brush

Anyone sensing a theme here? This is the last Real Techniques brush I swear!  This one is also super soft and fluffy and disperses powder easily.  It's a nice large size so it only takes a few seconds to cover the whole face.  I was never a big powder user before, but using this with my Soap and Glory powder sets my make up brilliantly.

Crown Brush Blending Crease (C330)

Although intended for eyeshadow, I actually use this to blend in my concealer.  It's just the right size to fit into my under eye area and works better than any concealer brush I've used.  I'm quite heavy handed so using my fingers to blend concealer never really works for me. The softness of this brush means the concealer just melts into my skin and definitely helps make me look more awake in the mornings!

Sigma E25

The famous dupe for the even more famous Mac 217.  I've tired similar dupes from Crown, but this is the best by far.  It's real multitask brush and applies highlight, lid and crease colours effortlessly.  It's nice and soft and has barely shed in the 18months+ that I've had it. At almost half the price of the Mac equivalent, it's extremely tempting to order another one (or two!) as a backup. 

I think with these five brushes, I have every thing covered.  Obviously having only five brushes isn't ideal, but I could easily manage with just these five brushes on a weekend away.  Having said that, I always take more even if I'm going away for the one night! I think for my next trip away I'll challenge myself to just take these brushes and see how I get on... watch this space!

Do you own any of these brushes? Which brushes do you use most often?