Hi everyone, hope you are doing great today! I have been thinking about doing this post for long time and finally sat down to do it today. I have used most of these products myself and have included 2 budget options in addittion to some high quality mid-range and luxury products. I think this list will be even more helpful for makeup beginners.
In my opinion, it is important to have quality makeup (and skincare too), however, I think brushes and applicators of a good quality make a huge difference. Good quality makeup brushes can make even a mediocre eyeshadow look fabulous. By good quality I do not mean branded necessarily that’s why there are branded as well as budget brush options in the list. So let’s just jump right into the recommendations.
* See and buy all of my product recommendations on RituKT Recommends Page.

1. Real Techniques Your Eyes/Enhanced Starter Set

Real Techniques Eye Starter Makeup Brush Set: (1000 INR | Buy Online)

• Base Shadow brush
• Deluxe crease brush
• Accent Brush (spotlighting, highlighting, smudging)
• Pixel-point Eyeliner brush
• Brow brush

I have followed Sam and Nic for years on YouTube as well as their blog and I have seen them launch Real Techniques. I got so mad about the brushes, after seeing them in action in their makeup videos, that I checked every single department store for them (I was not into online shopping then). One fine day I found the Real Techniques Eye Makeup Brush Set in Seoul and was uber excited.
I picked up this kit just because it looked like it would be ideal for the kind of eye makeup I do. It comes with 5 eye makeup brushes and a multi-purpose stand/pouch.It has been 2 1/2 years since then and I have found different uses for the brushes from this set. For example their deluxe crease brush is my go-to concealer brush! And since it comes in good packaging, you will never have to worry about storing them. Plus the packaging folds in multiple ways and can be made into a brush stand easily. After washing, I dry my brushes in it too! I highly recommend this makeup brush set!

2. Real Techniques Your Base/Flawless Core Collection

Real Techniques Core Collection: (919 INR | Buy Online)

• Detailer Brush (concealer/lipstick)
• Pointed Foundation brush
• Buffing brush (powder/mineral foundation)
• Contour brush (highlight/contour brush)

The second makeup brush kit I picked up from Real Techniques was this one for the face, Real Techniques Core Collection. It contains 4 brushes in addition to the multi-purpose pouch. I absolutely love these brushes! They blend the makeup so well, it does not look cakey at all. I use the Foundation brush for cream contour, rest of the brushes I use as intended by the makers. Real Techniques brushes are high quality and are not exactly drugstore but they are still much more affordable than Sigma, Hakuhodo, etc. Highly recommended!

3. Eco Tools 6-Piece Essential Eye Set

Eco Tools 6-Piece Essential Eye Brush Set: (1642 INR | Buy Online)

• Large Eye brush
• Angled crease brush
• Highlighting brush
• Petite eye shading brush
• Smudge brush

Eco Tools is one of the first synthetic brush brand I came across when I was in Sweden circa 2010. I had just gotten more aware of my choices in beauty and take a stand against animal cruelty. I try to opt for cruelty-free stuff as much as I can. Anyhow, Eco Tools brush that I first picked up was a (full-size) Eyeshadow brush. At first I just wanted to try out how synthetic bristles felt on the skin. I was so impressed. Sometime later, I started building my collection (after starting the blog) and came across this amazing Eco Tools 6-Piece Essential Eye brush set. It is travel-friendly and fulfills all of my eye makeup needs. I have reviewed this on the blog and would highly recommend it for travel as well as everyday use. These are fantastic brushes with synthetic bristles, recycled aluminium ferrules and bamboo body. They are 100% Cruelty free!

Eco Tools 5-piece Mineral Set

Eco Tools Five Piece Mineral Set: (1545 INR | Buy Online)

• Mineral Powder brush
• Concealer brush
• Eye-shading brush
• Mini Kabuki brush

Eco Tools make these brush kits in normal size too but I picked up the travel size in Eco Tools Five Piece Mineral Set because I like how compact they (and they are travel-friendly obviously). They perform the same as the full size brushes. I get the most use out of the mini-kabuki as I use for powder blushes and the mineral powder blush which I use to apply all powders/powder foundations. These are fantastic brushes with synthetic bristles, recycled aluminium ferrules and bamboo body. They are 100% Cruelty free!

5. Beauty Blender – Original

Price – 2260 INR | (Buy Beauty Blender Online)
When Beauty Blender was first launched, I never felt like I would seek it. It became all the rage and one day I could not resist picking it at a drugstore in Seoul. By then, there were no variations, only the Beauty Blender Original. It was pink in color and I loved it. It was an investment but I am glad it has paid off. I cherish this makeup sponge a lot and use it whenever I want a flawless finish to my makeup. I would highly recommend it too! Now the Beauty Blender comes in different colors – purple, black etc. and has come in a different size too (which we’ll be talking about next!)

6. Beauty Blender Micro Mini Sponge

Price: 2255 INR | (Buy Beauty Blender Micro Mini Sponge Online)
While Beauty Blender Original is good for the foundation, it can also be used for cream/liquid concealers, highlighters and contour. Of course given the size, you need to be careful. To make it easy for us, the makers of this amazing makeup sponge released the Beauty Blender Micro Mini Sponge. It is teeny-tiny but is spectacular for cream/liquid concealers, highlighters and contour etc. It comes in a pack of two!

7. BESTOPE Premium Makeup Brushes Set

Price: 2129 INR | (Buy BESTOPE Brushes Online)
Some of my friends do not like to spend a lot on makeup brushes but they hate to compromise on quality. I am blessed to have these friends because they give me amazing recommendations. So that is how I discovered the BESTOPE Premium Makeup Brushes Set. These are not expensive at all and there are 8 brushes in this set – 4 face brushes, 4 eye brushes. There are many sets from BESTOPE, some have black handles and silver ferrules or black handles and gold/rose gols ferrules. All of them look good. I have linked to the 2016 updated version.

8. BS Mall  Premium Synthetic Kabuki Makeup Brush Set

Price: 1090 INR | (Buy BS-Mall Makeup Brushes)
This recommendation comes straight from one of my favorite Indian blogger/vlogger Ankita. I have seen the BS Mall  Premium Synthetic Kabuki Makeup Brush Set brushes in many of her videos and I love how good these work. I have not used these brushes myself yet but judging from her videos and the fact that she recommends them, I can vouch for these brushes. They look similar to the BESTOPE brushes I have mentioned above. These are also affordable and there are 10 brushes in this set – 5 face brushes, 5 eye brushes. So you can choose any one of these since both of these brush sets contain face and eye makeup brushes.
Image Source: Amazon India
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