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You should NEVER pay a lot of money for makeup brushes! You can find the Best Makeup Brush dupes here in this article because there are so many affordable options I just don’t know where to start!
If you’re into brush sets, you can check out this article I wrote on The Best Brushes On Amazon.
This post on the best makeup brush dupes will look at individual brushes only because sometimes all you need is a few to start.
There are luxury brands that will try to sell you the brushes to go along with the specific product.
DON’T FALL FOR IT!
You can get the same brushes for less from a variety of different sources such as Morphe, ELF and Sephora Collection.
Here is an ultimate list for the best makeup brush dupes in my opinion.
Best Brow Makeup Brush Dupe
Anastasia Beverly Hills Brush #12 ($24) vs. E.L.F. Precision Dual Sided Brush ($6)
Anastasia Beverly Hills is known for their eyebrow product especially their “dip brow” which is a pomade.
The dip brow looks best when applied with an angled brow bush such as the one they offer called brush #12. There’s also a spoolie at the end of it to brush up brows before you apply the product.
Anastasia Beverly Hills Brush #12 ELF Precision Dual Sided Brush
This makeup brush is so easy to replicate because it is just a dense angled brush.
A spoolie is one of the most common makeup tools for brushing up your brows, you can literally find them ANYWHERE.
There isn’t anything in particular that makes the Anastasia Beverly Hills Brow Brush better than the E.L.F. Precision Dual Sided Brow Brush.
The ELF Brow brush is from their precision line which is the upper end for brushes. For a meager $6 you can get the same effect!
There is also the Sephora Collection brow brush which is also dual ended at only $11, which does the same thing as the Anastasia Beverly Hills Brow brush #12.
This one is priced in the middle of the pack so it is more than the ELF version but it is still more reasonably priced.
Best Eyeshadow Makeup Brush Dupe
Make Up Forever 242 Large Blending Brush ($40) vs. Sephora Collection Pro Crease Blender Brush #24 ($27)
Arguably, a quality blending brush is really hard to come by and if you find a good one you should spend the money on it.
Make Up For Ever Large Blender Brush 242 Sephora Collection Pro Crease Blender Brush #24
YES. A good blending brush should be bought if you plan on doing a lot of eyeshadow looks but the Sephora Collection Pro Crease Blender Brush #24 for $27, is one of the best on the market.
In fact, all of the Sephora Pro Collection brushes are top notch and should be considered dupes for any luxury makeup brush.
The Make Up Forever Blending Brush 242, doesn’t have anything special to it other than the fact it’s a tad fluffier than the Sephora brush but it really won’t make a difference in your makeup application.
At $40, save the extra $13 and buy a single eyeshadow or something!
Best Concealer Makeup Brush Dupe
Hourglass Seamless Finnish Corrector Brush ($50) vs. Sephora Pro Collection Concealer Brush #57 ($30)
I love Hourglass makeup products and yes, the brushes are beautiful but they don’t do anything that a Sephora Collection Pro Brush can do!
Hourglass Seamless Finish Corrector Brush Sephora Pro Collection Concealer brush #57
Again, Sephora is the clear winner at $30 vs. $50 for the Hourglass Seamless Finish Corrector brush.
The Sephora Pro Collection Concealer Brush is just as dense as the Hourglass brush.
Hourglass does make good quality brushes but you should probably spend the money on the actual concealer rather than the brush itself.
Don’t forget you can always use your fingers and a concealer brush is optional to have in your makeup bag!
Best Setting Powder Brush Makeup Dupe
Fenty Powder Puff Setting Powder Brush 170 ($45) vs. ELF Pointed Powder Brush ($6)
I’ve heard nothing but amazing things from Fenty Beauty and their brushes.
Fenty Powder Puff Setting Powder Brush ELF Pointed Powder Brush
The Fenty Powder Puff Setting Powder Brush is supposed to be a top notch brush next to Sigma Beauty.
However, I’m a firm believer that with powder, you don’t need anything fancy, especially if you’re using a translucent powder. It’s really all about the shape of the brush.
The ELF pointed powder brush is the perfect dupe for the Fenty Powder Puff Setting Powder Brush because it is just that: POINTED!
The ELF Brush is also a part of the precision line so it is the upper scale of the ELF Brushes but it is still only $6!
When you have a pointed setting brush you can get into the nooks of your face which are likely the oily parts that you want to apply powder to.
In this case, I would absolutely go with the ELF Pointed Powder brush since it has all of the same elements as the Fenty Powder Brush 170.
Hourglass Veil Brush ($84) vs. ELF Complexion Duo Brush ($8)
Another Hourglass brush that the world can’t live without is the Veil Brush. This is one of the holy grail brushes that everyone seems to have in their makeup bag. Since it has dual sides, you can use it as an overall powder brush and a finer contour brush.
The Hourglass Veil Brush is ONE of the best brushes on the market but the pricing is very steep at $80.
The ELF Complexion Duo Brush was designed as the perfect dupe for the Hourglass Veil Brush – or as close as someone can get to for $8.
If you plan on using a lot of Hourglass powders, I would suggest to go with the Hourglass Veil Brush because that is specifically made for the powder formulation.
You can easily achieve any look using the ELF Complexion Duo Brush so make no mistake that is also a very good brush and for $8 you cannot go wrong!
Best Foundation Makeup Brush Dupe
Hourglass Vanish Foundation Brush ($60) vs. Real Techniques Expert Face Brush ($12.99 depending)
This is a tough one because if you buy ANY expensive brush the Hourglass Vanish Foundation Brush is totally worth it. It’s one of the best foundation brushes on the market and yes, it is $60.
This is one brush that you should absolutely spend your money on because it is the perfect density for buffing foundation into the skin.
However, the Real Techniques brushes (any of them) are also really high quality and the Expert Face Brush will provide a similar pay off as the Hourglass Vanish Foundation Brush.
Let’s put it this way, if you are using the Hourglass Vanish Stick Foundation – GET THIS BRUSH.
If you use any other liquid foundation, you can go with Real Techniques (purchase from Ulta) because all of their brushes are still amazing.
Best Sculpting/Highlighting Makeup Brush Dupe
Fenty Beauty Cheek Hugging Highlight Brush 120 ($42) vs. ELF Sculpting Face Brush ($6)
The Fenty Beauty Cheek Hugging Highlight Brush 120 will make your entire look if you want to sculpt and contour. These highlighting and sculpting makeup brushes are curved to fit your bone structure.
If a brush doesn’t create the curve properly, it won’t provide the perfect cheek hugging application for either contour or highlight.
It’s so crucial that when you are contouring and highlighting that you hit the face at the right points.
Since everyone’s face is different, not all of these curved brushes work for everyone.
However, the Fenty Beauty Cheek Hugging Highlight Brush 120 is said to be the best curved brush on the market right now.
You can achieve a similar look with the ELF Sculpting Face Brush but it is more dense than the one by Fenty Beauty.
If you’re new to contouring you should check out the ELF Sculpting Face brush and once you get a little more familiar with the technique I would invest in the more expensive Fenty Beauty Cheek Hugging Highlight Brush 120.
Charlotte Tilbury Powder Sculpt Brush ($60) vs. ELF Small Tapered Brush ($4)
Charlotte Tilbury is charging a premium for their Powder Sculpt Brush that is just ridiculous at $60!
Charlotte Tilbury Powder Sculpt Brush – $60 ELF Small Tapered Brush – $4
You can literally find any tapered brush to get the same effect for a powder contour.
The ELF Small Tapered Brush is only $4 is perfect for contouring specific parts of the face because of the tapered nature of the tip.
I know it’s often nice to have the brush that is recommended with the power but in this case, the Charlotte Tilbury brush will do the same EXACT thing as the ELF Small Tapered Brush.
There you have the best makeup brush dupes. Pretty much any brush can be duped so be sure to check out ELF makeup brushes before you invest in any luxury makeup brushes!
xo
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