Make-up brushes and tools: what is each one used for?

Foundation brushes can be domed with short bristles, or flat like a traditional paintbrush. They distribute product evenly, helping you get a natural look with no streaks. Use them with liquid, cream or powder foundation, starting in the centre of your face and working outwards.Our pick: Real Techniques Expert Face Makeup Brush

Ever completely ruined your makeup by trying to cover up a spot with a sponge, your finger or the applicator? Investing in a concealer brush helps you get a more delicate, even finish. They're also perfect for tidying up eyeliner or eyeshadow.Our pick: e.l.f. Cosmetics Flawless Concealer Brush

Round and fluffy, the powder brush works with loose or compact powders, distributing product evenly around the face.Our pick: EcoTools Full Powder Makeup Brush

The Kabuki brush takes its name from Japanese drama theatre makeup and is generally used to apply loose powder all over the face. It's great for creating natural looking coverage.Our pick: WUNDER2 Kabuki Brush

Fluffy and long-stemmed, blusher brushes are perfectly crafted to dust colour on to the apples of your cheeks. You'll really notice the difference when you have a great one. Bronzer brushes are similar, to be used in a '3' shape along the sides of your face. Forehead, cheek bones and jawline.Our pick: Real Techniques Blusher Makeup Brush

An angled brush is perfect for contouring, giving you a precise, striking look, defining your cheekbones. Experiment with soft and hard angled to find out which works best for you. Our pick: FIND - Contouring Brush - no.14

While you can use a small powder brush for highlighter, using a fan brush will give you much more precision. Also, it makes the whole job a lot easier. Simply swipe the fan into the product and place it anywhere the light would naturally hit your face. Cheek bones, brow bones, Cupid's bow and, if you like the Instagram look, tip of the nose. Our pick: Nanshy Fan Makeup Brush

These flat, round-tipped brushes are designed to pick up colour for your lids. They're pretty versatile and can be used to apply your base colour as well as blend, if you don't have a blending brush.Our pick: NYX Pro Brush Shading

The bristles in this brush are looser than a shading brush, making them perfect for blending eyeshadow by working it in circular motions. Love a smoky eye? You need one of these.Our pick: Nanshy Blending Eye Shadow Brush

Angled to help you get those realistic hair strokes, an eyebrow brush has short bristles and holds on to your brow gel and powder. Many eyebrow brushes also come with a spoolie, used for taming your brows and combing through to soften your look.Our pick: EcoTools Brow Shaping Makeup Brush Duo

For long-lasting lip colour, no colour bleeding or smudging, opt for a lip brush. The long handle gives you total control and the shape of the brush delivers precision lines. They're great for layering colour or for mixing, too.Our pick: LAB2 Read My Lip Brush

If you can't get on with a foundation brush, you might prefer a blending sponge. Simply wet the sponge and squeeze out excess water, add your product and get ready for streak-free foundation.Our pick: Beautyblender

Remember when these hit the beauty scene and were all the rage? Many people like using an oval brush as its larger surface area makes applying make-up a breeze. They have more bristles than a standard brush, meaning they act more like a sponge. You can get lots of different sizes, making them suitable for every step of your make-up routine. Our pick: Bdellium Tools Studio 95O Oval Multipurpose Brush