This, of course, makes sense: Every makeup look requires a different application method, texture, and formula. You’re simply not going to get a slick cat eye with a rounded liner brush and pot of charcoal; nor are you going to get high-coverage and sculpt if you opt for a foundation formula that prides itself on being lightweight. So often people will make a mascara purchase only to complain about it later—and sure, sometimes it’s a poorly formulated product, but most often, the purchaser in question simply bought a brush that wasn’t going to give her what she wanted all along. Say it with me: You can’t make informed choices if you don’t know what your needs are! Now that we’ve got that lesson out of the way, here are some of the most common brush types and what they’re good for:
