Top 10 Makeup Brushes Under £10

 Expensive brushes are luxurious; beautiful to look at, feather-soft and often reassuringly weighty in your hand; but most of the time there are cheaper brushes that perform just as well, if not better.  A good brush is not scratchy and needs to be shaped just right to perform the intended task.  

Sure, if you have the money to splurge, go ahead, but I thought I'd run through my favourite affordable brushes.  I have a few higher end brushes and I reach for these ones just as often.

Read on to see the brushes I rate highly.

Everyday ELF

Just a short one today on my must-haves from ELF.  I have combination/oily skin so these Shine Eraser blotting sheets are invaluable to me.  After about 5 hours with most foundations I use one or two of these and then touch up with MAC's Studio Fix powder. £1.95 for 50 sheets.  I love glitter but I do not like washing glitter out of my brushes. Welcome Glitter Eyeshadow Applicator! Loose glitter sticks to the silicone tip like a dream and then I just press it on (usually over Fyrinae's Pixie Epoxy). It has made glittery looks so much easier for me, with less to clean up on my face and on my desk! They cost £3.95.
Two top brushes I use all the time, both £3.95  Their Blush Brush is soft and not too big.  I like it paired with a bright blush as I can control exactly where it goes. The Small Smudge Brush is great for precision pops of colour on the eyes but I also like it for applying lipstick. Last but not least is their Makeup Lock & Seal.  This can be used for turning powder eyeshadows into eyeliner but what I really like this for is for mixing with metallic shadows to boost their shininess, especially dabbed just in the middle of the lid to catch the light with every blink.  It works wonders on slightly powdery, glittery shadows like Urban Decay's Dust and Trick in the Naked 3 palette.

ELF is a great brand to turn to for basics such as these.  Their brushes can be a bit hit or miss but, when most of them cost less than £4, the hits really are worth it! I highly suggest checking them out, especially if you live in Cardiff. In the Royal Arcade is Europe's first ELF store.  So many things to swatch there and great customer service.

Rachel