I wanted to dedicate a post towards affordable, but very good brush sets. Feel free to add on information about other good, inexpensive brushes that you like.

Before investing a bunch on my current brushes, my brush stash consisted of Essence of Beauty brushes I had bought at CVS. I love most of the brushes I have from this line. They’re very soft, durable, and apply make-up so well. My favourite brushes from the line are the eye shadow brush, the crease brush, and the angled blush brush.

One good thing about these brushes being so cheap is that I know I wouldn’t be devastated if I used them roughly or they lost their shape. So I really use the heck out of them. And throughout my continuous abuse, the brushes have held up so well and are still in their initial shape.

I was my brushes regularly and even after a few years, the brushes are not scratchy and they barely shed. In fact, the EOB angled blush brush shed less than my MAC 136 brush. There are a few misses in the line, for example I’m not crazy about the eyeliner brush (it’s still decent though. I think the angled eyeliner brush is supposed to be better), but this is such a great line of brushes to explore.

I believe that desi girls are born into a world where the pursuit of the blackest kajal is something of a the coming of age ritual. For anything other than pencil kohl, I usually reach for my angled liner brush. Before I go on, let me first get out of the way that this brush is the most unglamorous brush on the planet, but it functions better than any other liner brush I have ever tried.

The Windsor & Newton Regency Gold 560 series angled brush is the most perfect angled liner brush in existence. The brush head is 1/4 of an inch wide (it says so on the brush and I couldn't resist the urge to measure this. It is in fact a true measurement.) and is made of taklon fibers that are meant to mimic sable. I had bought this around three years ago as a spare brush I could use for my oil paintings but ended up using it for make-up instead. The brush is intended to pick up and hold pigments, even if the base is very emollient. It is also very easy to tightline with and applies eyeliner in a thick or thin line effortlessly.

The length of the brush handle is as long as an average cosmetic brush so you don't have to maneuver a handle that is so long it could function as a walking stick if the necessity arose. The beauty of this brush lies in its functionality. It applies my gel liners with the same perfect ease that it applies shadows along the lash line. To top it off, it's incredibly easy to clean and doesn't require anything out of the ordinary.

Let me also add that I am not the world's most delicate damsel. If I had been a princess in a fairy tale, I would probably be in a coma because I would have tripped over a rug in the great hall, flown out of a window, and eventually would have landed right next to a shrub. This lovable awkwardness (that's what I like to call it) is sometimes passed on to my handling of my possessions. The Windsor & Newton brush has taken so much abuse, falling, and harsh usage that I fear it will exact its revenge on me while I sleep. In reality it has retained its shape perfectly and not a single hair is out of place.

To end my glowing review of this brush, let me also add that I got it for a mere $3 at an art supply store. These brushes go on sale often and the price is often unbeatable. This brush has become such a staple that I have returned every other angled liner brush that I have tried.

I'm a huge fan of good make-up brushes. I don't really care where my make-up or brushes come from but I am especially picky about brushes. A long, long time ago, I used to use q-tips and my fingers to apply make-up and while my fascination for finger-painting my own face has still not subsided (I'm still a huge fan of applying certain make-up with my fingers), I have turned into a regular brush-diva. I am possibly harder to please than the stereotypical mother-in-law you see in all the desi soap operas. And yes, I throw hissy fits of equal magnitude when brushes disappoint me. Here's my review of MAC's 168 brush.

For the most part, MAC's 168 brush is incredibly soft and angeled so that I can achieve easy contouring looks. I like my products to be multi-functional and use the brush as a blush brush as well. Here's my problem with the MAC brush. It sheds, and sheds, and sheds.

The brush itself is incredibly soft and I was very taken wit how luxurious the bristles felt. The bristles are made of natural goat hair and generally, I trust MAC's brushes quite a bit. However, my brush sheds pretty badly and I can always see a few hairs that have gotten loose and are about to cling to my face the way they should have clung to the damn brush. This is a huge problem for me because I don't think comb overs look very good on balding brushes (on a side note, I know many desi uncles who favour the comb over).

Another problem I have with this brush is that it applies blush rather unevenly. I do like it for blending out my contour and I can blend away my blush easier with this brush but I feel like that's an added step I don't need when I want a basic flush.

MAC's 168 is not bad, but I just feel like you can get a much better brush for the same price.