The art of contouring can totally transform your look, but achieving those coveted angles and highlights requires the right makeup brushes. We've compiled three lists of our most recommended contour brushes for powder products, liquid/cream products, and for nose contouring.
From angled to rounded shapes, in various brush head sizes, our guide covers the best multipurpose and targeted tools for any face-shaping technique.
CREAM & LIQUID CONTOUR
chikuhodo
FO-2 Foundation Brush
"I was dying to have this brush in my collection! Heavenly soft bristles, and an amazing design, makes this fude a must have... Its angled shape makes it perfect for contour, bronzer and blush. Highly recommended!!!" (Aida H)
chikuhodo
T-3 Foundation Brush
"I was dying to have this brush in my collection! Heavenly soft bristles, and an amazing design, makes this fude a must have... Its angled shape makes it perfect for contour, bronzer and blush. Highly recommended!!!" (Aida H)
houkodou
BZ-2 Angled Foundation Brush
"I was dying to have this brush in my collection! Heavenly soft bristles, and an amazing design, makes this fude a must have... Its angled shape makes it perfect for contour, bronzer and blush. Highly recommended!!!" (Aida H)
POWDER CONTOUR
chikuhodo
FO-4 Cheek/Highlight Brush
"I was dying to have this brush in my collection! Heavenly soft bristles, and an amazing design, makes this fude a must have... Its angled shape makes it perfect for contour, bronzer and blush. Highly recommended!!!" (Aida H)
bisyodo
BS-C-01 Cheek Brush, Short Series
"This brush is as soft as described. Its shape and length of the bristles makes it a very versatile brush to contour, bronze and highlight(use the flat top of the brush perpendicular to the cheek to deposit and diffuse powder); add blush to the cheeks (use flat top and/or round sides of the brush to blend/pat in powder); and to powder the entire face by carefully patting the bristles onto the skin." (Kayla)
chikuhodo
Z-3 Contour Brush, Z Series
"The brush is small and handy, it’s perfect for contour." (Nana C)
"I like this for contouring. It lets you draw a solid-well pigmented lane with crime or powder then you can buff it in. I do it right under my cheekbones from above my ear to the middle of my pupil. I use a fluffier brush to blend it with blush that runs from the apples of my cheeks up. It’s pretty firm and does a good job laying on color as well as buffing." (Stacey B)
chikuhodo
T-2 Angled Powder Brush, Takumi Series
"I love this angled brush. The hairs are soft and resilient. When the brush blooms, it covers a great amount of surface area while reaching curvatures of the face. It is large enough to be a full face powder brush, and perhaps a more diffused application of bronzer/contour." (Tiffany C)
"Love this angle brush. I use it for bronzer or contour. Great performance." (Kathy Penn)
chikuhodo
FO-3 Cheek Brush, FO Series
"This is great for finishing powder, i use this as my last step to blend any harsh lines from putting on blush and contour." (Catherine M)
"One of the things I love about this brush is how versatile it is. The brush performs beautifully every time and can be used to achieve anything from a subtle wash of blush to a more dramatic contour." (Sephiria T.)
koyomo
Nadeshiko Cheek Brush
"This brush is one of those impulse purchases that turned out to be quite the hidden gem... It blooms beautifully into this perfect ball. It applies any blush with a beautiful diffused finish that just makes your skin look airbrushed. It also works exceptionally well for contour. At this price point it’s an absolute steal. I would repurchase in heartbeat if needed." (Shelly S)
"The bristles on the brush are very soft and luxurious. The small size makes it a great multi tasking brush to use with your products, powder, contour, blush powders." (Phyllis R)
tanseido
WS14T Highlight Brush
"Absolute steal Really good brush for contour and highlight! The goat hair is really lovely quality." (Lydia, UK)
chikhuodo
T-5 Highlight Brush, Takumi Series
"Great multitasker. One of my favorite brushes. Fluffy and soft candle shaped brush. Great for contour, blush, and targeted powder." (Ss)
"You Need This Brush! The beauty of this brush is it's multi-tasking abilities. Due to the oval pinched ferule, I can use it for setting the undereye area, turned on one side, it works great for contour and on the other edge, blush." (Ruth M)
chikuhodo
Z-2 Highlight Brush
"Hard to find this kind of shape. Good for nose contour." (Jane)
"Perfect length and diameter for nose and eye socket contour for a natural wash of color. Perfect for highlighting and set undereye powder... Oh and so, so soft at super reasonable price. Highly recommended and please buy a few for backup too." (D)
Houkodou
N-F1 Powder Brush
"Grey squirrel brush which is very versatile, you can use it for overall shadow application, blending as well as contouring. I love the minimalist esthetic of Mizuho brushes." (Diana Z)
"This is a really great brush, it’s lightweight and it fits my eye perfectly. The brush picks up powder and creates the most amazing gradation of colors ever... This brush also works for my nose contour when I use bronzer and want a light application. This a definitely a versatile brush and it’s amazing." (Keema W)
chikuhodo
PS-3 Highlight Brush, Passion Series
"DEFINITELY WORTH IT. This brush is very soft and perfect for what I purchased it for. I was looking to have this specifically to apply my under eye powder, and it does that perfectly. The application is smooth and even." (Nilsa, USA)
koyomo
Pearl White Eyeshadow Brush, Hana Series
"AMAZING FOR SMALL HOODED EYES. I am a Fude junkie and collector with several hundred eye brushes alone there aren’t many I haven’t tried and it takes a really great brush to turn my head. This was one of those rare unexpected finds. Aside from being an absolutely beautiful brush esthetically it’s soft as silk and shaped perfectly for small hooded eyes. It can lay down product easily, fits in the crease and blends like a dream. It also comes to nice pointed tip that fits into the smaller areas for detail work. I can do my entire eye look with just this brush. If your looking for a multitasking travel friendly beast look no further. This is one brush that can do it all." (Shelly S, USA)
Makiko
M-3 Eyeshadow Brush, Makiko Series
"PERFECT FOR CREAM EYE SHADOW. I needed a good quality brush to apply cream eye shadow and was surprised to find this beauty here. The ferrule is so pretty, and the small handle makes it easy to maneuver in tight spaces... If you've never used short-handled fude before, try this one. You'll be surprised at how easy they are to use." (Tracy, USA)