Rate it: Makeup Brushes

I'm always banging on about makeup brushes, me. But seriously ladies, owning a kit of decent brushes and knowing how to use them is such an essential. You can have all the expensive makeup in the world but if you're trowelling it on with crappy tools, it'll never achieve its potential.

I feel quite evangelical about this! I have a coterie of brushes I can't be without personally, and after the basics - foundation, blush, powder and a couple of eye brushes - depending on what sort of makeup you like to use, you can add to that. I wouldn't be madly fussed about needing lip brushes, but I do insist on having a separate bronzing brush - I know a lot of people use their powder brush for this, though. I'm also mad for eye brushes, and I have a few good blending brushes plus ones for shading the crease of my eye. I've also got a brush I use for my eyebrows, and a couple of good ones for applying liquid liner. Yep, I love my makeup brushes.

Brand wise I've got an entire Boylan & Balfe set (which are fantastic), a Smashbox kit and quite a few individual MAC and Stila eye brushes. Yes - my bathroom cabinet is quite crowded. So what do you lot rate - what do you consider to be essential, what can you live without - and what brands do you like brush wise?