Of course there is nothing wrong with using your fingers or the ever-more popular beauty blender, but I strongly rely on makeup brushes and it has hit me over the last few days that I have never really written much about the tools I use every single day.

There are some other brushes in here that I also love and use every day. Barbra Daly brushes are a bargain and are fantastic, and you'll also see the trusty MAC 217 - my collection wouldn't be complete without it.

For Christmas I received the Real Techniques Starter Set and am absolutely thrilled with it. As a huge fan of Real Techniques and to fill in the gap of brush-related posts, here is my quick overview of some of the brushes and why I love them...

The Expert Face Brush

One of my absolute favourites, this brush is perfect for working with liquid foundation. A little will go a long way with this brush and the finish given is just perfect!

The Buffing Brush

An all-round amazing multi-purpose brush. I use this mainly for blusher and powder, but Sam (creator of Real Techniques) has also said it is great for cream to powder foundation.

The Pointed Foundation Brush

Another good choice for liquid foundation and I find the shape is perfect for concealing under my eyes.

The Detailer Brush

This little brush is good for concealing any blemishes and I've also used it as a lip liner brush before. A useful little tool!

The Contour Brush

Great for exactly what it says on the tin and beyond but I actually use the contour brush for blusher and highlighter and have found it gives me so much control over where I put the product.

The Deluxe Crease Brush

Probably my current favourite brush for eyes - the deluxe crease brush is the perfect shape for blending eyeshadows together. It fits into my crease really easily and gives such a clean and flawless look with no harsh edges.

The Base Shadow Brush

This brush picks up eyeshadow so easily it gives you a lovely wash of colour all over the lids and can also be used for blending. When used hand-in-hand with the deluxe crease brush you just cannot go wrong.

The Fine Liner Brush
This is a neat little brush, perfect for gel liner (something I'm usually pretty bad at!).

The Accent Brush

The accent brush is great for putting in the finishing touches to your look. I have been using this for highlighting my inner corners, but I'm hoping to see what else I can do with it.

The Brow Brush
This angled brush has got fairly stiff bristles in my opinion, which I think really works for applying shadow into my brows. I'm also hoping to see if I can create a cat flick with this!

So there's my brief overview on each of the brushes I own. You can find all of these in the core or starter sets (with the exception of the expert face brush, which is sold separately) online or in any good drugstore.