Recently one of my cousins looked at my makeup brush collection starting with awe and then with the assertion that you just can't have enough nice makeup brushes. I AGREE. I have to admit that my brush collection just seems to keep growing as I keep wanting to try out new and different brushes, but this year there have been a handful that I always go back to and that I pretty much use every single time I put on my makeup. In all honestly, as I sat down to make a list of my favorite brushes for the year, it was very, very clear exactly which ones I would be choosing. These, to me, are just the most favorite of favorites in a very large collection of brushes.

Keep reading to take a closer look at my favorite, most used brushes from the past year!

1. Coastal Scents Bionic Flat Top Buffer

I picked this up on sale on a bit of a whim and I am eternally grateful that I decided to give it a chance. Admittedly, the handle is starting to come loose from the ferrule, but I plan on fixing that with a little bit of glue and continuing to use this brush really consistently. This is a brush that I get sad about when I forget to clean it and can't use it during my makeup application. The bristles are really soft with just the right density and it blends foundation out like an absolute dream. I actually plan on ordering a couple more of these the next time I'm ordering from Coastal Scents, because I want to have backups for when I forget to wash this one.

2. Real Techniques Expert Face Brush

Who doesn't love the Real Techniques Expert Face Brush? For me, this mostly gets put to use blending out concealer with kind of pouncing motions, but it also works pretty smashingly to blend out foundation as well, and I suspect it would be pretty fantastic for cream contour. This brush is very dense and has the perfect curve to it so that you can use it fairly easily in all the nooks and crannies of your face. Another bonus? I've had this brush for probably 2 years now and it's still in just the same condition as when I bought it, regardless of how many times I wash it.

3. it Cosmetics Heavenly Luxe Jumbo Powder Brush

As you can tell, I love an affordable brush, but there's no denying just how amazing this expensive brush is. With this brush, it doesn't take much to feel that it's quality. The rubberized handle gives good grip, the bristles are very evenly cut and firmly seated in the ferrule so that you really don't have to worry about shedding at all. This has the softest, most luxurious bristles I've ever felt and I will sometimes reach for it just to brush it over my face for the feel of it. Weird? I use this to set my entire face with pressed powder, generally, and also to blend all of my cheek products seamlessly. This really does put all my other powder brushes to shame.

4. Sonia Kashuk Medium Angled Multipurpose Brush No 17

I really, really love this brush to apply blush. It has fairly short bristles that are quite densely packed in the ferrule, but are also still sort of whispy at the ends because they are pinched in at the base. The ergonomic handle is nice, though I have to admit that I could really take of leave it. I just really love the amount of product this brush picks up and how easy it is to get a precise application and then gently blend powder products on my cheeks. I've also used this for light contouring and the shape of it is really nice for that as well. This brush makes me wish I'd gotten more Sonia Kashuk brushes while they were in Canada!

5. Coastal Scents Pro Blending Fluff

This is the brush that people are forever comparing to the MAC 217. Admittedly, I don't have a MAC 217 because I like this one (and others that are similar) enough that I can't justify spending the ridiculous amount of money that I feel MAC charges for their eye brushes. If you love your MAC brushes, I say more power to you, but I just can't justify it. This brush is great and I have a few of them in my collection. I like this to apply and blend product in my crease and outer corner and I feel like it really makes the whole process a bit of a no brainer. I also find that despite the fact that these are natural bristles and are white, this brush does get really clean really easily. If you're looking for a 217 dupe, I would definitely recommend this one.

HONORABLE MENTION: The fluffy blending brush from the Sonia Kashuk 15th Anniversary Brush Set. I didn't include it because it's completely unavailable for purchase now, but it is another brush that I literally use every single day.

I can honestly say that all five of these brushes get used almost every day and are definitely the ones that I have to clean the most often. If someone were to tell me that I could only have 5 brushes for the rest of my life, it would likely be these ones - though I suppose that my head would explode before I'd narrow my brush collection to only 5 brushes. Maybe 10, but 5 would be pushing it! ;)

Thanks for reading! We're almost to the end of my 2015 Favorites, so come on back tomorrow and see the last beauty favorites post of the year!