Eye shadow brushes

Eye shadow brushes come in many forms: with rounded or flat edges, tapered or pointed, and with synthetic or natural bristles. Some eye shadow brushes can be used wet to apply eye shadow as a paste.

All Over Lid & Eyeshadow Brushes: I like larger or fluffy brushes for applying an all-over wash to the lid, or for applying a matte base color. The brushes that are more tightly packed (more dense) allow for a heavier application which include  Brushes and Laura Mercier's All Over Eye Color Brush. Fluffy lighter brushes like the white bristled MAC #217 & #239 are nice because they make blending colors easy.

Crease & Contour Brushes: The brushes here are intended for the crease area. For those who do not have a crease, some of these tools are still handy for creating a soft gradation of color from darker near the lash line to the brow bone or blending shades together. I found out about the Studio Tools Brush (labeled #6) thanks to Karlasugar! The brushes with a smaller tip are great for creating a smokey eye, or even just smoking out/blending
 eyeliner for a softer but still defined look.

Odd Shaped & Cream Eyeshadow Brushes: One of the very first brushes I bought was the Trish McEvoy #23 hoof shaped brush which I like to use for an easy simple one-step eyeshadow application (use in a windshield wiper motion). (Note that the Trish brushes with golden handles are her original version, she has since revamped her brushes with clear lucite handles.) Unfortunately, I think she has discontinued this brush, so the next best closest tool is one from Laura Mercier. I believe Nars also carries a hoof-shaped brush as well, but I have not checked it out. For cream eyeshadows, I also like to use concealer brushes!