I have wanted to do a review on these brushes for a long time, but I always felt like I didn’t have enough to say about them. Then I decided to review them anyway, however concise, so more people will know about these underrated brushes.

Long story short: I feel like they give me the results of my natural hair brushes, but their synthetic fibers make caring for them a breeze. They are high quality with a price to match, but they are not prone to breaking, shedding, or becoming misshapen.

UPDATE April 26, 2025: Unfortunately, Smashbox has discontinued most of these brushes except for the Blurring Foundation and Blurring Concealer brushes. I have listed some alternatives for the buildable Cheek Brush below. The affordable options already listed for the other brushes may still be available, but I haven’t had the time to verify availability or source additional options to list. Stay tuned for those updates. As of May 15, 2025, updated suggestions for all discontinued brushes can now be found below. I have also noted when an alternative is made of goat hair, sometimes referred to as natural hair. If there is no notation on the type, the brush has synthetic fibers. If you are interested in a Sigma Brush as an alternative, wait for a sale before buying it. The brand’s website offers sales with discounts of 30% or more, as well as smaller percentage sales throughout the year.

Unlike natural hair brushes, you can wash these brushes made of synthetic bristles as often as you want without causing damage. I have found that they clean easily (with slight staining on the white-tipped style) and bounce back to their original shape after washing. Smashbox runs sales often, so if you are interested in any of these, I’d suggest signing up for their loyalty program. I believe joining the loyalty program gives you a 15% off code, but if you are patient, the brand definitely runs better sales than that. Macy’s also sells these brushes, which are often included in 50% off promotions and their regular 15% off sales.

Again, although they are pricey for synthetic bristles, I have found them to be workhorse products. I’ve been using the blurring foundation, precise cheek, and buildable cheek brushes for about two and a half years without any issues. As I share the brushes, I will let you know if I have a favorite affordable alternative.

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Smashbox Sheer Powder ($40) & Smashbox Buildable Cheek (discontinued)

Although designed for different functions, I grouped these because they have the same general cut. You can see that the sheer powder brush (left) is larger to cover more surface area. It is also slightly wispier than the buildable cheek brush (right), although neither is dense.

If you have dry to normal skin and only need a light dusting of powder, this could be a good option. I wouldn’t recommend the Sheer Powder Brush if you have oily skin that needs to be heavily set. If you like a finishing powder as the last step in your makeup application, you could also try it for that. However, there are better powder brushes, even for those with dry skin or those looking for a light application.

UPDATE May 15, 2025: Smashbox has discontinued the Sheer Powder Brush. The closest brush I’ve used with a similar light application is the **MAC 150S Large Powder Brush ($46). Another brush I think may give similar results, although I haven’t tested, is the Ecotools Tapered Powder Brush, which is part of the Core 5 Set ($14.99, not affiliated).

Favorite affordable powder brush: ecotools full powder brush, $8.99 (not affiliated) – This brush deposits more powder than the Smashbox Sheer Powder brush, so if you try it, be careful with how much product you load onto the brush. I think this brush might be being phased out and replaced by the Blurring Powder Brush ($8.99, not affiliated). I don’t like the ecotools Blurring Powder Brush as much as the old full powder brush style, but it does perform similarly and works well for both face powder and bronzer application.

The Buildable Cheek Brush has become one of my favorite brushes for matte bronzers (especially those that are difficult to blend), and it also works well for blush. The name says it all; this brush helps control the amount of product applied so you can slowly build to your desired intensity.

UPDATE April 26, 2025: Unfortunately, Smashbox has discontinued the Buildable Cheek Brush. You may find it at the Cosmetics Company Outlet, an outlet store for brands under the Estee Lauder Companies’ Umbrella. If you don’t already have it or can’t find it in an outlet store near you, here are some possible alternatives. I reviewed the Sonia G Soft Cheek Brush (goat hair – $55, not affiliated) back in 2021, and it is still a great option for this type of sheer blush application. The **e.l.f. Pointed Powder Brush ($8) has the right fluffiness and movement for sheer blush application (although I like it for bronzer). However, its size requires more finesse (especially if you have a small face). Some brushes that I haven’t tried for myself but seem promising for sheer application are the Morphe X Ariel A22 Signature Blush Brush ($15.00, not affiliated) and the Profusion Cosmetics Tapered Powder Brush ($6.00, not affiliated).

Favorite affordable bronzer brush: **e.l.f. Pointed Powder Brush ($8)

Smashbox Angled Blush ($32) and Smashbox Precise Blush ($34)

I have to stop buying angled blush brushes. I never liked them, but since I fell in love with the Smashbox brushes, I convinced myself I would like their version (Angled Blush Brush), but I don’t. I just don’t prefer this shape, but the brush blends beautifully. If you typically like an angled blush brush, you may still want to check it out because the quality is consistent.

The Precise Blush Brush can work with any blush, but works particularly well for densely packed and hard-pressed blushes. The buildable cheek brush may be a better option if you tend to be heavy-handed. The precise blush brush is dense and has a little bit of fluff to help with blending. I like it, but prefer other styles these days. UPDATE November 4, 2021: I’m not sure what it is about the Precise Blush Brush, but using it makes blushes look more matte/dry in the finish. I mentioned this in my Pat McGrath Divine Blush review as well, but have noticed lately that it doesn’t only happen with that formula, so I wanted to let people know. UPDATE December 17, 2023: I now only use this brush for my under-eye setting powder, and I enjoy its ability to mattify for this purpose.

UPDATE May 15, 2025: Smashbox has discontinued the Angled Blush and Precise Blush Brushes. If you like angled blush brushes, I would check out the **e.l.f. Angled Blush Brush ($7) or the **Sigma F43 Soft Angled Cheek Brush ($36). The Sigma F43 doesn’t lay on the product as heavily as the Smashbox or e.l.f. Angled versions, but it still gives a more intense blush application than fluffier styles. For an alternative to the Precise Blush Brush, I’d recommend the Sephora Collection Pro Blush Brush #99 ($34, not affiliated), which I used interchangeably with the Smashbox.

Favorite affordable blush brush (different shape than the Smashbox): **Sigma F10 Powder/Blush Brush, ($36). I consider this to be affordable because Sigma runs frequent sales, and my top favorite blush brushes are $55. Those Brushes are the Sonia G Soft Cheek (review) and Sonia G Fundamental Classic Cheek (review). – This applies blushes lighter than both of the above brushes, but that is why it is a favorite blush brush for me.

Smashbox Blurring Foundation ($32) and Smashbox Cream Cheek ($32)

The Blurring Foundation Brush is one of my favorite foundation brushes. It blends foundation quickly and works with cream, stick, and liquid foundations. I have previously compared the Blurring Foundation Brush to the **e.l.f. Ultimate Blending Brush ($8), if you are looking for an alternative (comparison and review here). If you like full coverage, this may not be the best brush for you. It is full but not as dense as something like the Sigma F80 or Real Techniques Expert Face Brush for point of reference. You can build up to full coverage with this brush, but you’ll need to layer on more product, which can start to look heavy. If you enjoy a light or medium coverage application, I think this will work well for you. If you like a light or medium coverage but you like a stiff brush (rather than one that has more bristle movement and splays outward), then this is likely a pass for you.

The Cream Cheek Brush works well with the MAC Glow Play blushes (review here), but unfortunately, I don’t own any cream blushes, so I can’t tell you whether this works with traditional cream blushes.

UPDATE May 15, 2025: Smashbox has discontinued the Blurring Foundation Brush and the Cream Cheek Brush. As mentioned above, the **e.l.f. Ultimate Blending Brush ($8) is still the closest alternative I’ve tried compared to the Smashbox Blurring Foundation Brush. Instead of the Smashbox Cream Cheek brush, I use the Sephora Collection Pro Blush Brush #99 ($34, not affiliated) for cream and liquid blushes. I have also liked using the Sonia G Classic Base (goat hair/synthetic mix – $55, not affiliated) for cream blushes. If you want more information on the Sonia G Classic Base, I have reviewed its performance with foundation here.

Smashbox Smoky Shadow ($22), Shadow Blending ($24), Contour Shadow ($26, discontinued?), and Full Coverage Shadow ($24)

The Smoky Shadow Brush honestly doesn’t get much use. You won’t find me doing a smoky eye too often, so when I do use it, I use it for precise placement of color in the outer-v. I like my Chanel #19 (discontinued) better, but I like having a synthetic option.

UPDATE May 15, 2025: Smashbox has discontinued the Smoky Shadow Brush, and I haven’t found a direct replacement. I use the Sigma E45 Small Tapered Blending Brush ($24, not affiliated) to do outer-v work as well. However, it is fluffier and has more movement than the Smashbox Smoky Shadow Brush, so it has a softer result.

The Shadow Blending Brush is another favorite. It gives a soft blend without spreading the color out too much. I feel like it picks up and blends product similar to my natural hair brushes.

UPDATE May 15, 2025: My other most used crease brush is the Sonia G Classic Crease (goat hair – $34, not affiliated). The shape of the classic crease makes blending faster and more diffused at the edges. For my full review of the Sonia G Classic Crease, click here. For a synthetic alternative to the Shadow Blending Brush, I’d take a look at the Sephora Collection Pro Crease Brush #26 ($22, not affiliated), which I used interchangeably with the Smashbox. However, the Sephora #26 does apply eye shadow lighter than the Smashbox Blending Brush. So, depending on how pigmented the eye shadow is, I may have to layer more with the Sephora Brush, or be more light-handed with the Smashbox brush.

Favorite affordable blending brush: Sonia Kashuk Essential Blending Crease ($6, not affiliated)

The Contour Shadow Brush is shaped like a MAC 217 but is much flatter. The flat shape makes it easy to wedge into the crease and get good definition if you have hooded or even slightly hooded eyes. It can be multipurpose. It can lay down eyeshadow on the eyelid and blend if I’m trying to use fewer brushes. UPDATE January 26, 2022: This brush is no longer available on the Smashbox website, so I assume it has been discontinued.

UPDATE May 15, 2025: I haven’t found a direct replacement for the Smashbox Contour Shadow Brush.

The Full Coverage Shadow Brush is my last favorite of the bunch, and it is the best packing brush I’ve used. I like this for applying eyeshadow to the lid better than the MAC 239 (discontinued natural hair version) and the Sigma E55.

UPDATE May 15, 2025: I prefer to use my fingers to place colors on my lid, but I do still use brushes pretty often. I also like the **MAC 239S Synthetic Eye Shader Brush ($32), which replaced the natural hair version. My most used brush for eyelid shades is the Sonia G Builder Pro (goat hair – $28, not affiliated). For my full review of the Sonia G Builder Pro, click here.

Favorite affordable flat eyeshadow brush: Sonia Kashuk Essential Small Eyeshadow brush ($6, not affiliated) – This brush is smaller than my other suggestions, so it takes more time to cover the lid. Something to keep in mind if you have a lot of lid space. If you have small lids, this may be preferable. The brand does sell both a Large (#264) and a wide (#269) eyeshadow brush, so those could be worth checking out as well.

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Have you tried the Smashbox brushes? Are you a fan of them like me, or do you think I should check out a different brand? Let’s talk about it below in the comments.

I hope you found this review helpful. If you have questions, feel free to leave them in the comments section.

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If you’d like to check out more of my content, here are some places to start. 

• Blush Index
• Brands A-Z
• Bronzer & Highlighter Index
• Brush Index
• Concealer Ranking
• Eyeshadow Index
• Foundation Round-Up
• Lipstick Index
• Makeup Storage and Organization Ideas
• My Favorite Makeup
• Powder Round-Up

Disclaimer:  I purchased all products featured with my own money.  This site receives a minimal commission from participating in the WordAds program and using affiliate links (marked with **).  For my full disclosure policy, click here.