I have owned brushes I could not name and used for the wrong job, so a label that simply tells me what to do feels almost rude in how obvious it is. Chantal Azamian came to beauty by doing the work: makeup counters, fashion shows, freelance clients who kept asking which brush went where. Then she went back to school for business marketing, a class assignment turned into the first M.O.T.D. idea, and a Kickstarter campaign in Las Vegas got it off the ground. If you want to keep going, How To Clean Makeup Brushes Without Wrecking Them is the one I would read next.

The name is short for Makeup of the Day, and the brush names carry the joke: Beauty and the Base, Get Cheeky with It, No Fudge Just Smudge. I like that a beginner gets a clue before the brush ever touches a face. The other half of the idea is the bristle, high-grade synthetic fibers that work without animal fur, so the whole line is vegan and cruelty-free. Her own account of the story is worth a read if you like a founder who started with pencils and puns.

If I were starting from nothing, I would pick a set built around the part of my face I actually fuss over. The Statement Look Essential Makeup Brush Set is the big, pretty one, ten tools in a blush bag that I would happily leave on the bathroom shelf. The Hooded Eye Makeup Brush Set is for small eye space, where you want to see your shadow instead of burying it. The No Makeup Makeup Brush Set keeps things to three brushes for a light face, and the Lux Vegan Makeup Brush Set is the full vanity kit for people who like options. I went deeper on a related idea in A Makeup Tutorial for People Who Own Too Many Brushes.

Picture her at the bathroom mirror, reading the handles like a cheat sheet instead of grabbing whatever is nearest. My tip is to buy for the area you use every morning, then add singles once you know what your hand reaches for. What I would skip: the biggest set if you only ever do a quick face.

One brush for one job is a sweet place to begin. The Blending Bestie Brush is the one I would use to soften an eyeshadow edge rather than draw a sharp line. A Perfect 10 is tapered, so it handles powder and can place blush or bronzer with a light hand. The Supermodel Sculpt Contour and Highlight Brush is dense and domed for cream contour, which I would tap into the hollows of the cheeks and blend in small circles. Best Of Face Brushes gathers the complexion tools, and Mr. Handyman Brush is there for one more eye step.

Picture a three-minute makeup reset, setting powder, a little cream cheek color, a blended lid, each handled by the right tool. My tip is to match the brush to the formula and the finish you want, then let the handle name get you started.

To me, M.O.T.D. is practical before it is precious. Chantal noticed a small daily annoyance and turned it into tools that teach by name and leave animal hair out of it. If I were starting over with brushes, I would pick the kit that matches my real routine, let the labels run the first lesson, and let practice do the rest. Although I suspect I would still giggle at No Fudge Just Smudge every time.