Cheek products need a softer touch than base, and the shape of the head decides where color lands. A round, fluffy head diffuses blush. An angled or tapered one places bronzer and contour. You really only need one of each.

For blush, Saie's Powder Blush Brush is made for powder formulas, and Rare Beauty's Soft Pinch brush is made to go with their Soft Pinch blush. ciele's Flush Blush Brush is another option for a soft flush. Patrick Ta's Transition Blush Brush is dual ended, so you can place color with one side and blend with the other.

For bronzer, Benefit's Hoola WaveMaker brush is made for their Hoola bronzer, and Summer Fridays' Bronzer Brush is another for a sheer wash of color. Make Up For Ever's 158 is a double ended sculpting tool, one side for contour and one for blending. Fenty Beauty's 120 is a small tapered highlight brush that hugs the top of the cheekbone.

Tap the brush once on the back of your hand before it touches your face, so the first stroke is not the heaviest. Blush goes on the apples and blends back toward the ears. Bronzer goes where the sun would hit, the forehead, cheekbones and the bridge of the nose, in a loose number three shape down each side of the face. It takes a minute and looks like you spent a week outside.

A clean, dry tool picks up less powder, so the color builds more slowly and evenly.

Eyes need the smallest, most precise tools, and this is where a couple of good ones make the biggest difference.

A flat shader packs color onto the lid, a fluffy blender softens the crease, and a thin angled or pointed head draws liner and fills brows. Merit's Brush No. 2 is double sided, a lid and a crease head in one. Makeup by Mario's EF2 blends eyes and face, and Westman Atelier's Clean Eyeshadow I brush is a simple eyeshadow brush for cream or powder. Fara Homidi's Blur Cream Eyeshadow Brush is made to blend cream shadow so the edges look soft.

For lines, Bobbi Brown's Eye Definer is an eyeliner and brow brush. Make Up For Ever's 262 is dual ended, shadow on one side and liner on the other. Anastasia Beverly Hills's No. 12 is a dual ended, firm angled brow brush, and Sarah Creal's Dual Contour Precision brush does fine cheek and eye work.

What I would skip: a big multi-piece set with a dozen eye heads you will never use. Two or three good ones cover almost every look. I would also skip sharing eye tools with friends, which can pass on eye infections. And skip washing with harsh dish soap. A gentle cleanser or a mild shampoo keeps the hairs soft and the glue in the handle intact.

If you wear liner every day, keep that one tool separate and wash it more often, since it touches the lash line.

Clean tools apply makeup more evenly and last for years. Wash face and eye tools every week or two, and the ones you use with cream or liquid products more often. Swirl the tip in lukewarm water with a drop of gentle cleanser, rinse until the water runs clear, squeeze out the water and reshape the head.

Dry them flat or bristles down, never upright in a cup while wet, since water runs into the handle and loosens the glue. Store them upright once dry, in a cup or a roll. With that little bit of care, a good set of five or six will outlast every palette you own. Replace any tool that starts shedding or loses its shape.