Do makeup brushes make a difference?

Heads up: This is a very long post!
As a result of my latest and only poll I've had so far, here is my take on whether makeup brushes make a difference or not.

This is my brush collection, I know it seems like a lot of brushes!  Yes, I do use all of my brushes!  Not all at once but depending on what kind of look I am going for I will use certain brushes.  I love my brushes!  And NO, I am not done getting brushes, there is still a few more out there that I would love to have.
For this post's sake I will use just a few of my brushes and compare them to something else that you could use to apply your makeup with.

Round One:  Foundation Brush vs The Sponge

I honestly don't remember where I got this foundation brush, I've had it for long time and I am pretty sure it's just a cheap one.  So I won't even be using my mac brushes for this post.

I did two pumps of my lancome foundation.  One for the sponge and one for the brush.  Helpful hint:  When using a sponge for foundation application, get the sponge wet and squeeze as much of the water out of it as you can, this way the sponge won't absorb as much foundation and you'll get more use out of your product.

I will be doing one side of my face with my brushes, and the other side with the alternative to the brushes.   On this photo I am applying my foundation with the sponge on the left side of my face. 

Now using my brush.

I did the right side with the brush, both sides look pretty even, wouldn't you agree?  On the one pump I used for the brush I didn't need to use it all, I have almost half of it left.  So even though both sides look pretty good, I prefer the brush because it is a lot easier to apply, less messy, faster and you don't need as much product.  So this round goes to THE BRUSH!

Round two:  Eyebrow brush vs. Eyebrow Pencil 

If you haven't seen my post on "All about eyebrows" you need to. 

Since I am not using a brush on this brow I need to fill it in completely.

I don't like my eyebrows to have obvious lines but I couldn't blend them in without a brush.

After having colored it completely, it doesn't look bad, does it?  I did, however, have to use a lot of product to make it look that even.

To do my other eyebrow I only had to put this much color in it, I would say a third of what the other brow has.

And using my trusty brush I just blend away.  No, the brush didn't have any product in it.

Both brows done.  I personally like the right side better.  It looks more natural and I used much less product.  So round two goes to... THE BRUSH!

Round three: Eyeshadow brush vs. Makeup applicator

This is my favorite eyeshadow brush.  And the makeup applicator came with one of my shadow palettes.

I chose to go with a dark eyeshadow so we can appreciate the colors more.  Let's start with the makeup applicator.  I dipped the applicator really good into the shadow to get a good amount of product.

Not looking bad so far.

One thing I can tell you about using a brush is that is more comfortable, application is easier and a brush (a good quality one) will grab more eyeshadow than a makeup applicator, so you will finish your eye makeup in half the time.

I hope you can see the difference.   The right side is darker, meaning I was able to put more product on it.

It's kind of hard to see but notice the fallout eyeshadow on my cheek?  This is a lot less likely to happen when you use a brush.

Round four:  Crease brush vs. Makeup applicator

This is my favorite crease brush. 

Once again, we'll start with the contender.  I am using a lighter color purple.

I honestly believe that you could achieve a good result using an applicator, it takes more work but its doable.

Now using the crease brush.

Looking nice as well, but once again I achieved what I wanted without trying too hard at all.

Looking at both sides done I can tell they both look nice, the only difference is the right side is a little darker, meaning I was able to apply more eyeshadow on it.
I would say that this round goes to the BRUSH once again, for getting more product on my lid.

Round five:  Blending Brush vs makeup applicator

Both the brush and the applicator I'll be using in the next step are CLEAN, no product whatsoever on them.

You can certainly blend the colors using a clean applicator, it wasn't hard to do either. 

Using my SS217, easy as well.

Here is where you can see the difference!  The left side even though it doesn't show any harsh lines, it seems like the applicator actually took some of the color off of my crease, can you tell?  On the right side you can definitely see "blending", I love the smokey effect I can achieve when using a good quality brush.  

Needless to say, this round once again goes to the BRUSH!

Round Six:  Smudge Brush vs makeup applicator

Since I love wearing smokey eyes I HAD to try doing it with an applicator, for this purpose I will dip my applicator into the shadow sideways.  You get the idea.

I know this is not a pretty photo but it shows how using the applicator got eyeshadow inside my eye... not pleasant!  I was still able to apply the shadow under my lower lashes.

The smudge brush was so much better at this, so much easier AND faster... oh, and I didn't get any powder inside my eye!

It's kind of hard to see in this photo but the right side is crisper. 
Once again, the BRUSH wins.

Round Seven:  Blush Brush vs mini blush Brush

I wasn't about to go and apply my blush with my fingers! So I am using the little brush that came with my Estee Lauder blush.

I swipped this brush onto my blush so many times I lost count.  I really wanted to get enough blush on it so that it would show on my face... I didn't have much luck.

Here I am trying to get some color out of this dang thing.  It wasn't soft either!

I swipped my brush once on each side... can you tell how much blush it has??!!

Just by looking at the size of the brush you can already tell that application will be faster and blending will be easier.  Also, this brush is definitely soft!

Do you even see any blush color on my left side at all?? Cuz I don't!

So these are my reasons of WHY I use brushes instead of anything else.  Something else to think about is that just because you are using a brush it doesn't mean is going to be good.  Now days you can find makeup brushes pretty much anywhere but a good quality brush is hard to find and not easy to afford sometimes, but believe me, a good brush is worth investing in.  You don't have to go buy all of the Mac brushes, there are cheaper alternatives that are just as good.  A good brush will last you years!