If you use your makeup brush sets regularly you should be keeping them clean in by washing them every other week with either baby shampoo or a cleansing solution made especially for makeup brushes. This is a larger version of the blusher brush. Not only are fur makeup brushes unethical but they also harbor bacteria and can cause breakouts. I prefer the crappy drugstore sponge applicators.
The Body Shop Makeup Brushes. Brush some blush across your cheekbones. What I liked most about it though was the felt tip not only applies the product to teeth but it helps clean them. I ever got were from bare escentuals but I had no idea brushes werent meant to be that scratchy and i didnt use them lightly.
It has a leatherette cover with an elastic band to hook onto a metal button. You paint it on with a Qtip and it works wonders. Use a good makeup brush to apply eye shadow. You just need the tiniest amount. They hold and blend eye shadows evenly and I really just have a knack for using them.
They offer professional discounts for working makeup artists with the appropriate credentials. No doubt you love your finger but use them to hold things. I find them terribly slippery and they are not very comfortable to hold. And how far are you willing to go?