Brushes
I have not had extensive experience with different brands of brushes, so I cannot comment on the pros and cons of each brand; however, I do recommend several sizes of brushes.
First, a very large brush comes in very helpful when painting a large terrain piece or when applying a watered down PVA glue mixture for flocking.
Second, you need a small brush that will be your main brush for painting minis.
Finally, I use an extremely small brush to paint facial features (eyes, teeth, etc.). I only recently acquired this brush, so it certainly is possible to paint these with a regular small brush, although it is difficult and can be frustrating at times!