Foundation: Are You Using the Right Tools?

Welcome to the second blog in my series addressing commonly asked questions about foundation. If you haven't read my first blog from last week about finding your perfect foundation, I recommend you read it before reading this one. I talked about four common foundation types (liquid, cream, powder, stick) and which skin types generally work best with each formula. Today we will be focusing on the ideal tools for blending each of the same four foundations that I covered last time.

Makeup Sponge
The transformation of the makeup sponge has taken the beauty industry by storm. No longer are we using the flimsy little white triangle sponges from the drugstore, with as many as 32 in a $3 bag. The beautyblender is the most popular sponge on the market, and although it's AMAZING, it retails for an astonishing $20. For one sponge. However, if you feel like splurging on one of the world's best and diverse beauty tools, I highly recommend it.

 

Don't panic, my budget buyers! There is a close second to the beautyblender, and you find these at Ulta, Walgreens, Walmart, etc. for around $5. I've gone through several of the wonderful Real Techniques sponges, and they are *almost* as amazing as the beautyblender. They are definitely better than any other drug store makeup sponge you can get.

I ONLY recommend the orange Real Techniques sponge. The diamond shaped sponge and the tiny purple ones marketed for under eyes are gimmicky. The one that's half orange and half pink is hard as a rock and barely absorbs any water.

Makeup sponges perform best with a liquid foundation. They can blend out cream and stick formulas, but because of the thickness in those formulas, it takes a long time to achieve even coverage. Use a rounded side of your sponge to blend the foundation around your face. Make sure it's wet! This is a mistake that many people make. Before use, run the sponge under water until it absorbs as much as possible. Squeeze the water out and pat with a towel so the sponge is damp. Blend away! Both of the sponges mentioned are reusable, so wash every week with warm water and dish soap or makeup remover (nothing oil based).

Buffing Brush
For cream foundations, I recommend either rounded or flat buffing brushes. A kabuki brush will also suffice. A buffing brush will blend this type of foundation faster than a sponge, and the density of the bristles will move the product around easily. If your cream foundation is on the thicker or drier side, you can use a little facial spray to add some moisture to the formula before blending it out. Use circular motions until the product is evenly applied.

This is Tarte's buffing brush, but really any brush with dense bristles will work perfectly. Real Techniques makes some affordable foundation brushes that you can try, but if you're a prestige brand lover, check out Sigma's line.

Oval Brushes
The best method for blending stick foundations is using an oval brush with thick bristles. Stick foundations are notoriously more difficult to blend than other mediums, so you really need to be using a flat surfaced oval brush to smooth the products correctly. Again, if you need to add moisture to the foundation, use your favorite facial spray before blending.

The Artís Oval 7 and Oval 8 are perfect for the job. I must warn you, these are ridiculously expensive, but I wanted to show you what they look like since they are the best of their kind. A cheaper alternative to the $62 Oval 7 is the Royal and Langnickel MODA Prismatic Face Perfecting Kit for $16.84 at Walmart. That kit comes with 4 different brushes, including their oval foundation brush.

Powder Brush
You can probably guess what foundation the powder brush is perfect for. There are a lot of great tools for powder foundations, but large fluffy brushes are my favorite. Usually, I like to use the flat powder applicator that comes with the foundation to press powder into the skin, and then I take my Sigma F30 Powder Brush to blend everything out and add more foundation if needed.

Any large powder brushes will do the job, but Sigma brushes are my favorite. I have sensitive skin, so I can't cut costs with cheap brushes. Sigma may be pricey, but the bristles in the brushes cause no irritation when I apply my makeup.

I hope you found this helpful! If you have any questions about foundation, leave me a comment! Let me know what you want me to cover next.

Thanks for reading 💕