RSSWhy You Need A Foundation Brush
November 8, 2008
The foundation brush I have is by Estee Lauder and I don’t like it. The bristles clump together in a waxy blob instead of fanning out a little to move around the contours of the face. The brush doesn’t hold the product and distribute it evenly. It just sits on the end of the bristles and gets moved around on the skin. No amount of cleaning returns it to its original texture.
I do know this : foundation still looks ten times better when applied with this brush than any other way. No comparison. This is how you get foundation to diffuse over the skin. Any foundation, any texture works better. On aging skin where anything opaque and cakey looks terrible, a great foundation brush is essential.
Why?
1. You’ll use a quarter as much foundation. It’s just amazing how little product is really needed to blur away imperfections. The less product, the better the skin looks.
2. You can aim it where you want it very precisely. Larger pores on the nose? Push the bristles into the pores to smudge them away.
3. You have precise control over how much foundation is placed in any given spot. Have some lines at the corner of the eyes? Who doesn’t? Any product here highlights these lines but with the brush, it’s easy to get a very light layer around the corners of the eye and on the more lined skin of the eyelid.
4. You can blend foundation colors together better.
5. It’s more artistic. A lighter touch is just instinctive. You learn to look at your face as a canvas of parts and place the product only where skin color or texture is uneven.
6. It is never cakey in spots so you have to rub it to thin it out. You have complete control over how much goes on and it’s easy to build more where you need it.
7. Makeup lasts much better at the end of the day; 8 hrs later, makeup still doesn’t look tired
8. You can achieve a feathery touch over concealer so it doesn’t move around if you like applying it first. Remember the piece on BB Corrector (Why Does This Concealer Work So Well? )? I apply the Corrector first, with a lipstick brush actually, in a thin layer. I don’t even blend it. By the time I’ve applied foundation over it with the I-don’t-like-it-but-I’m-coping EL foundation brush, the Corrector underneath is buffed out but still in place.
9. It’s very easy to apply darker and lighter shades of foundation right on specific areas of the face and keep the color where you want it
10. The lightest dusting of powder is plenty. A face dried with powder is part of the Old Lady Face recipe. Powder is a very useful thing but Less Is So More. With a foundation that dries to a mat finish, you might only use powder along the sides of the nose, chin, and center of the forehead. Leave as much natural glowing skin coming through as possible.
You can buy real cheap brushes from Avon, mid-range ones from Clinique, big dollar brushes from Bobbi Brown, and many in between. Some are thin in cross-section, some are small, some fat and fluffy. Search Foundation Brushes at MUA. Since you won’t be buying one of these often, spending a little more is justifiable.
The best reviews come from women who have never used this item before. Everyone is surprised by what a difference any of these brushes make, regardless of the details of each brush. Even the bad ones do a better job than fingers or sponges.
I’d look at Bobbi Brown, Smashbox, Chanel, and Clinique. None uses animals in the testing of the final product. The one I ended up buying isn’t in this group. I’m still testing it but I’m thinking it will be a good one.
Not everyone needs foundation but many avoid it because of the idea that it looks like makeup. Well, it does look like makeup but that’s not necessarily a bad thing. Foundation today can deliver perfectly gentle smoothing of uneven skin tone, like a photograph taken through a thin veil. A sheer foundation, a good brush, and a light touch can deposit a mist that looks like your skin but better.
Comments
3 Responses to “Why You Need A Foundation Brush”
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A Greener Tea
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I haven’t bought one in awhile so I don’t know if they’re as good as they were then but the Quo brushes from Shoppers I bought are really nice and were very reasonably priced.
I really like the brush from Origins. Bought foundation and brush. Foundation too light, but love the brush.
Paula’s site steered me to Revlon Color Stay. Would love to keep using Paula’s foundation, but too sheer for ruddiness and broken blood vessels. Site says can layer, but I’m not having too much success with that- color too light, even though using one of darkest shades.
Hi, Karen,
Quo was my second choice. The cosmetician owns a few Quo brushes and found that some of them shed hairs now and then, so I didn’t go with that one. I do have their Large Concealer brush which I use to apply cream eyeshadow and it’s just fine.
Nanci,
Do you like the Color Stay then? I think it’s very good stuff with strong coverage. MAC Studio Fix Fluid SPF 15 is as well. Layering foundation can look heavy, I agree. Have you had any luck with concealer - or maybe that just takes too long ?