5 Ways to apply Liquid Foundation – Glam Radar

by Maria · September 24, 2014

A reader recently contacted me asking for a foundation brush recommendation. Simple question yet there were a number of options for foundation application and so I answered the question with a question: How do you like to apply your foundation?Liquid foundation can help give an even, glowy and natural look. But to achieve this requires the help of some form of beauty tool and there are a variety of them out there! Here are my 5 tried and tested methods…   I’m currently using this method as I’m trying out the Real Techniques Stippling Brush which you can see here. I use the brush in a circular motion, gently blending the foundation onto the face. I like the fact that with a stippling brush I only require 1 pump of foundation, whereas all the other methods require 2, so this way your foundation will definitely last you longer. Stippling brushes are either made of synthetic hairs or a combination of synthetic and natural with the natural part being around the ferrule and synthetic around the centre. There’s a reason behind that which I’ve yet to understand?!   The paddle brush was my first ever method of applying liquid foundation. Some people find that it leaves streaks on the face but I avoid this by patting down any visible streaks with the flat side of the brush. These brushes are normally made of synthetic hairs as natural fibres tend to absorb more liquid than help put it on the face.   As the name suggests this method is really good at buffing the foundation into the skin for a flawless finish. I think it works so well due to the density of the brush head – so many hairs working away at pushing the foundation into the pores of the skin.I love my Shu Uemura brush for this job. It actually goes against the rule above as it’s made of white goat hair yet does as good a job as synthetic brushes. There’s no shedding or breaking of brush hairs like the infamous MAC 109.Have to point out that using a buffing brush to apply liquid foundation makes it such a pain to clean 🙁   I love using the Beauty Blender in the Summer months to create a natural dewy look.The damp sponge is quite refreshing on the skin. I dab some foundation onto the back of my hand and then use the sponge to apply it to my face. Because the sponge is damp it doesn’t absorb the foundation but rather helps you to blend it out on the face.This method is great for those of you looking for less coverage as I find it creates the same effects as a tinted moisturiser, natural and dewy and yet it can be buildable without looking like you’ve caked on foundation. Also works excellent for cream foundations / concealing large areas.   This is the easiest, quickest, cheapest and my most favoured method of applying liquid foundation. The fingers are great at reaching all the little crevices of the face. Some may find this method messy and others may not like the idea of directly touching the foundation so it’s really a matter of personal preference, but I LOVE it!

Phew! There we have it peeps, 5 ways of applying liquid foundation! I was going to include a segment on cleaning foundation brushes but that would have made this post even longer than it already is, and I’m sure you ladies have had enough 😉 I will try and do a separate post on this topic!

What’s your favourite method for applying foundation?

Tags: 5 Ways to apply Liquid FoundationMy style of applying liquid foundationThe tools I used on applying liquid foundation