Nothing bothers me more than watching a girl putting on foundation with her fingers (bothers me even more than the sponge, bad sponge!).  There’s, of course, a multitude of reasons.  Where does one even start?

• Fingers carry loads of bacteria.  Look at everything we touch with our hands.  Most diseases are spread from our hands touching something (ew), and then usually touching our faces.  Avoid, avoid, avoid!  Break-outs, anyone?
• When you’re rubbing it in, you’re rubbing most of it off.  PRODUCT WASTE!
• Our fingers contain massive amounts of oil.  Ew.

What about the sponge?  Simple:

• It soaks up most of your product. However, I like sponges for professional use when you don’t have time to clean your brush in between models; they’re disposable and simple (just wet it and ring it out first so you don’t waste so much of your product).

Then of course, you’re going to ask me — but Moolllyyyy, what are the pros to buying a foundation brush?  They are EXPENSIVE!

Yes, but well worth the expense.

• A foundation brush will save you on average 2-3 bottles of foundation a year.  Make sure you always buy synthetic (it doesn’t absorb the foundation into the bristles).  This in and of itself will pay for your brush.
• Each bristle is like a tiny finger, you have tons of teeeeeny little fingers applying the foundation to your face, causing a flawless appearance.
• It’s clean!  I clean my foundation brush after every use with either baby shampoo or generic anti-bacterial soap (it’s more gentle than Dial, I get the Wal-Mart – Equate brand).
• There’s a multitude of types of brushes to choose from (I actually use one by Urban Decay that’s intended for blush, more on that later).

I recommend a soft brush, for the obvious reasons…. The bristles will blend better than one that’s tighter!

There are the typical foundation brushes, skunk brushes, and then of course powder/blush brushes — which are newer to being used for foundation (I like them, it makes me look air brushes).  Each gives a different amount of coverage with different application, how does one choose?

Now, I’m a brush fiend.  Texture and the feel of the bristles means everything to me.  I don’t want to use something that’s stiff and is going to feel like I’m poking my face every morning, it just isn’t worth it to me, and I doubt it would be to you!

Those flat brushes (like our dear friend, the MAC 190) offer more coverage for your face.  Yes, it looks similar to a paint brush, but isn’t that the purpose?  You are painting your face.  Short strokes in all different directions will help to evenly apply foundation all over your face.  This brush is pretty ideal for the areas like underneath your eyes (though they do have mini foundation brushes, commonly called “concealer brushes” available to you ), or on the corners of your nose.  I really like this tool for most liquid foundations (especially if you want more coverage), and cream foundations!

• MAC 190
• Lancome Foundation Brush
• Nixie Foundation Brush
• Smashbox Foundation Brush
• Make Up For Ever Finishing Brush

There’s always a duster or “skunk” brush that you can use as well.  These will give you less coverage, and I like it for super creamy foundations (like MAC Studio Fix Fluid).  I suggest STIPPLING with these brushes.

• MAC 187 brush (really, this is the only skunk brush I like, it has the best control and the bristles aren’t too flimsy).

Oh my goodness, and my favorite!  I love using kabuki brushes, blush brushes, or flat-top kabuki brushes!  These are my all time favorite, I think they blend so much better than anything else and give a nice moderate coverage.  Kim Kardashian’s make up artist uses a flat-top MAC kabuki brush, but I can’t find the sucker anywhere.  Total bummer These are ideal for ANY foundation, liquid or cream (and your cream blushes, too)!

• Urban Decay Blush Brush — this is the brush that I personally use, and I love it.  Love, love, love, love it.  The one on the Sephora website does not resemble the one I own, so I’m not sure if the photo is updated.  Will somebody let me know if Sephora does carry this?
• MAC 109 — if you’ve been on YouTube, everybody has been talking about this guy.  He’s soft, fluffy, and perfectly airbrushes your make up on!
• MAC 182 Buffer — this is the rounded top counterpart to the brush I mentioned above that I cannot find.
• Nixie Kabuki
• Nixie Blush Brush — pretty similar to the MAC 109
• Sonia Kashuk Flat Top Kabuki Brush — easily available (Target stores), I use this for my cream foundation which I put around my nose, and under my eyes.  The top is small so it’s easy to get into those small areas, but would also be good for the whole face!  I also really like it for my cream blush
• Too Faced retractable kabuki brush — SO soft!
• Philosophy Super Natural Air Brush — similar to my Sonia Kashuk

Now, these are just my personal favorite brushes that I’ve actually played with and tried.  What do you use to apply your foundation?

This is probably one of the most common questions encountered by a new make up user.  To shell out the money and get an eyeshadow base, or not to.

I highly recommend an eyeshadow base, you’ll get some massive benefits from using one.  Including:

Your eyeshadow is going to last considerably longer.  Many eyeshadow bases are waterproof, or infused with silicone (giving it waterproof-like properties), which also helps create a barrier between your shadow and the oil that naturally comes out on your eyelids.
Your eyeshadow is going to be brighter as well as long-lasting!  The color is going to be much more vibrant, and true to the color you see in the pan (or jar).  Eyeshadow bases have some great pigment-binding properties, clinging your eyeshadow to it to give you some great color payoff.
You can use your eyeshadow base (at least most of them) in OTHER areas on your face as well.  Like, the edges of your nose where your foundation wears off.  Or underneath your eye, for those of you who wear eyeliner or eyeshadow underneath your eyes, or have that issue of your mascara running into those itty bitty fine lines!  It will help to prevent that, fab, right?

There are many different eyeshadow bases at your disposal, so everyone will be able to find one that they like.  My personal favorites are Urban Decay Primer Potion, and Too Faced Shadow Insurance.

Both products are very similar, in texture, performance, and ingredients.  The biggest difference would be the packaging (and $1 in price).

Buy Urban Decay’s Primer Potion at Sephora.com!

Meet Urban Decay’s Primer Potion (0.34 oz) I love this product and have been using since 2005 as my #1 eyeshadow base.  I love the texture and the color payoff I receive from using it.  I’ve worn this through hot summer concert festivals I’ve worked, and it’s definitely done the job!  The only quam I have with it is the awful packaging.  See that biiiiig round part up by the top?  Well, you can’t get the product out of that area, or out of the very bottom thanks to the wand that you use to get it out (this would have been much better in a squeezy tube).  You literally have to cut the bottle in half to get the product out, and when I learned this and did it…. The bottle I thought was empty, still had about half of the product left!

Apparently they’re working on a new package.  It’s going through different stages of testing right now, so I can’t wait to see what their creative team has come up with!

Buy Too Faced’s Shadow Insurance at Sephora.com!

Too Faced’s Shadow Insurance (0.35 oz) is nearly identical to the Primer Potion (literally, I checked the ingredient list!).  I receive the same benefits, only with MUCH better packaging.  I love it, though I’m really excited for the new packaging from Urban Decay.  Looks like a duel here, ladies!

Of course, there are other options as well.

MAC Paint Pots — these aren’t really intended as an eyeshadow base as much as a cream eyeshadow.  I haven’t used them, nor heard the greatest regarding the lastability of the eyeshadow using them.  I do like that you can get them in colors, which will add pigment to your eyeshadow getting more color.
MAC Cream Colour Base — I love that these come in colors, but they’re very emollient rich.  If you’re going to use them, I do recommend using a real base underneath just to achieve some staying power, or you will crease eventually during the day!
MAC Shadesticks — they’ve phased out a lot of colors, unfortunately, but these really did hold eyeshadow on and the colors made your eyeshadows POP!
MAC Paints — these as well are being phased out due to the new Paint Pots, but I preferred the paints.  They dried to a matte consistancy, similar to the Too Faced and Urban Decay bases, only they had pigment.  It’s such a bummer they’re being discontinued.
Benefit Boi-Ing Eyeshadow Base/Concealer — I think this creases more than the others, so I’m not a huge fan unfortunately.  It does work for some.
Lancome Aquatique — I really like this, however the color is kind of dark, which I don’t feel works well with my brighter eyeshadows, or my increasingly pale skin.

Of course, there’s even more, but those are the most popular in my experience.  Try my favorite two!  I hope I helped answer some questions dollfaces.