I used to always spritz my brush with Fix+ or water, and I rarely do that now. I’ve gone between brushes and sponges, but I always return to brushes. I prefer a denser, flatter brush over a stippling one nowadays.
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Of course it has! I remember a time when everyone used their fingers – there were virtually no brushes available to the ordinary person and when sponges came around, they were those wedge shaped latex ones and it seems to me that in the early days of my makeup wearing, those were still the tool of professionals (I’ll have to look back at some of my old Vogue Beauty mags from the 70’s – I recall an extensive article featuring the late Way Bandy and Patti Hansen, later wife of one of the Rolling Stones, I think – and see what he used). I’ve done the circuit of brushes and sponges of various descriptions and from time to time I will use a Beauty Blender or the Real Techniques sponge but, like Christine, I always end up going back to a flat topped brush (my favourite is the old Shiseido one, before it was re-done with artificial hairs). I rely on that when I want to know for sure that the end result will be good. I don’t often mist my brush but if I’m using an older foundation that is getting a bit thick and dry, I will.
I’m wearing powder foundation at the age of 56 which defies logic. I buff. I used to sponge. I cannot get cream/liquid foundations to look good on me anymore, particularly over sunscreen. I don’t know why exactly and I have tried changing up my application game. They all just sit on top of my skin looking weird; products that were my core and were loved, no more!
I am way older than you and I started to use powder foundation earlier this year. It works way better over sunscreen in humid weather, perhaps because it combines with the sunscreen when I buff it in. Then I use setting spray and it all melts together but doesn’t settle into my lines and pores. Miraculous!
That’s exactly it, Lesley. When I am wearing the proper amount of sunscreen any liquid foundation oxidizes because of the level of wetness on my skin. If I powder it either before of after, it looks worse. So ditto, I find sunscreen, powder foundation, setting powder works best. Maybe in winter I can enjoy my liquid foundations once again.
I use Sunday Riley setting spray which also has sunscreen. Which powder foundation is your favourite? I’ve been experimenting with mineral foundations (they all must be made by the same manufacturer because the shades names are even close) and an older powder foundation by Laura Geller. None of which are super ideal in terms of skintone match. I’ve been wondering about the MUFE.
So glad to read these, I’m going to have to try this too. My wrinkles are a magnet for foundation. I did try a different application today and it worked but that was just 1 day. I like a backup system just in case.
I’m 50 and the same thing has started happening to me recently. I’m back to using powder foundations. Sunscreen or the Wet n Wild Photo Focus Primer Water in Coconut work great underneath.
I’ve had some success using my fingers over a mattifying primer for some of my liquids. We’ll see if that lasts.
Fuhreaky, right? Powder foundation is supposed to be a no go on mature skin. Not so.. I think I look far worse with greasy skin (also defies explanation since my skin is dry) settling into my wrinkles. I don’t even have many wrinkles, or that could be my rose coloured lack of up close vision, but liquids find ‘em ??. Also, liquids are terrible if you have rosacea and I have adherence issues even over primer.
My redness seems to have turned to full-blown rosacea, so maybe that’s part of my problem, too.
Same, Rachel. I have not been clinically diagnosed, but I’m fairly certain I have rosacea. I am in the process of cleaning up my skincare program to hopefully help. I’m switching to an equally effective longterm, but less aggressive short term of Vit A and gravitating to more affordable dermatologist recommended lines like La Roche Posay and Avene.
I finally got a referral for a dermatologist, so I’m hoping to get confirmation and more info soon.
I spent most of my life applying makeup with my fingers. Several years ago, I learned about Beauty Blenders, so I tried them. I didn’t like sponges, so next I tried brushes and found one I absolutely love (Sephora PRO Flawless Airbrush 55), which I have now been using for a few years, and own two of them so one is already clean and ready to use.
I’ve gone through many changes over the years! Cosmetic sponges (the old school variety), fingertips for decades, back to sponges (this time, sponge wedges from Ulta), brushes, beauty blender type sponges. Currently, I alternate between fingertips and my Real Techniques beauty sponge, mostly sponge.
My foundation routine has changed a lot, but somehow came full circled.
I started using foundation by applying it with my fingers, when I was younger sponges weren’t a thing and I wasn’t that into brushes (maybe because the only one I had access to were quite crappy). Than I had years of using beauty blenders. I started using sometimes brushes, but it was because I discovered I don’t like stippling or paddle brushes, I like buffing brushes.
But in the last 1-2 years I had barely used a tool for foundation; I am back to using my fingers and I love it.
I also used to apply thick layers of foundation, not blending very well. Nowadays I prefer buildable full coverage foundations, always starting with a thin layer (which usually yields a natural medium coverage), than adding additional coverage only if I feel the need.
Not necessarily a technique, but my shade matching has definitely improved; especially as I embraced my yellow undertones.
I started wearing foundation in the 60’s because I had bad acne. I used Max Factor Pancake Makeup and I applied that with a silk sponge, sopping wet to get the heaviest application, and then blotted dry with a tissue. Even I could see how awful that looked. When I switched to liquids, I used my fingers, and I did that for decades, until the Beauty Blender arrived, and for my skin, it was a huge improvement. I didn’t consider brushes until I came here. Then I tried a flat brush but the application did not look as smooth as with a sponge on me. Eventually I tried an Artis-style brush and it’s a nice application but can stir up flakes if my skin is dry. Now I use all the tools, depending on the type of foundation I am using, how much coverage I want, and what season it is. For the powder foundation I am wearing these days, I use a flat-top brush followed by setting spray for fuller coverage or the Tati Blendiful for a lighter coverage. With liquids I use the Artis brush (fuller coverage) or a damp Beauty Blender (lighter coverage). I still use my fingers for tinted moisturizer, which I rarely use.
Not really. I started using my fingers at the beginning of my makeup application twenty-ish years ago and while I’ve experimented with brushes and sponges over the years I always come back to fingers. It’s fast, easy, and gives me the finish I want. Brushes and sponges always give me an inconsistent look – either too much or too little all over and they soak up more product than is worth to mess around.
I’ve always used my fingers. I do a facial tapping/patting thing while I’m applying as well.
I have tried old school makeup sponges, Real Techniques sponges and the SiliSponge (still mad about that one).
I bought the Super Sponge a few weeks ago and have been using it these past few days and like it. I have never liked the beauty blender or other sponges because I felt like you had to use double the amount of product and you could never quite get it clean enough. This Super Sponge* is silicone at its core and there’s only like a milliliter of the sponge material so the product doesn’t soak into the core of the sponge which means more gets on your face and I don’t have to worry about foundation hands afterwards. So far, so good. I normally don’t like change and value my routine but this has been a fun addition.
*I just proofread and the above sounds like I’m affiliated or it’s an advertisement which neither are the case. Just me trying something new!
I’ve been using foundation since 1984, so it absolutely has! Up until the early 2000s, I just applied with my fingers (For most of that time, it was fingers or those awful white triangular sponges, which soaked up foundation.) Then I switched to powder foundation when BareMinerals was widely available, and use a natural hair flat-top Kabuki brush. I didn’t start using liquids and creams again until few years ago, because my skin was constantly changing due to perimenopause. How I apply depends on the foundation. Usually I use a damp beauty blender type sponge or a dense foundation brush. Just this last week, I found that some foundations that no longer apply well now that my skin is back to oily look better if I apply with my fingers. My old flat-top Kabuki died, and I’m not finding any synthetic ones that work for my powder foundations, but I’m loving the BH Cosmetics Studio Pro Total Coverage Powder Brush for them.
No, my application of foundation has remained the same – I just use my fingertips to dot and blend my foundation over my face. No messy brushes, sponges, blenders to wash. I have tried sponges, but found that more foundation was in the sponge than on my face. So back to fingertips.
Oh for young bouncy skin again! Yes it had to! I don’t mind being 60 until I look in the magnified mirror my husband bought for me ugh! I came across an application method that I have used once so far and it worked really well, it was posted on Byrdie: After doing your skincare routine apply moisturizer, take some translucent powder and apply it all over your face, spray your face with setting spray, wait for the setting spray to dry, then apply your favorite primer, finish with foundation to reveal an amazing makeup base. It was a sunny not too hot day and it lasted the whole day. I will keep using this method throughout the summer and see how it stands up.
I used powder compact foundations when I first started wearing make up. Lancome and Mac Studio Fix were my favorites.
Liquid foundations never worked for me as I had acne and oily skin in my younger years. My skin transformed to normal and after watching the young ladies on youtube I found a process that I LOVE! Skincare/ Moisturizer/ Liquid Luminizer rubbed in with my fingers. Then I conceal a little where needed and depending upon how I feel I may use a very sheer lightweight foundation using a kabuki brush or a setting powder using a big powder brush. Then a luminescent finishing powder. Luminosity is my friend. I then spray with fix plus and I am good to go!
I tried the wet sponge application and I just hate it.. something about a wet sponge just felt unsanitary to me.. sorry :-/
I started in high school wearing cream and powder foundations sporadically which I applied with the included sponges. Then I switched to liquid foundation which I applied with my fingers. Then I started reading blogs and all the cool kids seemed to be using sponges and brushes so I tried those but I could never get the finish with those that I liked the way others can!
Sponges seemed kind of gross to me since after the first use I could never seem to get it fully clean and they ripped so easily (I ripped multiple sponges while trying to wash the dang things and after a while I was like why am I buying more expensive sponges if half of them end up being one use products).
Using a brush gave me brush strokes in my foundation and seemed to take longer. Both the sponge and the brush seemed to absorb staggering amounts of foundation. I’m used to using less than a pump with my fingers, but I had to use 3 or more pumps with tools.
Now I’m back to finger application and prefer it. It’s more hygienic to me since it’s no time at all to wash my hands prior to application and I usually find a light tapping motion helps foundation meld really well into my skin if I have dry areas and I ain’t mad about that! Cheap and easy!
My challenge, besides dry skin, is that my face isn’t evenly textured as the pores on my left side are much more pronounced than on my right. Because of that I usually end up using a combination of tools to get my foundation to look the way I want it to. Usually that’s a makeup sponge and at least one, possibly two different types of brushes. I’ve only had to start doing that in the last couple of years. Before that I used a single oval wash brush I picked up in an art store way back in the day was all I used. Besides tools, now I’ll also use primer and if I’m feeling like going all in I might also use a color correcter (rosacea, yay) or a concealer.