How Best to Apply Liquid Foundation With a Brush, Sponge, or Fingers

Tools and materials:

• Facial cleanser
• Toner
• Moisturizer
• Primer
• Foundation
• Basic brush 
• Stippling brush 
• Buffing brush 
• Translucent powder

1. Prepare your skin

Cleanse, tone, moisturize, and then prime. Cleansing is an absolute necessity but toner can be optional. Apply it if you think it’s necessary.

Then, apply a very good moisturizer. Moisturizing is essential as it helps the foundation go on much smoother.

Finally, if you have fine lines or big pores, you can go ahead and use a primer as well.

2. How to apply liquid foundation

Applying liquid foundation with fingers

To start, apply liquid foundation to your fingertips.

I recommend only using your fingertips when applying any kind of products, from foundation to your BB creams to your moisturizers, as it helps reduce product waste.

To apply, gently pat the foundation all over your face and across your neck before blending it in.

The warmth of your fingers helps the foundation blend into your skin. So, keep patting it in until the foundation is evenly spread all over your face.

Then use small strokes to blend out any harsh edges or streaks. Don’t rub it in as that’ll make the foundation appear a lot more sheer and even streaky.

Applying liquid foundation with a basic foundation brush

This brush is a very basic foundation brush. I recommend using this brush if you have dry or flaky skin.

To apply liquid foundation with this brush, apply the foundation directly to the brush and use small sweeping motions across your face.

I recommend sweeping towards the direction of your hair growth so it looks natural. Make sure you’re using small strokes as long strokes will leave a lot of streaks on your face.

Applying foundation with a buffing brush

A buffing brush has a rounded edge, and it’s extremely soft and dense.

People with dry or flaky skin should stay away from this brush as it can highlight flaky areas and irritate the skin. I recommend this brush for people with normal, oily, or combination skin if you want a natural finish. 

To apply with this brush, start by patting the foundation into the face, and then use buffing motions to blend it out.

Using small, circular motions like this helps blend the foundation so it results in a very natural finish.

Applying liquid foundation with a stippling brush 

This brush is a dual-fiber brush and has extremely soft, white bristles on top.

This brush is good for people with sensitive skin, as there are no harsh rubbing motions, and can it produce a flawless, airbrushed effect.

To apply with this brush, stipple the foundation on your face by patting it very gently. This, really, is the only step.

You can keep stippling until the foundation starts to look flawless. No need to rub or buff this one in, except around the corners of your face such as your nose or undereye.

Buffing it in can lose the value of the stippling brush, which is supposed to give you a full coverage, airbrushed effect.

Applying liquid foundation with a sponge

Finally, I’m going to show you how to apply liquid foundation with a sponge or beauty blender. 

For the sponge, all you need to do is soak the sponge in water and then squeeze it out until it’s damp, not soaked.

This step is important because using a dry sponge tends to soak up a lot of foundation. It also helps your foundation to sit nicely on the skin, giving it a natural and dewy finish.

The sponge is also extremely gentle on the skin, making it another great technique for those with sensitive skin.

To apply, start by dabbing the foundation onto the brush.

Then, pat the foundation onto your skin. 

3. Setting the foundation

The very last step to finish your foundation is by setting it with powder. The best way to do this is to simply press the powder into your face. This ensures the foundation stays in place and isn’t disturbed.

How to apply liquid foundation

That’s it! I really hope this tutorial was helpful for all of you beginners out there! Let me know down below which technique is your favorite. 

Products used

• L'Oréal True Match Foundation in W3
• Colorbar Foundation Brush
• Real Techniques Buffing Brush
• Colorbar Stippling Brush (Bronzer Optic)
• Real Techniques miracle complexion sponge