Categories: Beauty

5 foundation brushes that give a flawless complexion

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by Holly O'Neill
02nd Mar 2020

Blend to perfection with these five foundation brush heroes

Clinique Foundation Buff Brush, €35

Lightly buff on cream, powder, liquid or stick foundations with this densely-packed foundation brush for the smoothest, imperceptible finish. Clinique uses an antibacterial technology in their brushes to help them stay hygenic, plus this brush comes in a little plastic pouch that you can keep it in when you put it in your make-up or handbag to keep it clean.

Shiseido Hanatsubaki Hake Brush, €70

This brush is one of the most innovative products to land on the beauty desk this year. With Shiseido’s Hanatsubaki (meaning camelia flower) Hake Brush, four delicate, velvety petals completely contour the face. It fits perfectly into your hand, forces you to give your face a massage as the feeling is just so damn glorious, plus the brushes are densely packed but flexible on the face, meaning you get a streak-free, perfectly polished finish.

Beautyblender, €17.99

Alright, it’s not a brush, but it is the best foundation application device you will find for under €20. Everything looks seamless on the skin when applied with a damp Beautyblender. It blends foundation to perfection and melts it into the skin but can I also recommend you buy your Beautyblender the Blender Defender house? It’s a squishy case to stop it from getting grimy, without which you will find your Beautyblender at the base of your handbag, covered in fluff and looking like something that belongs on the bottom of your shoe and should be put nowhere near your face.

Charlotte Tilbury Hollywood Complexion Brush, €40

If you’ve bought Charlotte Tilbury’s incredible Airbrush Flawless Foundation, you absolutely must buy this make-up brush too. The larger, flat end buffs and blends, softening harsh lines and making your foundation become one with the skin, while the smaller, tapered end is perfect for precise concealer application around the eyes, nose and chin, or for delicate application of powder.

Real Techniques Expert Concealer Brush, €9.99

If you apply your base the Katie Jane Hughes way — meaning you take a small, fluffy brush and liquid concealer, then delicately buff, buff, buff all over the face — the dense, rounded brush hairs of the Real Techniques Expert Concealer Brush are essential for light concealer application. Plus, it is gloriously priced at under a tenner.

Blank Canvas Cosmetics Standee Pouch Brush Holder, €20

Finally, if you have read this far, you must, too, be passionate about make-up brushes, which means that you must, too, be in possession of the most convenient make-up tool to ever make itself into my possession: the Blank Canvas Cosmetics Standee. It’s a pretty leather make-up bag for brushes that comes in black and pink leather, makes me feel like a make-up artist and, crucially, stands up. I would be lost without it.

Photography by Shiseido.

Read more: We need to talk about the new Charlotte Tilbury Airbrush Flawless Foundation

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5 foundation brushes that give a flawless complexion

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