@topic: I always used to apply my foundation either with my fingers or with a sponge, but recently I've switched to using a professional foundation brush from Estee Lauder.
The brush was quite pricey, and at first I thought: "did I really need to pay
that amount of money for a
brush?" (I tend to make impulse buys. I'm not really great with money, I admit it lol!)
It turned out that the brush was a really great investment though.
Especially since I also bought the Estee Lauder Double Wear Light foundation, and I find it only really looks good if it's applied with a brush. LOL (It's sort of a thickish foundation, so I find it tricky to work with any other way, although I guess you could also use a sponge.)
But I actually think it's probably a really good idea to use a brush with any foundation, because I find it's easier to control how much of the product you're applying to your face, and I think it also distributes the makeup more evenly than your fingers or a sponge. (Although obviously you still need a sponge or something for blending.) So, I think it helps the makeup application actually
look better. Plus, I think I end up using less of the actual product when I apply it with a brush, so my foundation lasts a little longer, making it a good economic investment!
Usually with eyeshadow I apply it with a sponge applicator,or sometimes occasionally even with my finger. Sometimes I use brushes too though, although I've never bought a really expensive eyeshadow brush. With application technique and eyeshadow it really depends on what type of look I'm trying to do, and how much I need to blend the eyeshadow. Honestly, though, with eyeshadow I generally find that even Q-tips work really well for blending, smudging or even removing excess shadow from under my eyes (if I make a mess with it.) So I've never felt the need to buy professional eyeshadow brushes. Although I actually
do own the eyeliner brush from Smashbox for their gel-cream eyeliner, which I'm a huge fan of! Obviously, it can't be applied any other way.
For blush, bronzer and powder obviously I use blush and powder brushes, but they are all of the inexpensive side.
/emoticons/
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I never really apply any lip products with a brush, unless maybe its bright red lipstick or something, and I have to make sure it's applied
perfectly. Aside from that I'm generally a "straight from the tube" kind of gal!
/emoticons/
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