Sunday, November 17, 2013

Best tools for most coverage?

Over the few months I've bought some new brushes, mostly ones that can have multiple functions, for foundation, concealer, etc, etc. Whilst using these brushes I've noticed a little bit of a difference in the coverage and went in depth of looking into it. I know there are a lot of different tools to use to put on concealer or foundation, but usually I'm in a rush and don't have much time to apply much makeup. Concealer is a must have, even on days when I have to use minimal makeup-I think that's a given to all girls. So given with the allotted time I like my tool to have as much coverage as possible for quick application. Some things I've noticed while applying my foundation and concealer with these tools is that certain ones had more coverage than others. Not only how much area coverage they had but also how well they blend in with my skin instead of just laying on top and slipping around everywhere through out the day. I used to only use my fingers to apply my foundation and concealer but it would just add to the mess and time consuming with cleaning up, also depending on how much of a rush I were in I would sometimes break out because I would just start doing my makeup or I would be doing a touch up in the car and wouldn't have any way to wash my hands. Gross, I know. But! In the past couple months I've invested in some tools that many beauty gurus swear by just to see how they work for me. 



The first brush from the left is my E.L.F. Small Stipple Brush, I got it from Target for about $3.00, and its the most recent one I bought so I'm still testing it out in between the other tools. 

The second one is the beauty blender, and is really popular among the Youtube community and I bought it from Sephora for $20. There are some knockoffs like the Sonia Kashuk Blending sponge which is only $10 but I have heard mixed reviews about.


The third one is a brush I've had for a couple years now but have been on and off with only because sometimes its a little streaky (the other side has a bigger applicator for foundation) but it's an Essence of Beauty dual brush, which comes in a pack with 3 to 4 other dual brushes, that work really well and have been using for years now. 

The fourth swatch blob is using my ring finger to apply the concealer on the paper.



What I've done with this second picture is something a little different, applied moisturizer underneath the concealer splotches to give it something ti adhere to because I usually put moisturizer on first. Only because paper and skin are two very different things, so the moisturizer would work as a little bit of a mediator. I did notice a change on the concealer on the paper, it did appear a little darker and reacted a little differently than the one on the plain paper. 

The white underneath helps us see how much coverage these tools actually give. As you can see the one on the far left is darker and even though I used the same amount for all four swatches it still blended the product out evenly and it almost gave it a textured effect, which to me resembles more of a skin texture.
 The blender sponge did give a similar area of coverage but there are a few areas that are lighter than others. 
The dual applicator didn't give as much area coverage and did give a little bit of a streaky texture, which I'm not really a big fan of. But although I don't find it too great at covering dark under eye circles, it's still necessary to have around for other uses such as helping create a clean edge around a bold lip or covering small corners like inner eye and creases. 
And the finger application was a little splotchy and didn't really seem to have a consistent texture to me. Of course I've been using my fingers for application for a lot of the time, but seeing this tester sheet really made me realize how different the tools were when applying it on my face. 
I know there are other brushes to use to apply concealer but these 4 are the ones that I own and the ones that I use the most, but I hope this helped some of you visualize how your brushes apply makeup on your skin! 

Thanks so much for stopping by and check back soon for a new post!!