5 foundation brushes you need to achieve flawless skin

You need to be able to buff foundation into the skin rather than just painting it on like it’s a canvas.

Whether you are using a blender sponge or a foundation brush, you want your base to look natural – almost like a second skin.

If you want a foundation base that looks like it has been applied by a pro, you’ll need one of these five-star brushes in your makeup bag.

Nikopro OVA Complete Brush Set, £40, Niko Pro

Foundation brushes like this round, strange-looking one has been all over Instagram for months.

If you don’t want to fork out for the original Artis brushes, these dupes by Niko Pro are amazing and they are cruelty-free too.

The second-largest brush in this set is perfect for covering large areas and getting into hard-to-reach corners.

It will blend cream and liquid foundations seamlessly.

Blank Canvas Cosmetics Hot Pink F20 Duo Set, £24.57, Blank Canvas Cosmetics

This flat-topped buffing brush gets your foundation on fast.

It covers a large surface area and blends cream and liquid foundations beautifully.

The bristles on this synthetic brush are incredibly soft – you’ll love using it.

Dispense some foundation onto the back of your hand, dab the top of the brush in it, then buff it onto your skin in a circular motion.

Bare Minerals Perfecting Face Brush, £24, Bare Minerals

I love the unique concept behind this brush, and it actually works.

Instead of putting foundation onto the back of your hand, and then dipping the brush in, this flat-topped buffing brush comes with an in-built well, which you can pump foundation into before working into the skin.

The bristles are dense and tightly packed, so it gives a really natural-looking finish.

Real Techniques Core Collection 1403, £21.99, Boots

The Real Techniques Buffing Brush, which is part of the Core Collection set, feels amazing on the skin.

Where affordable brushes are concerned, you don’t get better than this brand – it’s created by YouTubers Pixiwoo.

This dome-topped brush is soft but dense and it works foundation into the skin quickly, effectively and gently.

Use it for creams, liquids and powders.

Zoeva Stippling Brush 125, £12.99, Cult Beauty

I find that this soft brush, with its light and long duo-fibre bristles, is best used with lighter coverage foundations, CC and BB creams.

It gives a flawless finish and can be used with liquid, cream and powder products.

Dab, or ‘stipple’, the brush onto the skin rather than buff it on in circles.

Writer: Laura Pearson-Smith