Makeup sponge or brush for mineral foundation?
I never talked about my beauty goal for this year but one of them is actually to use more natural makeup. So the first thing I did was to switch back to using mineral makeup, thanks to the customized mineral foundation from Lolita New York. I did not lay my hands immediately upon receiving it but only started using it recently. As some of you may know, I was using using several brands of mineral makeup for over a year but when my skin broke out in acne, I gave them up because the coverage just wasn’t good enough for me. Well, I just realized that perhaps using kabuki brushes ain’t so great for my acne blemished skin afterall when it comes to MMU.
A need for more creativity with makeup application
Okay, I admit that while I’m visually driven, but I’m not creative when it comes to makeup. Yup, I’m quite a noob here. When I started using mineral makeup, I was just doing the “swirl, tap, buff” with my kabuki brushes. I didn’t know that I could use sponges to do the job. Oh okay, I might have read about using flocked sponges for mineral makeup but just never tried. I guess the primary reason was because my kabuki brushes did the job for me and so I didn’t bother to experiment. I mean, why fix if it ain’t broken right? Make no mistakes though; I still love my kabuki brushes but when it comes to mineral foundation, they don’t give me sufficient coverage anymore because of my acne blemished skin. It was only end of last year that I found out from Jo of Lolita that sponges do a better job of application. And then it got me – a brush gives lighter coverage and a makeup sponge or flocked sponge will yield a heavier coverage. Hello, I must have forgotten to put on my brain!
Getting a heavier coverage with mineral makeup
There is no right or wrong way to apply mineral makeup but the key is to experiment. I didn’t bother before but all is not too late. I use a normal makeup sponge to dab on the mineral foundation and the coverage is good enough. In fact, I find that it gives me better control in terms of coverage. Plus, it covers up my pores better! And one more thing I did to get heavier coverage was to use a liquid foundation or tinted moisturizer beneath. Some ladies seem to like using flat top brushes but I found that gave me the least coverage. And there are some that use a kabuki brush first and then a flocked sponge to smooth the edges, like around the nose area. I guess at the end of the day, it depends on the condition of your skin and your preferences.
Using mineral makeup wet
I did try to apply mineral makeup wet but found that it did not work for me. Somehow, the minerals get soaked up in the sponge and I got very little coverage. Or, the powder gets wiped away by the sponge instead. I wonder why some ladies say this gives them better coverage.
How does flocked sponges compare with normal makeup sponges?
Many of you are well versed with makeup, more so than me at least. So let me ask you – what’s the difference between a flocked sponge and a normal makeup sponge? Okay, I think the shape differs so the former makes it easy to apply powder. But other than that, are there benefits in using a flocked sponge to apply mineral makeup? Where can I get the best flocked sponge?
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I’m intrigued by trying the make-up sponge as an applicator for mineral make-up as well. I find that mineral make-up can look too cakey with a brush, perhaps a wet sponge could help with that.
Regarding break-outs, as an esthetician, one of the first questions I ask clients is if their make-up brushes are super clean. It’s especially important for people who are sensitive to breaking out to clean their brushes constantly, or have a couple of brushes that you can switch out, and make sure that the brush (or sponge) is kept dry, as bacteria will live on the applicator and contaminate your skin again and again.
I’ll try the different methods and respond again.
Thanks for the idea!
Yes, with brushes, there are high chances of contamination. So like you pointed out, it’s important to cleanse them well, which makes using rather inconvenient too. I tend to dispose my sponge and buy new ones but that’s definitely a recurring cost overtime.
not mineral make up but along the lines of gd quality and inexpensive make up that is gd for the skin especially in Spores humid weather – Nanoce BB Cream which is Number 1 best-seller in Japan.
My Jap fren recommended it to me but I cldnt find it anywhere in Spore until recently at Kawaii Treasures http://www.kawaii-treasures.blogspot.com
I just received it and used it last week. Perfect fit with my skin tone and covers blemishes well.
Thanks for the link. Looks promising based on the reviews at Makeupalley but the ingredients are still…loaded with synthetics. I wish it is more natural in terms of the formulation.
Saw this post and I can’t resist, I’m a hairdresser/makeup artist and specialize in weddings. I’ve found that the best method for full coverage with minerals is to moisturize directly before applying then use one of the red cosmetic sponges. They call them “cleansing sponges” you can find them at Walgreens, Sally’s, ULTA, etc…wet it with a glycerin and water mixture (1 part liquid glycerin to 3 parts bottled water, it will last about a month) and tap out a good amount of minerals. Your sponge should be just barely damp and you want to pat your minerals onto the sponge and then pat onto your face. Buff it out with a kabuki or a flat top also loaded with a bit of minerals, you should have very good results with a little bit of practice. Good luck!
Oh sounds very interesting. I don’t think we have the red sponge you mentioned but I can probably use the method with another sponge. Thanks for sharing!
Found them here for $1.40
http://www.cashdepartmentstore.com/Fantasea-Red-Cosmetic-Sponge-Pack/dp/B000NIY938?traffic_src=froogle&utm_medium=organic&utm_source=froogle
I’ve found that unless they’re super porous like the red sponges, they don’t seem to work as well.
I recently started using the Real Techniques makeup sponge to apply my mineral powder foundation. Prior to that I’d been using a kubuki brush, but over time that application method stopped working for me.
To apply the foundation using the sponge I get it slightly damp by misting it with some water. I squeeze out the excess water and dip the sponge in the foundation. I’m then able to pat the foundation on. I found that I get closer to full coverage the first time around and a better overall finish using this application method.