15 Best Foundation Brushes for Streak-Free Application, According to Makeup Artists
The pros have spoken.
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Listen, there are a million and one ways to apply your favorite foundation. Some people may prefer a makeup sponge, others may use their fingers, but me? I'm a die-hard foundation brush stan. However, choosing the best foundation brush based on your skin type, preferred foundation formulation, and desired level of coverage can be overwhelming—I mean, Sephora alone carries almost 120 (!!) different options. That's why I tested the most hyped-up makeup brushes on the market and consulted three professional makeup artists who know the ins and outs of achieving a smooth and even base with a foundation brush.
Because there are so many brush sizes and shapes, you may need a lil starting point, so lemme give you a TL;DR: It boils down to this—the more densely packed the bristles are, the more coverage you’ll get from your foundation. Now that you have the overall gist, below, find the 15 best foundation brushes for every formulation and coverage level, plus keep reading for absolutely everything you need to know, courtesy of the pros.
Our top picks for the best foundation brushes in 2023:
Keep reading for the best foundation brushes on the market—from brands like Patrick Ta, Chanel, Artis, and more—as well as everything you need to know about what exactly makes a foundation brush work to achieve the most smooth and even base there is.
Siena Gagliano is the associate editor at Cosmopolitan, where she primarily covers beauty, fashion, travel, and lifestyle. Wanna know how to get the best brows of your life? Gotchu. What about how to find the best fashion deals of the season, the softest sheets on the market, or exactly how to use retinol without irritating your skin? Check, check, and check. Before joining Cosmopolitan, Siena was a writer at Bustle and several other media outlets. As her 2024 goal, she has vowed to find the best (extra) dirty martini NYC has to offer—and yes, that means ~attempting~ to try every cute cocktail spot in the city (hit her up with some recs, pls). Follow Siena on Instagram for a behind-the-scenes look at that magazine life.
Hanna Flanagan is an associate shopping editor at Cosmopolitan, sharing her recommendations for everything from denim and eye creams to coffee mugs and silk sheets. Before joining Cosmopolitan, she wrote fashion, beauty, and lifestyle content at People (so, yes, she’s basically a professional product tester at this point). Follow her on Instagram for photos of Timothée Chalamet and #OOTD mirror pics.
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