The key to any beauty look starts with the foundation.
A perfect base is the starting point to building your makeup look, whether it’s a glamorous evening do or a lighter, natural look for days in the office.
While foundations are available in many forms - there’s liquid, mousse, gel and powder foundation - most only need one type of brush to help you apply them. Over time, we tend to accumulate makeup brushes. Thick foundation brushes, flat brush versions, makeup sponges - you name it. We also tend not to throw makeup brushes away, often resulting in bulging makeup bags that could do with streamlining.
The makeup artist’s secret is a flat tapered brush or a stippling brush that allows you to distribute the foundation quickly and smoothly over your complexion, before blending and buffering to poreless perfection. This is an industry secret shared by beauty aficionados across the globe.
And celebrities have their favourite foundation brushes too. Back in October 2023, Hailey Bieber revealed that she uses the Hourglass Veil Powder Brush, causing the product to fly off shelves. Kylie Jenner created a tapered brush to add to her cosmetic collection which became a bestseller. Adele’s makeup artist uses Artis’ Elite Mirror Oval 7, which costs £72.
Best foundation brushes at a glance
With this in mind, we’ve found the best foundation brushes to help you ace your base.
From big names in the beauty biz, to smaller companies, we’ve gathered the finest to add to your makeup kit.
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Bobbi Brown Full Coverage Face Brush
Best for: an HD finish
A stalwart in the beauty world, Bobbi Brown has built a reputation focused on fresh-looking makeup to enhance natural beauty since its inception. One of the ways it helps customers achieve this is with great tools - case in point, the full coverage face brush.
Ideal for liquid foundations, in particular, it helps glide the formula over the face quickly and evenly for an ‘HD’ finish. It can be used wet or dry, so will work if you favour a mineral powder foundation too.
Buy now £39.00, John Lewis
Huda Beauty Tantour Face Contouring Sculpt & Shade Brush
Best for: dual use
If you want to achieve a finessed beauty look, nail the foundation and contour section with a little help from Huda. The brand has this double-ended brush ready to make light work of contour and foundation application.
The Build pyramid-shaped brush targets awkward and delicate areas, while the Buff brush is for blending and ‘baking’ - a technique that sees loose powder packed onto high-crease or oil-prone areas to help the foundation set and create a seamless finish.
Buy now £23.00, Huda
Real Techniques Foundation Blender
Best for: travel
The short handle and domed bristle formation make this the perfect tool to use on the go. Use the soft brush to blend and buff foundation, bronzer and blush over your face and even your decolletage and other limbs if you’re going for an uber-glamorous look.
Buy now £13.00, Boots
Hourglass Ambient Soft Glow Foundation Brush
Best for: vegans
Crafted with vegan fibres and with a longer handle, Hourglass’ brush is shaped to mimic fingertip application, essentially making it an extension of your hand. It’s been designed to use with the brand’s Ambient Soft Glow Foundation, but will serve to buff and blend any foundation in your makeup kit to perfection.
Buy now £51.00, Cult Beauty
It Cosmetics Heavenly Luxe Complexion Perfection Brush 7
Best for: foundation and concealer application
Offering two brushes for the price of one, It Cosmetics has designed its Heavenly Luxe Complexion Perfection Brush to help you apply foundation as well as concealer with precision. The bristles are made from synthetic fibres which feel lovely and soft on the skin. A handbag hero, this brush makes it easy to reach tricky areas like around the nose and under-eyes while the larger end ensures you can buff the formulas in place without any streaky bits.
Buy now £38.00, Cult Beauty
Boots No7 Foundation Brush
For light even coverage, a brush wins hands down over using your hands or fingertips. There’s just more control over the formula and where it’s going. Boots No7 Foundation Brush comes with a long stem to make it easier to hold and achieve a universally coveted seamless base. You can purchase it separately or in the No7 Essential Brush Collection bundle (£44.95) which comes with a bottle of brush cleanser too.
Buy now £16.95, Boots
Pur Skin Perfecting Foundation Brush 53g
Best for: liquid foundation lovers
Echoing a toothbrush design, this dense-bristles brush promises to leave foundation looking airbrushed on the skin. Simply squeeze a drop of liquid foundation onto the back of your hand, and dab with the brush, working it over your complexion until it’s buffed in. The wider surface area offers quick and easy coverage and will cut down your makeup time significantly.
Buy now £19.00, M&S
Charlotte Tilbury Magic Complexion Brush
Best for: seamless coverage
Transform your beauty look with ease thanks to a little Charlotte Tilbury wizardry. The brand’s foundation brush has been hand-pulled by a master brush maker in Europe with the head the perfect shape and size for easy application. Dapple the formula over problematic areas first before buffing everything in for full and seamless coverage.
Also available at Charlotte Tilbury.
Buy now £45.00, Space NK
Ilia Perfecting Buff Brush
Best for: easy cleaning
Buff your skin to perfection with a helping hand from Ilia. This highly versatile tool helps to set complexion products faster and blends both cream and liquid products seamlessly into the skin.
Not only does it produce the cleanest finish, but it’s super easy to clean. Simply use mild soap and warm water to wash used formula off and revamp your brush arsenal.
Buy now £41.00, Sephora
Rare Beauty Liquid Touch Foundation Brush
Best for: building, blending and buffing
A cruelty-free foundation brush with butter-soft bristles, Rare Beauty’s take on the beauty bag essential is realised in a unique marquis shape to mimic the feeling of fingertips. The Selena Gomez-founded label suggests using a sweeping motion for sheer coverage, a circular motion for medium coverage and a stifling motion for maximum coverage.
Buy now £27.00, Sephora
