My secret to flawless foundation

All my adult life, I’ve wondered how the heck women get that gorgeous smooth look to their skin when they apply makeup. You know, the kind that looks like you’ve had your makeup done by a team of professionals. I’ve tried countless foundations (easily more than 50) in an attempt to find the holy grail that would give me this magical angel skin. I’ve applied it with brushes, used a sponge, tried my fingertips, and do you think I could master it? No freaking chance! Until now – now I have mastered the secret to flawless foundation!

And because I love y’all, I’m not going to keep it a secret. Because I wish someone had told me this earlier, before I spent lots of money on brushes and foundations that did not love me.

It started with a discussion online about stipple brushes (which I had never heard of). The babes I were talking to swore by them, and the e.l.f. cosmetics Stipple Brush was mentioned as a favourite. And so I made my first iHerb order – picking myself up one of e.l.f.’s foundations while I was there (it’s called Flawless Finish Foundation, so I figured I was in with a shot for some good results). I chose the shade buff after consulting the e.l.f. website, as it’s closest to my natural skin colour in summer. Because it’s winter here at the moment (and I’ve been battling bronchitis for a month), my skin is about half a shade lighter than usual. I could have bought the sand shade as well and mixed them for a custom shade, but who has time for that?

Good results? Scratch that, bloody great is more like it. My skin has never looked this fabulous* without the help of a professional makeup artist. Never. And now I can DIY it in under 5 minutes! Here’s a quick tutorial to show you how I get flawless foundation…

Before I begin, I apply my moisturiser and leave it to set for 15 minutes or so while I get dressed/check facebook/drink tea. Then if my skin needs evening out I’ll apply a primer – Dermalogica Redness Relief Primer SPF20 is my go to for getting rid of redness, plus it gives me an SPF boost. For the love of all that is holy, give that time to settle into your skin too, otherwise everything could potentially turn to crap and we don’t want that! You’ve come too far! Ten minutes while I drink more tea and check my Instagram feed is perfect. And then: foundation. Here’s an awkward video (I’m definitely not a beauty vlogger, just a jerk with a keyboard and a camera).

Heck yes! I am now a magical unicorn, and you can be too! I am told that this works with other liquid or cream foundations, so I think the trick is to find whatever foundation you love, grab your stipple brush and you’re good to go! The reason I love the e.l.f. cosmetics foundation and brush is because they’re cruelty free (an absolute essential for me) and they are super cheap while still being great quality (I got them both for $13.06, seriously a bargain!). I got these from iHerb but if you’re in New Zealand you can also pick up e.l.f. cosmetics from Kmart stores.

Have you used a stipple brush to apply your foundation?

Let me know in the comments how you found it, or if you plan to give it a go now you’ve seen my video.

Products used:
e.l.f. Cosmetics Flawless Finish Foundation SPF15 in Buff
e.l.f Studio Stipple Brush

* A side note – my skin is prone to dryness but for the most part is blemish free, giving me a great base to work with. Make sure you’re subscribed to my YouTube channel because I will be sharing my daily skincare routine there in the next couple of weeks.