I Used A beautyblender To Apply All My Makeup

If you've never tried a beautyblender for applying foundation and concealer, I highly recommend it. But how well it works with basic face products begs the question: What happens when you apply all of your makeup with a beautyblender? Although it's most commonly used with foundation and concealer, the beautyblender can actually be used with most liquid, cream, and even powder products. So to see how well it worked with almost every stage of my makeup routine, I tried applying all of my makeup with a beautyblender. I'm talking primer, foundation, concealer, powder, blush, highlighter, and even eyeshadow. And while I'm not a total convert, there was one step that I never thought I would prefer to using a brush.

Beauty Blender, $20, Amazon

If you're unfamiliar with beautyblenders, they're essentially makeup sponges that, because of their shape, allow for flawless makeup application and, as the name suggests, blending. While they're extremely easy to use, I've never really thought to use one past foundation and concealer, because I love my brushes. But it's time to see just how much these beauties can blend. Here's what happened when I used a Beauty Blender to apply all of my makeup.

1. Primer

I'll admit I had higher expectations for applying primer. But this took a little more effort than just using my fingers. I ended up having to use some sweeping motions to keep the primer from clumping up and actually be able to press it into my skin. I think I'll stick to using my fingers in the future.

2. Foundation

Beauty Blender, $20, Amazon

Using my fingers, I smeared some foundation over my face before going in with the beautyblender to stipple it into my skin. And, as its cult-favorite status would suggest, it blended in foundation like a dream.

3. Concealer

To blend in concealer, I flipped over the Beauty Blender, and used its tapered end to better address tighter areas like under the eyes and around the nose. While it takes a bit more elbow-grease to blend in a full-coverage concealer in these smaller areas, the end result was still as flawless as the foundation.

4. Powder

To set my concealer, I used the same pointed end to press in loose powder. And honestly? This step blew my mind. I've become so used to using a brush to apply any type of powder, that I really didn't think a sponge could give the same type of lightweight-yet-flawless coverage. Well, because the sponge does pick up more product than a brush tends to, the application was a little heavier than using a brush. But the coverage was still flawless, and I even felt like it help set my concealer better than the dusting of powder I usually give it. If you currently only use your beautyblender for liquids and creams, I highly recommend trying it with your setting powder.

5. Blush

So here's the thing about blending out cream blush with the beautyblender. Does it work? Yes, but it would probably work best with a clean one. Because I had already used this one to blend in both my foundation and concealer, it kind of kept covering up the blush color with my foundation color as I blended it out. This made me have to apply more blush and continue the cycle of blending and applying, blending and applying until the color had been built up to my liking. So if you do use your beautyblender for colored products, make sure to clean it first, or use a different one.

6. Highlight

Because applying a cream highlight ended up being very similar to the cream blush, if you like a strong highlight game, you might want to skip the Beauty Blender to apply it. However, if you prefer a more subdued highlight, the Beauty Blender is actually quite helpful in taking down some of the shine of a brighter highlight.

7. Eyeshadow

Beauty Blender, $20, Amazon

I know a tool this large doesn't really make sense to try to use with eyeshadow. But at this point, I just had to give it a try. And while I was able to make it work in the end, much like the primer, I found that using fingers is faster and simpler than using the beautyblender.

If you really wanted to, I honestly think that you could apply a full face of makeup with just the beautyblender. It's kind of a perfect solution for traveling, as this one squishy sponge takes up way less space than a set of brushes. But for everyday, I think I'll stick to the basics: foundation, concealer, and powder.

Images: Miki Hayes