For makeup foundation, do you apply with a sponge?

No, I just use my fingers. I feel like sponges soak up too much and waste the foundation.

I talked to the experts at MAC and they recommended a foundation brush. It has very soft bristles; the coverage you get is excellent; and it is not cheap like some brushes I have bought in the past that lose bristles easily. Wash it with soap and water.

i really like my brush, but if I can't find it (I have a lot of make up...) I have sponges, too and they are great. I honestly like both of them pretty equally. 

I like the sheer, even, overall coverage I get with a sponge. But for everyday light application, I use my fingers.

I sometimes use a Beauty Blender (the very squishy teardrop shaped sponges that you wet with warm water first). It gives a fresh, dewy look that I like but I find it hard to get fuller coverage with it. And, like others mentioned, it soaks up the makeup so I go through it much faster. Bacteria is not a big deal though - you wash it with soap and water and can use it a long time before it needs replacing.

Sponges make cakey foundation. Brushes work much much MUCH better.

I have never used a beauty blender, those do look more beefy and washable. I'm picturing those flimsy triangle shaped sponges. I wouldn't waste my time washing one of those.

There is a great video on YouTube that compares sponges, to brushes, to fingers in foundation application. I wish I could find it. It shows just how much product the sponges soak up vs your fingers or a brush. It also shows the difference in coverage.

Me too. Each morning after applying my foundation I wash the brush with either shampoo or body-wash (whichever I grab first)

I have heard geat things about Beauty Blender sponges but they are pricy and I'm not sure are worth it.

neither!! I use a brush, because I use Bare Minerals makeup... lol! But when I used to use a liquid foundation, I would use my fingers. A sponge would probably have worked better.

I recently (a few months ago) went back to using a liquid foundation (Urban Decay Naked Skin Weightless) after a few years of using Mineral Makeup. At first I bought the Urban Decay Good Karma Optical Blurring Brush to apply the foundation, but to me it was so much of a hassle to keep the brush clean. This makeup is amazing in it's coverage (I too have red spots, a dark spot and some uneven spots to cover), but it sets very quickly so you have to work it in fairly quickly. I wasn't getting the smooth results I wanted with the brush, although I felt I was fairly used to using a brush after all my years using Mineral Makeup.

I decided to try the sponges I used to use years ago when I'd previously used liquid foundation. I like really dense sponges, but also like the advantage of using a fresh one every time I apply makeup.  I do really like the triangular sponges I buy from Ulta. They are medium in density. I've bought several kinds that were much more lightweight. These are just right, and a good price. In my opinion they do a better job then the brush does, although a lot of folks prefer the brush method.

Debbie in MD.

this.