We are highly idiosyncratic creatures when it comes to the application of our make-up. A woman may say opposite you on the train and apply her liquid foundation ferociously with the tips of her first two fingers for 2.37 minutes, while you may be surgically attached to your MAC 187 Face Brush, a brush that stipples on your complexion with all the flair of Monet painting. 

But, regardless of your own particular application technique, we can always learn a thing or two to improve it, right? With this in mind, we present to you the four most surprisingly useful, lightbulb moment-type foundation tutorials on the web, the ones that offer something new and a bit off-beauty to the whole notion of skin-perfecting. After all, we're becoming more and more like our personal make-up artists, thanks in no small part to the web itself, so we may as well continue to hone our craft.

You're welcome.

 

1. Add a layer of powder under your foundation

Wayne Goss aka Goss Make-up Artist has a number of unconventional foundation tricks up his sleeve but this is probably the best. It may seem counterintuitive, but by buffing a fine layer of translucent powder over the top of your moisturiser and or primer, before you apply your base, gives your foundation something to grip onto as well as increasing coverage so you end up using less foundation into the bargain. Try it, it actually works.

 

2. Keep one side of your foundation brush clean for blending

This succinct tutorial from Lancome illustrates perfectly how to use a flat foundation brush, because actually, how would you know if nobody ever showed you? In particular, it suggests keeping one side for application and one side for blending. Plus the part about keeping the grey part of the bristles free from colour is a good rule of thumb to ensure you’re not piling it on.

 

3. After applying with a brush, use a sponge to blend it

We’ve been using sponges to apply our base for eons. Woops. What celebrity make-up artist Patricia Longo explains in this useful tutorial is the art of blending in your base with a sponge, post-brush application, for a flawless, brush stroke-free veil of colour.

 

4. Check how good a foundation really is with a magnifying mirror

 

OK, this sounds pretty terrifying, but think about it; what better way to check the efficacy of a foundation than to look at it up close. That’s what Lisa Eldridge admits to doing in this ‘No make-up make-up’ tutorial. Lisa says it’s the only way she can see whether a foundation is ‘sitting in on the skin.’ Makes sense, doesn’t it. The one that passed muster? Bourjois Healthy Mix Foundation. See, finding a great foundation formula needn’t cost the earth.