I remember when I first started wearing makeup almost a decade ago. My highly limited repertoire of tools saw me using my fingers to apply tinted moisturiser every day. But as my adoration for cosmetics grew, so did my collection, and foundation brushes quickly replaced my inexperienced fingertips. From then on I would pine after MAC Duo Fibres, Real Techniques and Beauty Blenders, forever searching for the perfect base application tool to give me the flawless application I've forever been looking for.
It wasn't until I took on a new job at a cosmetic retail agency and found myself working on a Nars counter that everything changed. Using your hands is the standard application method for foundation products at Nars, so I had to get used to it pretty quickly. It feels almost primitive and childlike applying makeup in this way, particularly in a world where sponges and brushes are sold to us as the only tools available. But when you really think about it, using your hands makes perfect sense.
One of the first things I learnt as a makeup artist is that warming up your base product with your hands helps it to blend into the skin and give a more natural finish. It's a well known trick that most makeup artists use in one way or another. So as consumers, why aren't we?
During my shift at Nars, I was surprised to see how quick and easy it was to create a flawless base again and again with nothing but the long skinny witch fingers I was born with. In my personal makeup routine, brushes have now officially taken a back seat. My method of choice has been to squirt a blob of foundation into the back of my left hand, then dab splodges on my forehead, cheeks, chin and nose. From there, I start to blend out with smoothing and dabbing motions, replicating the same movements we use with brushes and sponges. Trust me when I say that since I started using my hands, my application time has been cut in half. I've also noticed that I use way less product because it's not getting soaked up by a sponge or brush. Honestly, I'm totally in love.
I'd like to take this opportunity to encourage you to experiment with the way you do makeup. Break the boundaries that cosmetic consumerism has bestowed upon us. (Okay, maybe that was way too philosophical for a post about using your hands to put on foundation...)
Let me know what you've changed recently in your everyday makeup routine in the comments below.
