Foundation/powder brushes? different types of powder?

Here's what I'd suggest for you :) - For foundation: I use Neutrogena Healthy Skin foundation. It's very light-weight, has SPF 20, and antioxidants in it. It's not bad for your skin, and it doesn't look cakey :) I love this foundation because it blends very easily, and it evens out my skin tone beautifully. - For translucent setting powder: Rimmel Stay Matte is pretty good. They have it in translucent, so it won't add color to your face, just take away the shine. It's also very affordable. However, if you're looking for a high-end brand, I suggest Make Up Forever's HD Microfinish powder. They sell it at Sephora for $15. It's awesome, doesn't add color, and makes your skin super smooth :) - For brushes: To apply your foundation, I would suggest this e.l.f. brush: http://www.target.com/p/elf-Powder-Brush/-/A-13586147#?lnk=sc_qi_detaillink It's only 3 bucks at Target, but it works great :) For the translucent powder, I would suggest a nice kabuki brush. The one from Ecotools is great. Here's what it looks like: http://www.target.com/p/Eco-Tools-Kabuki-Brush/-/A-12350955?reco=Rec%7Cpdp%7C12350955%7CClickCP%7Citem_page.adjacency&lnk=Rec%7Cpdp%7CClickCP%7Citem_page.adjacency It's a little more expensive than the other brush, but the quality is amazing, and it's also portable, so you can take it in your purse while traveling :) I hope this helped, and I hope you find what you're looking for. Good luck!

I personally like to apply my foundation or tinted moisturizer (which is a lighter, more sheer coverage, more moisturizing version of foundation) with a stippling brush. I find it gives me the most natural coverage. Basically, you put some foundation on the back of your hand, tap the brush into it, and then stipple and blend the foundation into the skin. You can look up how to do it on youtube if you like. You can also use a regular foundation brush for your foundation, or even a makeup sponge (they are shaped like wedges). It really all comes down to which application you prefer. I have a sigma stippling brush that I love, and it was really inexpensive. Here is the link, and I'll post a link to a regular foundation brush after that: Stippling brush: http://www.sigmabeauty.com/product_p/f50.htm Regular foundation brush: http://www.sigmabeauty.com/product_p/f60.htm Mineral powder has minerals in it, is the basic answer to that. It's made with more natural ingredients, and is almost always a loose powder. Bareminerals makes great mineral powders, although they are a little on the pricey side. Loose powder is similar to mineral powder, except it doesn't always have minerals in it (haha). Pressed powder gives more coverage, and can often have a thicker, almost creamy consitency. You do need to be careful not to pack on too much though because it can tend to look cakey when over applied. For mineral and loose powders I would recommend using a fluffy powder brush, sigma makes a great one (as you can see I'm a stickler for sigma). You can also use a kabuki brush: Fluffy powder brush: http://www.sigmabeauty.com/Large_Powder_F30_p/f30.htm Kabuki brush: http://www.sigmabeauty.com/product_p/f45.htm Translucent powder is just used to set your makeup, it will not give any additional coverage and is just used to set foundations so they will last all day. Covergirl makes a good one, if drugstore brand makeup is more in your price range, but Makeup Forever also makes an amazing translucent setting powder if you're willing to go a little bit pricier. I'll post links to both here: Covergirl: http://www.drugstore.com/covergirl-professional-loose-powder-translucent-fair-105/qxp51457 Makeup Forever: http://sephora.com/browse/product.jhtml?id=P210400&categoryId=S10810&shouldPaginate=true Lastly, I'll just mention if you have oily skin then setting powder (translucent powder) will be great to set your foundation with. An alternative that I love, however, especially for dry or combination skin is Skindinavia setting spray. Even if you do have oily skin and would prefer not to put powder on they make a formula for oily skin. I set my foundation with powder for a long time and I have to tell you, now that I started using the setting spray, I'll never go back. I'll post a link, just in case you want to check them out: Skindinavia setting sprays: http://www.skindinavia.com/ Sorry this answer is so long, but I really wanted to be thorough. I hope you read through it all, or at least the parts that are most helpful to you, and I hope you figure out what works for you. Really with foundation application, different types of powders, and so on it's trial and error to see what you think works best for your skin. Good luck! <3