It’s a battle of the brushes with two from TARTE!

In the left corner it’s the Full Coverage Companion Foundation Paddle ($28 @ tartecosmetics.com)

What it is: a flat “brush” with a silicone applicator, resulting in zero product waste for fuller coverage that looks natural.

In the right corner is Paddle to Perfection Foundation Brush ($28 @ tartecosmetics.com, ulta.com)

What it is: a cruelty-free & vegan paddle foundation brush with supersoft, densely-packed bristles.

I’m pretty used to the bristle brushes, as we all are, and these silicone sponges have been all over Instagram in the last year. I tried one a few months ago but not sure I really gave it a fair try, so I welcomed this challenge.

It seems that a silicone applicator is meant to press the foundation into the skin, while the bristle brush will blend and buff the foundation into the skin. I’m pretty used to these shaped brushes from using this one quite frequently and it’s one of my favorite beauty tools I own.

So how did they work? One worked well and the other … not so well. While the one with bristles is like a few I own and have used, the silicone one did not work for me at all. In the few times I tried the Full Coverage Foundation Paddle, I made a note to use less product each time, and each time it still felt like I had too much on my face. The silicone brush just seemed to push the product around, without buffing or pressing it into the skin. And it was just taking too long to use this one.

On the other hand, the Paddle to Perfection Foundation Brush worked beautifully. The bristles are vegan, soft, and quickly work the foundation into the skin. And it didn’t take long at all as all those densely-packed bristles are going to work when you run this over the skin.

Have you tried either of these?

Disclosure: Samples of these items were provided for review purposes.