Your Foundation Isn't the Problem. Your Brushes Are

A damp sponge is the most forgiving way to apply foundation and concealer. It presses product into the skin rather than sitting it on top, and soaks up any excess so the finish looks thinner than it is. The original Beautyblender is still the benchmark, with a bounce that cheaper versions struggle to match. The Real Techniques Miracle Complexion Sponge is the high-street alternative and does most of the job for a fraction of the price.

Always use it damp, never soaking and never dry. Run it under the tap, squeeze it out in a towel until it stops dripping, then bounce rather than drag. Replace it every three months or so. A sponge holds onto bacteria more than anything else in your bag, and an old one leaves foundation looking patchy.

A dense foundation brush. For fuller coverage, a flat-topped kabuki buffs liquid foundation in small circles and blurs pores better than a sponge. Sigma and Real Techniques both make excellent versions.

A fluffy powder brush. Big, soft and loose. It's for setting powder and bronzer, and it should deposit very little. If your powder looks heavy, the brush is usually too dense.

An angled blush brush. The slant follows the cheekbone, so placement takes care of itself. A smaller, rounded brush works better for cream products.

A small concealer brush. Flat and slightly pointed, for under the eyes and around the nose. Fingers are fine for blending afterwards, as body heat helps it melt in.

Two eye brushes. A fluffy blending brush for the crease and a flat shader for packing colour onto the lid. The MAC 217 is the blending brush make-up artists have relied on for decades, and nothing has really bettered it.

An eyelash curler. The single most transformative thing in a make-up bag. Curled lashes open the eye more than mascara alone ever will. The Shu Uemura curler is famous for fitting most eye shapes, and Shiseido's is the cult alternative. Warm it with a hairdryer for a few seconds for a curl that lasts, but test it on the back of your hand first.

Slanted tweezers. Tweezerman have been the standard for as long as anyone can remember, and precision matters more than you'd think. Blunt tweezers snap hairs instead of pulling them, which means regrowth in a week.

A spoolie. Free on the end of most brow pencils, and the most underrated tool you own. Brush brows up before filling, then again afterwards to soften any harsh lines. Also brilliant for separating clumpy lashes.

Thirty-piece brush sets, mostly. You will use six of them and the rest will live in a drawer. Silicone sponges look clever but slide product around rather than pressing it in. Fan brushes have their place in a make-up artist's kit and very little place in yours. Expensive brush cleaners are optional too. A gentle baby shampoo or a bar of brush soap does exactly the same job.

Don't agonise over synthetic versus natural hair either. Modern synthetic brushes are excellent, easier to clean and better with creams and liquids, which is what most people wear now. Many of the best-selling brushes on the market are synthetic.

Wash foundation and concealer brushes once a week and everything else every couple of weeks. Wet the bristles, swirl them in the palm of your hand with a little shampoo, rinse until the water runs clear, then reshape and dry flat on a towel. Never dry them upright in a cup. Water runs into the base and loosens the glue, which is why brushes shed.

Dirty brushes are behind a surprising number of breakouts, and they make make-up look patchy too. If your foundation suddenly looks streaky, clean the brush before blaming the bottle.

Boots and Superdrug are best for Real Techniques and e.l.f., Lookfantastic stocks Sigma, and Space NK covers the luxury end. Start with a sponge, a powder brush and a curler, then add the rest as you need them. Check our discount codes before you check out.