Sometimes it’s the simple things that just work the best.

As the Ulta doors began to close behind me, and I stepped into their overtly revealing lighting, I could feel the “WHOA” well up in my lungs. This is one of those places, aside from the mall, that I’d like to get locked inside for a night with a sandwich and a few bottles of wine. I could do some damage here.

The one section that always throws me is their THOUSANDS of makeup brushes. I’ve seen countless YouTube videos of flawless foundation applications with a brush, but can that be me? At 37, is a brush going to work for me? I’ve got very sensitive skin with light rosacea on my cheeks and chin that require better-than-light coverage. But still, brush application looks like so much fun! So I bought a $24 foundation brush. Let’s see how it goes.

I have so many questions: This brush i bought has a plastic cap on it - is that to keep it clean? Am I supposed to clean this thing after every use or just put the cap back on it? Surely they don’t expect me to clean this after every use, right? What a waste of foundation! Should I apply with quick, straight strokes or light circles? I could tell this was going to be a trial-and-error situation which is usually the case with most everything “new” from Ulta.

After trial and tribulation, I have come to a decision: Sometimes it’s the simple things that just work the best. I have to say, the MAKEUP WEDGE wins out over the $24 brush for foundation application. Here’s why:

CONTROL
A wise woman once said, “Foundation ain’t cheap.” Many believe the makeup wedge absorbs an abundance of the liquid gold but I don’t believe it’s worse than a makeup brush by any means. I squeezed the makeup brush after I was done with it to see how much product was within the bristles and it was quite substantial! I was shocked, actually. With a makeup sponge, less is more and I find that I actually use LESS foundation when using the sponge.

CLEANLINESS
Makeup sponges are super cheap so they are easy to replace. I’ve seen friends of mine who haven’t cleaned their brushes in MONTHS… I’m talking MONTHS…. because they’re worried their precious brushes will get ruined. And as they tell me all the reasons why not, the acne and oil on their face blind my retinas.

EASE OF USE
I apply my makeup in my bathroom which has pretty good light, but not everyone has the luxury of good lighting. Good lighting shows brush streaks; even with light application, I had a tough time working away brush streaks. My makeup sponge produces a natural finish which is easy to do for folks who aren’t that well versed at self-application.

Sometimes its easy to over-complicate the simple stuff, and that’s not good when applying makeup. Makeup is supposed to be fun and creative! I have to remind myself to use what I’m comfortable with and to not get hung up on YouTube trends. My skin is my skin and certain things work better than others. I’ll stick to my plastic bag of makeup wedges, thank you very much.