What's The Best Tool For Applying Face Masks? I Put Four to The Test
One of the things I love most about doing a face mask is the ritual of it. Taking a few minutes to meticulously apply some goop to your face, let it set, then washing it off? Glorious! But a lot of face masks come in jars, and you don’t always feel like dipping your fingers in there, getting them all gloppy and gross, and having to worry about the sanitariness of a product-in-a-jar. But lucky for me and my fellow persnickety face mask fanatics, there are tons of mask applicator tools on the market. Unfortunately, a lot of them SUCK. So I took it upon myself, a beauty scientist, to try out a bunch of them and figure out which one is The Best.
My inspiration for this project was this style of mask applicator (above left). If you do a search for “face mask applicator,” you’ll probably get more than a few results that look just like this. I don’t know who’s face this style of applicator is meant for, but it’s not my round Eastern European mug. They must work for someone, because they are everywhere, but maybe you all just don’t know better and need this intervention. I also tried this brush (above right), because the shape seemed a little better, but 1) It’s super floppy and therefore very hard to control, and 2) There’s a useless little brush on the other end, so if you want to keep this in a cup in your cabinet, it’s going to mess up the brush that truly serves no purpose anyway. Just absolutely frustrating from tip to tail.
In my experiments I tried four different applicators: Two fiber brushes, and two silicone applicators. The silicone ones are marketed as mask applicators, while the brushes are not, but as I learned, that doesn’t mean one is more suited for the task than the other. Here are the contenders:
Sephora Foundation Brush
Full disclosure, I started this experiment with just two contenders. I ended up reworking the whole thing becasue I found two other potential mask applicators, and my scientific integrity demanded that if I knew of other options, I needed to to test them as well. This Sephora foundation brush was one of those added options, after I discovered it while I was cleaning out my makeup stash. I do not remember buying this brush, I don’t remember ever using this brush, but when I was clearing out I said, “Oooh!” and thought it might be a good mask brush. It isn’t. I mean, it’s fine. It’s 100% a thing I got becasue it was cheap and I needed to reach a certain amount to get free shipping and I thought I’d give it a try, maybe I’d love it (I clearly didn’t). Also you can’t buy it anymore, and apparently Sephora has completely taken themselves out of the flat foundation brush market because there isn’t even a sort-of version of this on their website. This is the closest match I could find.
Pros: Allows for smooth and precise application, less product waste, looks the most like a high-end mask brush
Cons: Harder to clean than silicone, slower to dry after cleaning, flat brush head and low density bristles may mean you need to go over areas multiple times for full coverage, looks aren’t everything
Overall rating: 6/10
Sephora Face Mask Applicator
This is Sephora’s dedicated tool for applying face masks. I got it for $7 in the end of the year sale, but even full price it’s just $10. The gimmick for this one is that it’s dual sided, with one end being a spatula for applying a mask and the other end being a scrubby brush for getting every little remnant of mask off (or just doing some exfoliating, or making sure all of your makeup is off). It’s made entirely out of silicone which make it easy to clean, and easy to switch between masks if you want to apply many different ones. $10 is cheap for Sephora, but kind of pricey considering what this is. It’s not easy to control, and I ended up using more product than necessary and having uneven coverage. The scrubby brush at the end isn’t useful for me, as I prefer to rinse off masks by sticking my face into the stream of my shower, and I hate (HATE) washing my face in the sink.
Pros: Could not be easier to clean (you don’t even need soap!), if you want a scrubby brush and a spatula it’s all right there in one
Cons: Very floppy tool makes it hard to apply with any precision, wastes product due to over application/spackle effect, dual ended makeup tools are the devil’s work, and I don’t even want the scrubby brush end
Overall rating: 4/10
Sonia Kashuk Serum Brush
Backstory: First I had the Sephora Mask Applicator, and I knew I could do better, so I started Googling and found out that high end face mask brushes are actual brushes, and I didn’t have to keep trying various silicone ones, they weren’t even fancy! On a trip to Target I was skulking down the beauty aisles - as I do now to prolong being out of the house and remembering the days when I used to wear makeup regularly - and I saw a collection of Sonia Kashuk brushes that weren’t for makeup, but for skincare. There was an eye rollerball and a little brush specifically made to take off eye makeup, and this serum brush. It’s densely packed, so you don’t over-use product. The handle is long and sturdy so you can get very precise with your application. Plus the brush is small, so you can really get into tricky spots (like around your nose). It’s very easy to get your mask out of a jar with just light strokes of the brush, and if you want to clean it in the ultimate lazy way, just use the brush to scoop up some cleansing balm. You don’t even really need to use soap, masks are meant to wash off, so you can just give it a very good rinse, but I’d recommend using soap once a week or so.
Pros: Fairly tightly packed, short bristles, plus a long, sturdy handle make application easy to control, less product waste due to precise application, cheap and easy to get at Target, in case you somehow ruin it and need a replacement
Cons: Needs a bit more attention to cleaning, may want to do a “deep” clean after every few uses, small brush means longer time spent applying masks, harder to switch between different masks
Overall rating: 9/10
Sonia Kashuk Mask Brush
I was all set to pit my Sephora Mask Applicator against the Sonia Kashuk Serum Brush. It was going to be a big shocker that I prefer the serum brush to the actual tool meant for applying masks! Oooh! Content! And then I realized in the same collection that gave me the Serum Brush, there was also… a dedicated mask brush. I couldn’t recommend one brush, used off label, when a brush for that task was RIGHT THERE. So I got a Sonia Kashuk Mask Brush, in the name of Good Science. I don’t prefer it to the Serum Brush, but I definitely prefer it to the Sephora Face Mask Applicator, which is so floppy I have to choke up on it to get any control, which kind of defeats the purpose. This silicone “brush” is much more sturdy, and the brush itself is small, so you can get that control and precision I crave. Plus, like it’s silicone competition, it’s super easy to clean. It’s not my top pick, but it’s an extremely close second and I”ll definitely be keeping it around and using it.
Pros: Stiff, sturdy, and no-nonsense, smaller brush head allows for more precision application, easy to clean
Cons: Applies product heavily, so you will use more that you strictly need, super stiff silicone head may be too rigid for some, small brush means application takes longer
Overall rating: 8/10
As a bonus, because again, i am dedicated to science and exploration and beauty-based experiments, I applied a face mask (specifically this mask, reviewed here), using a different face mask applicator in different quadrants of my face. I will add: The two silicone applicators look like they offer more coverage, but it’s just wasted product. You don’t need to look like an advertisement for a face mask - it just looks more editorial. I prefer the sheer application, which don’t waste product and allows me to justify buying pricier stuff. But that’s just me! You may want a solid, thick application! You may not want to clean a brush! You may like to use three masks at once and therefore need the versatility and quick turnaround time of silicone! But now, hopefully, you don’t have to try four different tools to find the right one for you, and I can justify my fervent opinion that the best face mask applicator is a brush intended for something completely different.
