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Ladies and gentlemen… it’s time for the battle of the electric foundation brushes! 

On our right we have…

CLARISONIC ‘SONIC’ FOUNDATION BRUSH HEAD ($35)

FYI- it’s $35 for the attachment. The devices are sold separately. The Sonic is sold at ULTA and I think clarisonic’s website.
Compatible with all Clarisonic face brushes – Mia 1, Mia 2, Mia FIT, and Smart Profile – the Sonic Foundation Brush Head completely transforms your device from sonic cleanser to makeup applicator.
Benefits:
🔹️Applies your favorite liquid or stick foundation in under a minute

🔹️Delivers an airbrushed makeup look

🔹️Effortlessly applies foundation in hard to reach areas allowing for seamless application

🔹️Works well with BB/CC cream concealer, color correcting primer, liquid highlighter, and contour product

🔹️Covers imperfections such as blemishes and acne scars better than hands

🔹️Uses less foundation with minimal formula absorption from the makeup brush

And on our left…

MICHAEL TODD BEAUTY ‘SONICBLEND’ ($79)
The SONICBLEND is $79 and you can buy it from ULTA. They also sell replacement brush heads for $26. It’s antimicrobial which means the bristles have a coating that reduces bacterial formation. A lot of normal makeup brushes are antimicrobial but SONICBLEND is the first battery operated brush of its kind. It has 3 speeds and a rechargeable battery that lasts for 60 minutes.

The brush head is similar to a traditional flat top kabuki foundation brush. The SONICBLEND offers the same benefits as the SONIC but what I found most interesting about this brush is that you can use it with powder products as well. 

Okay so now that we’ve met our two opponents, let’s talk about how they measure up!

As I mentioned previously, the SONICBLEND has a more traditional brush head. It’s a densely packed kabuki style brush. Mine is a flat top but they also have a round top version.
The CLARISONIC has a larger brush head with longer, looser fibers that are more flexible.

FOUNDATION:

SONIC
With this brush, you start by dabbing the foundation on to your face. The brush applies and blends quickly, using very little product. The result is a smooth ‘airbrushed’ finish with minimal effort.

SONICBLEND
When I first got this brush I was using it the same way that I used the Clarisonic, by first dabbing the foundation on my face. It took much longer than with the SONIC. Then I read the instructions. With the SONICBLEND, you’ll want to pump your foundation on to a hand palette and then dab the brush directly into the product. Imagine that! The process went much more smoothly when I used the brush correctly. 

WINNER: SONIC

This was a close race because I love the results I got with both brushes. For me the SONIC won because I found that the larger brush head applied my foundation a little more quickly and I used slightly less product. However if you read Emma’s review of the SONIC, she didn’t like having to dirty up her fingers while dabbing on the foundation. This doesn’t bother me but if you don’t like getting your hands dirty then you might prefer the SONICBLEND.

CONCEALER:

SONIC

This did a great job of spot concealing. After covering a blemish with concealer, the SONIC blended the product in about 2 seconds. No lie. Buffing my undereye concealer was a bit more challenging. The area under the eye was no problem but due to it’s larger size I couldn’t easily get into the inner corner of my eye where I have a lot of darkness. 

SONICBLEND
This brush made spot concealing effortless as well. Due to it’s more compact size, I could angle the SONICBLEND into smaller areas more easily.

WINNER: SONICBLEND

Both brushes made easy work of blending concealer but the SONICBLEND won out since it fits into the inner corner of the eye with more ease. 

CONTOUR AND HIGHLIGHT:

SONIC

I normally don’t bother with using cream contour and highlight products… until now! I was flabbergasted by how quickly and efficiently this brush blended out my contour. Now I find myself wanting to add this step into my routine on a regular basis.

SONICBLEND
The SONICBLEND does a decent job at blending cream contour and highlight but it took longer and the results weren’t quite as flawless. The exception being nose contour. Here’s another instance when the SONICBLEND’s smaller size comes in handy.

WINNER: SONIC

The SONIC has been a total game changer for my contour game.

BLUSH:
SONIC

The SONIC applies and blends cream blush perfectly and in seconds. 

SONICBLEND
The SONICBLEND does the same and you also have two options of how to apply. You can either dab the product on to your face with your fingers or you could dip the brush directly into the pan.

WINNER: TIE

 There’s no clear winner here for me since they both applied blush quickly and efficiently. Also I wouldn’t put a brush directly into a pan because I’m a makeup artist and hygiene is always on my mind. You can easily sanitize cream cosmetics with BEAUTY SO CLEAN but it’s an extra step.

POWDER:

SONIC

The SONIC is not recommended for powder products.

SONICBLEND
You know the ‘buffing technique’ made famous by Wayne Goss? This brush is amazing for that! 

WINNER: SONICBLEND

PRICE:

SONIC

The SONIC brush head is $35 which is great… assuming that you already have a Clarisonic device. If not, that will set you back a minimum of $129 for the least expensive model. 

SONICBLEND
The SONICBLEND is $79 and the replacement heads are $26.

So who’s our winner…

It’s a bit of a toss up. I like the SONIC more for foundation and contouring. I like the SONICBLEND more for concealer and setting powder. And it has the added benefit of being antimicrobial. I like both brushes very much so in the end, it comes down to price. My recommendation is to go with the SONIC if you already have a Clarisonic for cleansing. Otherwise I’d go SONICBLEND.