I use a cotton bud [swab] ....I pull the looser cotton tip off, leaving the `anchor`cotton which is stuck to the tip, I dip it in the glue[not too deeply]..... I use the same one over and over because after a few applications, a kind of `bulb`of glue builds up on it ... I use it to smear the glue on, very little sticks /remains on it. Eventually if the glue-ball gets a little too large, you can simply cut it off with a scissors.When I`m finished using it, I lie it on some object with the glue-end overhanging the edge so it`s not in contact with any surface...... it just dries naturally without sticking to anything. I suppose the easiest thing is an artists paintbrush, for a newbie, but you`ll have to clean the brush each time.....just put a little solvent into a very small [glass] container and allow the brush to stand in it for a while.... Paul.
p.s. Did you get sorted out with a stylist ? I know of another one now in Dublin if you`re `stuck`..am waiting to get a price off him for a cut-in and will let you know when I get the information ...