8 Pack how do you apply thermal paste?

[BigBANGtheory]

I have seen many different methods:

1. Pea size blob
2. Line
3. X lines
4. 4 small dots

and then spreading the paste with
a. plastic spreader
b. fine brush
c. cotton bud
d. a finger protected by a plastic glove or bag
e. or just small movements with the cpu cooler prior to fixing

What method would you recommend for a modern thermal paste (not liquid metal products) on a modern CPU?

thanks in advance