Good morning, beauties. Today I will be reviewing 4 popular beauty sponges, all of which I have purchased with my own money and tested out! I will be reviewing the Real Techniques Miracle Diamond Sponge, L’Oreal’s Infallible Blend Artist Foundation Blender, The Original BeautyBlender, and the NYX Professional Makeup’s Access Flawless Finish Sponge.
I’ll start by explaining what a beauty sponge is for those of you who aren’t familiar with them. A beauty sponge is a multi-purpose makeup applicator. You wet the sponge, squeeze out the excess water, and then dip it in the product. You can use these to apply primer, liquid foundation, BB cream, tinted moisturizer, concealer, cream blush, cream bronzer, liquid or cream highlighter. You can use these to apply pretty much any product that is liquid or cream! You can also use them to bake with. Baking is a technique where you dip a brush or beauty sponge into a translucent powder and apply the powder to the parts of your face that you have applied concealer. This just helps to set the product and to keep it from creasing.
Multi-faceted Real Techniques Miracle Diamond Sponge
WHAT IS IS:
It is a beauty sponge that has a pointed tip to cover small imperfections, the larger flat sides function as a wedge to apply makeup to larger areas like your forehead and cheeks, and the smaller flat sides are great for precision contouring around your eyes, mouth, and brow bone. It also says that the top works great to buff and blend out your makeup for a flawless finish.
HOW TO USE:
Use wet for dewy application and dry for full coverage powders. Ideal for creams, or liquids for flawless results. Replace every 1-3 months.
WHAT I THINK:
It is nice and dense, but not too dense. Once it is wet, it becomes soft and bouncy. The flat top is amazing. It applies my foundation flawlessly. It gives me the most coverage out of all the sponges I’ve tried over the years, which is amazing. I don’t care for the other sides, though. It is difficult to use the other sides. I feel like the tip is too flimsy. I think the diamond shape is pretty unnecessary because only one side of the diamond actually works and can be used. Other people may like this shape, but I personally don’t. I don’t hate it, but I would have liked it a lot more if one side worked well for applying concealer. Since it is so flimsy, the concealer application wasn’t good. Overall, I do love the flat top of this sponge enough that I will continue purchasing just for that reason!
L’Oreal’s Infallible Blend Artist Foundation Blender
WHAT IT IS:
It is a beauty sponge designed with an exclusive plush material and easy to grip shape, which creates a makeup application that will ‘wow’ the pros. Rounded edges of the blending sponge guarantee effortless blending. Plush sponge material ensures makeup sits on the sponge creating a smoother, more uniform blending experience and a professional makeup result.
HOW TO USE:
Apply a small amount of foundation onto blender, use dabbing and rolling motions to blend the product onto skin for the smoothest, most uniform application. It also gives a makeup artist tip which is to use the pointed tip to apply makeup onto your face. Use the bottom to dab and roll product onto the skin. Use additional product to build to your desired level of coverage.
WHAT I THINK:
If you read my blog posts often, you may notice that I don’t give a lot of negative reviews. Usually if I don’t like something, I just don’t talk about it. I try to talk about and review all the things I love, but I am going to be brutally honest with you guys right now. I do not like this sponge at all. I was very disappointed when I used it. It applied my foundation very splotchy and didn’t give me a lot of coverage at all. The sponge held water in it, even after I squeezed it out several times with a towel. Since it was so wet, it sheered my foundation. It soaked up the product. So what ends up happening is you waste A TON of product because you have to keep applying more and more foundation to get the coverage you want which is a big issue since foundation is pretty expensive, right?! I promise I tried to like it, but let’s be real, no one wants to pay $40 for a foundation just to use it all within a couple of weeks because of a sponge that absorbs it all and ruins the consistency. If I buy I full coverage foundation, I want it to be full coverage, not watered down by a sponge. I even tried using it barely damp to see if I may have wet it too much the first try, but it was just as bad that way. I know that was a mouth full, but I just wanted to give a good explanation of why I don’t like it. It didn’t apply my concealer even or flawlessly. The sponge itself feels dense and doesn’t get much softer when wet. Just too dense for me. I prefer mine to be bouncy and soft. The texture is pretty rough on my skin. It feels really cheap-made to me. It wasn’t worth the money in my opinion, but please try it for yourself before you make a decision. What doesn’t work for me could work for you. Everyone is different!
The Original BeautyBlender®
WHAT IT IS:
NYX Professional Makeup’s Access Flawless Finish Sponge
WHAT IT IS:
A multi-functional sponge with a rounded bottom and flat edge perfect for blending and contouring for a smooth, flawless finish.
HOW TO USE:
It doesn’t give actual directions, but you wet this one and squeeze out the excess water and then apply your product, just as you would with any beauty sponge.
WHAT I THINK:
Are you guys ready to hear my honest opinion???? I think this is the perfect dupe for The Original Beauty Blender. I am so in love with this sponge. When I used it for the first time, I was actually doing a happy dance because umm… $7.99 vs $20, DUH! It is my number 1 favorite sponge at the moment. I can’t apply my foundation without it now. It is soft and bouncy when wet. It feels amazing on the skin! Applies product seamlessly, evenly, & flawlessly. It applies products full coverage as well. Does not soak up your foundation at all. On the pointed end, it has a rounded side and a flat side. I am in love with that. I use the bigger end to apply foundation, smaller rounded end to apply concealer, and smaller flat end to bake with! The flat part makes baking super easy! I can’t say enough great things about this sponge. ORDER ONE RIGHT NOW. You won’t regret it, I promise. You can thank me later. Just click the photo above to be directed to the website!
WHAT’S THE VERDICT?
The NYX Professional Makeup Access Flawless Finish Sponge • $7.99 is my favorite beauty sponge at the moment. It is only $7.99 and it is so incredible! It is a professional quality sponge that delivers professional quality results. I keep these in my makeup artistry kit, my makeup bag, and in my makeup drawer at home. I highly recommend this one if you’re looking for a high-quality, affordable beauty sponge.
OTHER THINGS YOU SHOULD KNOW:
1. Beauty sponges can get full of bacteria if you don’t clean them often and properly which will lead to clogged pores and breakouts.
I spot clean mine daily after use with the SEPHORA COLLECTION The Cleanse: Daily Brush Cleaner • Sephora • $8.50–15 and weekly with the beautyblender – Liquid Blendercleanser®, 150ml – Colorless • Beautyblender • $18
2. Do not store your damp sponge in a sealed tight bag, such as a ziplock. You are asking for a moldy, bacteria filled mess if you do this. Let it air dry always!
3. Replace your sponge every 3-4 months. They will start getting super dirty and worn out after month 3, and they will no longer work as good as they did when they were new. If you clean them and take care of them well, they will definitely last up to 4 months. 🙂
Thanks for reading. I hope this helps you decide which beauty sponge to purchase. If you’ve never used one, I encourage you to purchase one from above. They are a total game-changer in the beauty world, trust me! Let me know if you have any questions.
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