First of all, I know some of you would never pay $19.95 for a makeup sponge and that is absolutely fine. As much as I feel as though the right tool can really help achieve a great makeup look, I am the girl who has done paintings with the brushes that come in the Crayola watercolor sets [I was once a poor college student] and most people would never be able to guess.
The Beauty Blender is best suited for a foundation that would usually look unnatural and mask-like if you were to try to apply with your fingers or a foundation brush. It is for the foundation that streaks on your skin and doesn't seem to blend no matter how hard you try. So, in my opinion, this is best used with full coverage foundations, though it works fine with foundation that are lighter.
Wetting the sponge and squeezing out the excess water is recommended. That being said, I find that if I use the sponge to apply my foundation, it doesn't last during the day. The best way of applying it for me is to apply my foundation (with fingers) and then lightly bounce the slightly damp sponge on my face to soften any streaks or cakey spots. I also get the best coverage with this method.
The only major problem that I've had with my sponge is it bleeds.
While the pink color is pleasant, it's not what I was expecting from a $20 sponge. I do have a second sponge in my pack and I haven't tried that to test the bleeding, but I was hoping to keep that as a back up as they do recommend that you replace the sponge (with much more frequency than I plan to be doing).
I think I got a dud but I think there was that little voice in my head saying I'll just try "one more washing" and it should "be fine" and well, it still hasn't stopped bleeding and it's too late to return. At least it hasn't stained my face pink.
Don't get me wrong, I do love the little sponge and use it frequently. I would recommend this or one of the various dupes out there if you want to try using reusable sponges with your foundation. Bleeding aside, my sponge has remained soft and bouncy. It has no tears, has retained its original shape and hasn't gotten discolored. It cleans thoroughly and doesn't stain. It feels soft on the skin dry or damp and it is very helpful when I'm trying to blend something like Makeup Forever Mat Velvet+ which tends to cake.
So, all in all, I do really like the sponge and I sincerely hope my little bleeding issue is merely a defect and doesn't occur on a larger scale. You can buy the Beauty Blender at Sephora, Beauty.com and many other e-tailers. The single sponge sells for $19.95, the duo $25.95 and the duo + cleanser for $39.95.
If you own or have owned a Beauty Blender, I'd love to hear your thoughts in the comments!
