Sephora Beauty Blenders

First of all neither of the two sponges I own are the Original Beauty Blender, I did scour Sephora and the likes for one but they were out of stock so I settled for two of Sephora's own brand versions. The pink angled sponge is called the Sculptor and I bought it to use with contouring products and the little yellow egg shaped sponge has been dubbed the Precision Sponge and is the closest dupe to the Original Beauty Blender that Sephora offer. Neither sponge lists exactly what it is constructed of but to me they feel like Latex so if you have an allergy to such product I do suggest researching a little further to ensure that they are safe for you to use.

Sephora Beauty Blenders

Admittedly the beauty blender type of sponges are not for those who struggle with time in the morning as they do require a little prep before using, worth the effort yes but it can be time consuming. To use you run the sponge under water until it expands (it should double in size), squeeze out the excess water and then sandwich the sponge in-between a towel and again squeeze to soak up any remaining water. You are aiming for a damp sponge that is not dripping wet. An odd concept yes but it somehow works.

What you use your beauty blender for is entirely up to you but I find it best for stippling on foundation and other cream products although some have claimed that the sponge is great when used dry for powder products. In my experience it gave a rather heavy and uneven finish but it is worth a try none the less. When it comes to applying liquid bases I prefer the standard yellow egg shaped sponge (Sephora Precision Sponge) as the tapered egg is fantastic for working product into hard to reach places such as the under eye and around the nose, the round base is better suited to larger areas such as the cheeks and forehead. For a lighter than air finish that does have a certain airbrushed quality I suggest bouncing/dabbing the sponge over the face and building up coverage as you go.

Sephora Beauty Blenders
Sephora Beauty Blenders

Truthfully I'm still getting to grips with the Sculptor (pink sponge) the bevelled edge did initially seem ideal for contouring with but as the tip is so wide it is not quite delivering the precision I crave. At the moment I am using it for concealer - it works great with cream formulas particularly if a sheerer, natural finish is what you are aiming to achieve. Speaking of sheering out products I do have to warn you that both sponges as they have been damped not only reduce the coverage levels of any product used in conjunction but do have a terrible habit of retaining liquids. By that I mean you will loose more foundation etc to the sponge than you will apply to your face.

The other issue I have with the whole beauty blending craze is hygiene as someone with breakout prone skin I have to be rather cautious and after using a beauty blender a good few times I'm not convinced it is best suited for my skin type. After each use it is suggested that you rinse out the sponge with a gentle cleanser (baby shampoo is ideal) but I warn you now that this is an odious task. You can squeeze, scrub and use all the baby shampoo in the world and these pesky sponges still wouldn't rinse clean and don't get me started on staining.

Summed up? A novel way to apply foundation et al particularly if you prefer a soft focus airbrush effect but hygienic they are not.

Random Fact - Sponges lack the following things: tissues, neurons and a gut but are in fact an animal and can not produce their own food.