I want to begin by saying that I am a huge, huge fan of Real Techniques brushes like most are and own several sets but and here comes the but I don't like beauty blender type sponges and essentially that is what the Real Techniques Miracle Complexion Sponge.
However unlike the other types of beauty blending sponges the Real Techniques Miracle Complexion Sponge is rather well made and thought out not to mention rather reasonably priced at £4.99. This orange foam sponge has three separate surfaces/angles for ease of use from a pointed tip to blend foundation in and around the nose, a bevelled edge for precise application and contouring and a large round surface to roll on any product to cover large areas at any one time. To use you run the sponge under water until it expands (it should double in size), squeeze out any 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 Miracle Complexion Sponge is of course 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. For a lighter than air finish with liquid foundations that does have a certain airbrushed quality I suggest bouncing/dabbing the sponge over the face and building up coverage as you go. Every product in my opinion has it's uses and although I am not the hugest fan of sponges of this type they work beautifully with illuminating foundations such as NARS Sheer Glow and L'Oreal Lumi Magic (two of my favourite foundations), nothing seems to encourage the radiance effect quite like this style of application and for that reason alone I do recommend them.
However I doubt I will be fully on board with any Miracle Complexion Sponge model as they simply do not clean up well at all. It doesn't matter how thoroughly you may cleanse the sponge it will stain and it seems never ending with every rinse producing more remains of foundation. I have no word on wither the Real Techniques Miracle Complexion Sponge is constructed of an anti-bacterial substance or not but yeah the hygiene factor is always at the back of my mind and puts me off somewhat. If you do try any beauty blender type product this certainly is not a bad place to start by any means.
Real Techniques Miracle Complexion Sponge* £4.99 via Cloud10Beauty - link
* PR sample sent for consideration of review.
I own the original Beautyblender and am not a huge fan, so I don't think I'll be trying this out! It's much more reasonably priced though, so a great way to satisfy curiosity!
ReplyDeleteoverdosedemaquillage.blogspot.ie
I really want to try one of these! I really associate sponges with when I started wearing makeup so it would be nice to give one another try! xx
ReplyDeletethriftyskies | beauty and trends ♡
when does this come out? I can not wait to buy it!! L xxx
ReplyDeletemaquillagemagic.blogspot.co.uk
I would probably only use one of these for concealer, under the eyes or over blemishes.
ReplyDeleteOMG it's cute and I love egg shaped sponge <3
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Seems like Real Techniques is jumping on the sponge bandwagon here, I don't think i'll be trying this one. £5 may be reasonable in comparison to the original but its still £5 for a sponge! I'll be sticking with my stippling brush I think.
ReplyDeletexo Kirsty
www.beautyisperfection.com
I love using sponges for liquid foundation so will definitely be picking one up. :)
ReplyDeleteI'm not a big fan of sponges... i just think they apply foundation way to thick. I way prefer stippling brush or even fingers to sponges or full on foundation brushes.
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This looks so cool! I definitely want to give it a try!
ReplyDeletexx- missmacbeauty.blogspot.com
Oh wow, this is so exciting. I always get so excited when new beauty products come out, eventhough i know that the beauty blender sponge trend is not exactly new. The price is amazing and i love how the shape of it is different to the ones out at the moment! *puts on my wishlist*
ReplyDeleteThanks for sharing <3 Have a nice day ^^
*- YingcBeauty-*
I have a cheap version of the beauty blender from superdrug and when i first used it i thought it was great but after just a couple uses like you said it stains and just feels a little dirty so i never reach for it! The price is great for this though, i always thought the original beauty blender was way overpriced x
ReplyDeleteI am not into sponges so I'll pass. I use regular no-brand sponges if I feel like it
ReplyDeleteAmna's Blog
Might give this a try!
ReplyDeletewww.emandthem.co.uk
For £4.99.. I wont be able to resist this! x
ReplyDeletei love real techniques and i'd love to try this sponge just for blending in concealer under the eyes xx
ReplyDeletehttp://louiselovesbeauty.blogspot.co.uk/
Well this is a much better price than the blender, I do love the beauty blender too
ReplyDeleteCharli @ Charli-dot-dot-dot.blogspot.com
x
That's a pretty reasonable price!
ReplyDeleteeyelashwishes-x.blogspot.co.uk
I hated my beauty blender at first to put on foundation and i still do. However when i put on too much concealer, which is regularly lol i use my blender to take off any excess and beautifully blend it out with an airbrush finish. I love it!!! I will definitely be trying the real techniques sponge.
ReplyDeletexxlondongirlxx.blogspot.co.uk
I recently purchased my Beauty Blender and have been enjoying it thus far (although, I still do think they're vastly overpriced). For the most part, I've still been using my Real Techniques Expert Face Brush with most of my foundations. I am definitely considering giving this a try. Hopefully Real Techniques will produce and sell a sponge cleaner. Thanks for sharing!
ReplyDeletexx Lauren
Dirty Blonde Ambition
I think I'll be giving this a try, other beauty blender dupes don't look much cop but this looks great!
ReplyDeleteAngie x
The Beauty Belle
I need this in my life! :D
ReplyDeleteI think I'll be sticking with my never ending brush collection if i'm honest, but I love how reasonably priced this is - who'd want to pay a fortune for what is essentially just a sponge?! xx
ReplyDeleteI have a beauty blender sponge and I'm not a fan. It seems to me that even when I dampen the thing, it still absorb all the foundation and I'm left with nothing on my face :(
ReplyDeleteI really wanted this but that kind of puts me off that it doesnt clean well :/
ReplyDeletewww.andrewjamesblog.com
I find it really interesting that a sponge was released, it looks nice though. If I'm looking for a new makeup sponge I'll give this one a try xxx
ReplyDeleteLife of Verity
Ooh I'm interested to try this! I bought a Beauty Blender dupe from eBay a while ago and I really liked it, but most people say it doesn't compare to the actual Beauty Blender so I'd love to give this one a go! Especially as I love the RT brushes!
ReplyDeleteBeauty and Lifestyle Blog
xx
I really like my original beauty blender so I think I'll stick to that, but it's great the UK have got an alternative (and at that price!).
ReplyDeleteKate xo | www.beautybabbles.com
hmm thanks for a detailed and honest review:)
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I have recently got this sponge, I never dabbled with the Beauty Blender as I thought it was a tad too expensive for a sponge! I was really impressed with how cheap this was, and how well it applied my concealer and foundation, without having to use 2 separate brushes.
ReplyDeleteAs you said, the downside is that it does stain very quickly, but I suppose as the cost is very good, you could buy more once it's too stained, maybe.
Paula at Beauty Lover xx