There’s no denying that the world of the beauty sponges has
grown massively in recent years. Having only used a sponge when I was about 14,
trying and failing to apply makeup with those silly dense white sponges (you
know what I mean right?!), I wasn’t exactly convinced that the new sponges on
the market would be massively different. I had also been put off by horror
stories of maggots and rotting sponges on the inside, as well as the costs of
having to replace them every couple of months. Anyway, negatives aside, I
couldn’t get away from the fact that every blogger I knew, read, and watched on
YouTube were all relying on their sponges to get that flawless finish.
For my birthday last month, Jenny (www.dreaminpink.co.uk) bought m the Real
Techniques Miracle Complexion Sponge and I was SO happy to have the push to
finally try it. I’m a massive fan of Real Techniques and am I massive supporter
of Sam and Nic Champan as I have worked with them previously, so I couldn’t
wait to give it a go. Of course, as always, I used the sponge before taking
photos, but I literally could not wait!
First Impressions
The instructions explain you should damp the sponge before
using to achieve a more dewy finish which is something I always try to achieve
with such dry and dehydrated skin. After putting two squirts of my trusty
Bourjois Healthy Mix Serum foundation on the back of my hand, I used the sponge
to push the foundation into my skin. I have to totally hold my hands up and
admit that the coverage was great. The sponge allowed me to build up coverage
in certain areas and the shape of the sponge made it easy to get into all the
hard to reach places. The only downside I found with using it is that I used
nearly double the amount of product to achieve the same coverage that I do with
a stippling brush and it does seem like a much longer process to apply than
when using a brush.
I have always had trouble with blending out my contour,
highlight and bronzer with brushes and I usually find they take off the product
or don’t blend evenly making the product patchy but this sponge helps to blend
like a dream.
The weeks later
So three weeks on and I’ve tried out the sponge in nearly
every way I can think of to test out what does and doesn’t work for me. On work
days when I’m pretty short for time (because I’m a serial alarm snoozer!), I
still use my stippling brush to apply my foundation but then I press it in with
my sponge spritzed with Mac Fix+, I find that this keeps my makeup on SO well
throughout the day and helps achieve the more flawless finish that I couldn’t
quite get with the brush alone. I also use it to blend out my bronzer and
contour. For weekends, nights out, special occasions etc. when I have a lot of
time and I really want to make an effort with my makeup, I’ll use the sponge
for everything, from concealer to contour and then use it to lightly press
powder into the places I need it the most.
I’m trying to keep on top of cleaning it as I don’t really
want to have to keep replacing the sponge every month. I’ve used it a lot and
it still seems in great condition so that’s a good sign.
So is the Real Techniques Miracle Complexion Sponge worth
investing in? Yes. You can buy yours here.
I am interested to know how other sponges, cheaper and more
expensive ones measure up to this so I think I’ve caught the bug and will be
trying more in the future! If you use a sponge to apply your makeup, let me
know in the comments below which one works best for you!
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this review has come at just the right time!! My sister has asked for a beauty blender for her birthday but I was looking at getting her this one as it's like a third of the price! I just wasn't sure if it would be as good quality but looks like it is :) x
ReplyDeletehttp://lifebylaurax.com
I love this sponge but am so bad at keeping it clean! Love the idea of spraying it with MAC Fix+ and then blending!
ReplyDeleteParie x
classandglitter.com
first time I washed, a big chunky of it broke but im still using it :p
ReplyDeletePam xo/ Pam Scalfi♥