You probably won’t believe me, but until now I had never tried the Beautyblender. The REAL Beautyblender. I’ve tried a few replicas and look alike sponges that I received in swag bags here and there, but I couldn’t bring myself to purchase the real thing as it’s expensive. I use Alcone wedge sponges (Sam Fine swears by them) in my kit and they work great so I didn’t think I was missing out on anything. I therefore convinced myself that I didn’t need it and kept it moving.
Fast forward, I’ve been really into highlighting and contouring my own face as of the last year or so. Before then it wasn’t something that I did on a daily basis, now I can not do a full face without these steps. I watch a ton of makeup tutorials on YouTube and have come to realize that the best looking highlights & contours are done with the Beautyblender. I had to suck it up and get me a few, but I was smart about it and purchased a set from The Makeup Show NYC. The set included the Original Beautyblender in 3 different colors, a Micro.Mini and a small Solid cleanser for I believe $35. A single Original Beautyblender is $20 so this was definitely a great deal.
The Beautyblender is an edgeless, egg-shaped, reusable HD makeup sponge. It’s made with an open cell structure that fills with small amounts of water when wet, causing the sponge to expand to double it’s size. This allows you to use less product as since the sponge is filled with water, product sits on top rather than being absorbed. The Beautyblender can be used with liquid, cream and powder products. The edgeless shape make it easy to get otherwise hard to blend areas such as around the nose and under the eyes. The Micro.Mini version makes it even easier to get to those places since it’s so tiny, especially under the eyes.
This is how I usually place my highlight and contour on a regular old work day, but not as sloppily placed (sorry, I was running late.) Nothing too crazy, just adding back in the natural definition that is lost when you apply foundation. I’m using the Anastasia Beverly Hills Contour Cream Kit in Deep. I used the Original Beautyblender to apply my foundation, and then to blend out my highlight & contour. I used the Micro.Mini Beautyblender to really get under my eyes where it creases if I don’t apply enough product. Here’s the results…
I’ve never gotten such seamless results using a brush or any of the replica sponges. I noticed that the material of the real Beautyblender compared to the replicas is very different. The Beautyblender is very lightweight and flexible while the others were more dense and not as flexible. They just don’t compare to the real thing.
The Solid cleanser works great to remove every bit of makeup from the sponge. I was a bad girl and used mine with liquid foundation and contour creams for days without washing and it still removed everything. Don’t be bad like me though, I highly suggest washing immediately after use if you can or at least everyday.
I’m completely sold on the Beautyblender and plan to invest in a few more for my MUA Kit. I still can’t commit to that price tag though so I will have to purchase during Friends & Family Sales or at events like IMATS and The Makeup Show. I’m cheap lol.
6 Responses
This is so interesting. Thanks for sharing.
You’re welcome!
Loved this article.. You’re beautiful. Keeping doing you!
Thank you!