Review: Sonia Kashuk Blending Sponge

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We all know how difficult it is to find the best tool to apply our liquid foundations. The Beauty Blender has been known as THE sponge to use for liquid foundation, but at $19.99 a sponge, there was no way I could even fathom spending that much on a SPONGE! Cue in Sonia Kashuk's Blending sponge.

Price:

At $9.99 it is half of the Beauty Blender. Can be bought at Target stores. Pricey for a sponge, but it is re-usable as opposed to disposable.

Texture/Feel:

When the sponge is dry, it is smaller than the palm of my hand. Its (dry) texture is that of a stiff sponge. Once wet, it swells up the taller than my palm, and its texture is that of a soft, pliable sponge.

How to use:

To start, run under almost warm water. Squeeze the sponge to allow it to absorb water, ring out, and squeeze in towel to remove excess water. Sponge should not be wet, but now slightly damp. To apply foundation: either blend it over the skin like a typical sponge applicator, OR stipple it on the skin by bouncing the sponge over the face.

How to Clean:

Dampen sponge by running under water and squeezing the ball to allow it to absorb the water. Apply some cleaner (I use baby shampoo) and massage throughout the ball GENTLY. Massaging/rubbing/cleaning the sponge to roughly will cause you to rip it. Rinse sponge (like you would a normal kitchen sponge) This takes quite a bit of rinsing, then dry by squeezing out excess water in towel and allow to air dry.

Pros:

I absolutely adore the finish this sponge gives when I use it with MAC Studio Fix Fluid. SFF tends to look cakey and mask like if not super blended, and with the sponge, I don't have to kill my arm to do so. It gives a super natural finish to my typically super matte foundation. It blends the foundation into my skin so effortlessly, and looks almost airbrushed. I prefer to stipple or bounce it on my skin as opposed to wiping/blending it over the skin. What I love the most is the pointed tip. It allows me to easily blend around my nose, and eyes. I can also use this with concealor for under my eyes or to precisely apply concealor to blemishes. Sometimes, I like to apply my foundation with my 109 brush, and then bounce this over the skin to completely blend it in.

Cons:

Typically, I use 1-1.5 pumps of foundation for my entire face when I use a brush like the 187 or 109, but when I use this I find I have to use at least 2 pumps to get the coverage I prefer. Even though the sponge is very damp, it still seems to absorb alot of my foundation. Hence why I apply my foundation with my 109, then use this after to finish blending in the foundation by bouncing it on the skin. Another con is having to wet it before use. With normal disposable wedge sponges, a mist of water or Fix+ is suitable enough to dampen the sponge, but with the blending sponge, I would use a whole bottle of Fix+ attempting to dampen it enough. So I have to go to my makeup room, get my blending sponge, bring it to the bathroom, dampen it, dry it, then go back to my makeup room to apply my makeup.

Overall, I really do adore the finish this sponge gives to my foundation. As I stated, I like to apply my foundation with my 109, then to finish blending, bounce the damp blending sponge over my skin. This way, I still get the great finish/look this sponge gives without wasting a ton of my foundation when I use just the sponge to apply my foundation. The price is great considering it is re-usable. Not only can this be used to apply liquid foundation, but you can also use it to apply cream foundation, concealor, cream blushes, cheek stains, as well as any liquid or cream product like moisturizer, primer, liquid highlighters and so on!

If you're on the hunt for a new tool to apply liquid products or just sick of looking for a brush to give you that airbrushed look, I say go to your local Target store or visit http://www.target.com/ to purchase a Sonia Kashuk Blending Sponge!

Til next time!