Hello everyone! It has been awhile, but I think you will definitely enjoy this post because we will be battling out 10 beauty sponges to see which one is the best.
I have been a fan of beauty sponges ever since I started wearing makeup. Having acne, textured skin, sponges help in pushing the product into your skin thus providing you with a smoother canvas. It is also a multi-tasker product: you can use it for liquids, creams, powders, etc. There are a lot of beauty sponges in the market, but which one should you spend your money on?
I am going to review 10 sponges in this post. I am going to rank them from best to worst and at the end I am going to provide you with my recommendations. I will be focusing on these categories:
- Softness and Bounce
- Product Absorption
- Blending Ability
- Durability and Ease of Cleaning
For this review, the sponges are used damped - I usually squeeze out as much water as I can. I will also be showing you unfiltered and unedited photos of one side of my face with foundation using the sponges. I used 1 pump of the L.A. Girl Pro Coverage HD Foundation, which is pretty liquidy, to show how much product is absorbed and how well the sponges blend.
Disclaimer: The ranking is based on my own experience and preference - it does not mean that the product is not good or it will not work for you. Please note that I have tested these sponges a couple of times already using different products so I already have formed a solid opinion on them. I tried to make this post as detailed and concise as I can, so hopefully it can help you decide which beauty sponge to try/buy.
Ready? Let's start!
The Original Beauty Blender (Pink)
Total Score: 4.75/5
Total Score: 4.75/5
Price: ₱990.00
Where I got mine: BeautyMNL
The makeup sponge that started it all! This is the most expensive on this list yet by far the best makeup sponge I have ever tried. I was hesitant to spend money on this but after trying it, I honestly cannot go back to other sponges. It is also the only product I use to bake or set under my eyes with powder. I will definitely repurchase this in case it gets lost or it breaks apart on me.
Softness and Bounce: 4.5/5
The Beauty Blender features an open cell structure and is the most porous of them all. Because of this, you can definitely squeeze out all the water in it and you are left with just a soft sponge.
Product Absorption: 4.5/5
This is one of the sponges that soaked up the less amount of product.
Blending Ability: 5/5
Using this makes blending like a dream! It does not pick up the product once applied rather it spreads it out nicely and really pushes it into your skin. It did sheer out the foundation a tiny bit, but most of the product are still blended on the skin and not soaked by the sponge.
Durability and Ease of Cleaning: 5/5
No complaints with this one. It was very easy to clean and actually very, very durable. It is advised that you replace this every 3 months but I had mine for almost a year now and there are still no cuts on it.
Real Techniques Miracle Complexion Sponge
Total Score: 4.75/5
Price: ₱450.00
Price: ₱450.00
Where I got mine: Make Up Depot PH
The sponge crowned as "the best dupe" for the Beauty Blender. I felt like they did change the sponge (if you bought one like 5 years ago I think you will know what I mean) but it still performs the same way. If you do not have the money or just do not want to spend too much on the Beauty Blender, this is the next best thing but beware: I feel like you will spend more money on this than just getting the Beauty Blender. I will explain this further below.
Softness and Bounce: 5/5
This sponge is unbelievably soft! I find that it retains a little bit of water in the center but it is just really soft and because it is not porous, the texture and softness is better than the Beauty Blender.
Product Absorption: 5/5
I find that this sponge does not absorb product because all of the foundation is being deposited into your skin - it definitely offers more coverage than the Beauty Blender.
Blending Ability: 5/5
Just like the Beauty Blender, blending using this sponge is really easy breezy. The sponge is super soft and the flat edge of the sponge covers a larger area at a time.
Durability and Ease of Cleaning: 4/5
This is where I think the Real Techniques sponge is behind the Beauty Blender - it is not as durable as the latter. After 2-3 washes, I start noticing little cuts especially on the flat edge which I use the most. After 3 months of regular use, it's completely full of nicks and I need to replace it. Yes, it is half the price of the Beauty Blender, but buying 4 of these in a year compared to just 1 Beauty Blender is definitely more expensive.
Nippon Esthetic PH Pro Blend Sponge
Total Score: 4.63/5
Total Score: 4.63/5
Price: ₱250.00
Where I got mine: Nippon Esthetic PH
A Filipino brand sponge, Nippon is catered more to professional makeup artists (or aspiring ones). They actually offer this in a set with 2 sponges and a cleaner for only ₱500.00. To be honest this is the closest in terms of look to the Beauty Blender.
Softness and Bounce: 3.5/5
Very similar to the Beauty Blender, this sponge is also porous however it retains more water than the latter and definitely not as soft - there are actually other sponges down this list that are softer.
Product Absorption: 5/5
This is where I think it is better than the Beauty Blender - it provides more coverage. The result I got from this sponge is very similar to when I use the Real Techniques Sponge.
Blending Ability: 5/5
Despite not as being soft as the first 2 sponges, it definitely blends very, very similarly.
Durability and Ease of Cleaning: 5/5
No issues with this sponge both with durability and ease of cleaning. Again, I have mine for over a year and a half and I do not see any cuts or nicks on it.
Miss Bella PH Precision Beauty Sponge (Black)
Total Score: 4.25/5
Price: ₱300.00
Price: ₱300.00
Where I got mine: Miss Bella PH
This is the newest in my collection, but also the one that surprised me the most on how well it performed. The shape of the sponge is definitely interesting: the tips is flat which is helpful in baking (underneath your contour or underneath your eyeliner, similar to what Jaclyn Hill would do).
Softness and Bounce: 4/5
It does retain water but it is very soft which surprised me. Bouncing it into your skin is really, really soft as well.
Product Absorption: 4/5
I felt like this sponge, even if it retains water, definitely absorbs my foundation and sheers out the coverage. I use this for more of my thicker foundations.
Blending Ability: 4/5
I am deducting a point just because it is not as soft as the first 3 sponges mentioned, and it took a little bit of time making sure that everything is blended in.
Durability and Ease of Cleaning: 5/5
Since it absorbs a bit of product I thought it will be harder to clean but it was very easy and only took a few seconds to completely clean it. I already used this 4 times, and still no cuts or nicks on the sponge.
AOA Wonder Blender (Black Beveled)
Total Score: 4.13/5
Price: ₱169.00
Price: ₱169.00
Where I got mine: Your Makeup Store PH
I am not sure where I read it, but people are saying that the AOA sponges are a dupe to the Beauty Blender and I was so confused when I received it because it was so far off from the Beauty Blender, even the Real Techniques despite the similar shape. The cheapest on this list, but definitely workable.
Softness and Bounce: 3/5
The sponge is hard when dry, and it does expand upon wetting but it is still a bit hard.
Product Absorption: 4/5
It performs very similar to the Miss Bella sponge - it does absorb product and sheers out my foundation.
Blending Ability: 4/5
It is not as bouncy when blending out product on the face but I feel like I had an easier time using this than the Miss Bella sponge. I think it is because of the flat edge.
Durability and Ease of Cleaning: 5/5
Again, very easy to clean and I have washed it a couple of times and there are no cuts on the sponge.
DETAIL Black Pamper Blender
Total Score: 3.63/5
Price: ₱299.00
Price: ₱299.00
Where I got mine: BeautyMNL
The feel of this sponge is like latex, but they claim that it is latex free. This is very similar to the Ever Bilena and BH Cosmetics sponges but a tiny bit softer. I bought it upon a recommendation of a friend that I trust because she said it was soft, but I was so disappointed because this sponge is hard.
Softness and Bounce: 2.5/5
If you have tried latex sponges, you will know that they are hard. Yes, it doubles in size when damp but it is still as hard as when it is dry. It also retains a lot of water.
Product Absorption: 4/5
Honestly I am happy that this does not soak up foundation and it still provides decent coverage without sheering out the coverage too much.
Blending Ability: 3/5
Deducting points because of how hard it is - the hardness of the sponge makes it very difficult to navigate it to the sides of the nose and other crevices of my face.
Durability and Ease of Cleaning: 5/5
I have had this for 6 months I believe, and even with multiple use it still looks like new. Also, it is very easy to clean because it does not soak up product much.
Ever Bilena Blend Me Sponge
Total Score: 3.5/5
Price: ₱200.00
Price: ₱200.00
Where I got mine: Watsons
Very similar to the Detail sponge but ₱100 cheaper and a bit harder.
Softness and Bounce: 2/5
This sponge is very hard. It does expand when wet but it did not contribute to softening up the sponge for application. It also retains a lot of water and it hurts my hand trying to squeeze out this sponge.
Product Absorption: 4/5
Again similar to the Detail sponge, it does not soak up the foundation.
Blending Ability: 3/5
Very hard and it feels a bit uncomfortable bouncing it on the skin while blending. It cannot reach well on the sides of my nose as well.
Durability and Ease of Cleaning: 5/5
Very durable and easy to clean - no complaints on this area.
WUNDER2 Wunderblend Professional Complexion Sponge
Total Score: 3.38/5
Price: ₱400.00
Price: ₱400.00
Where I got mine: BeautyMNL
This is the sponge that I have high hopes for because the brand sells expensive foundation and brow products and when I saw the price of this, I thought it was a steal. This is softer than the Ever Bilena and Detail sponges, but I was so disappointed because it is so fragile. More details below.
Softness and Bounce: 4/5
Very, very soft sponge and does not retain a lot of water.
Product Absorption: 3/5
It does absorb a lot of product and definitely sheers out my foundation.
Blending Ability: 3.5/5
Minus points because of the sheer coverage. It also picks up product from my face and took a long time to blend it out.
Durability and Ease of Cleaning: 3/5
This is where I am so frustrated with this sponge - first time I washed it I noticed a cut on the sponge and the second time, it has a huge cut at the bottom/widest part. I used it a couple of times afterwards but everytime I wash it I notice more cuts.
Happy Skin Air Touch Sponge (Pink)
Total Score: 3.25/5
Price: ₱499.00
Price: ₱499.00
Where I got mine: BeautyMNL
Again another sponge that disappointed me greatly because the shape was very interesting and it is from a Filipino brand known for great makeup products. The first time I used it, it felt so weird and as I use it more it just gets worse and worse.
Softness and Bounce: 3/5
Yes it is soft but also retains a lot of water! The center also gets a bit putty and takes a lot of time for it to bounce back to shape once pressed. I also feel like the top part of the sponge does soften up upon wetting it, but the bottom is still stiff.
Product Absorption: 3/5
I already expected that since it absorbs a lot of water, it will also absorb a lot of product. This gave me the sheerest coverage out of all the sponges.
Blending Ability: 3.5/5
Similar to the Wunder2 sponge, it also picks up a chunk of the foundation so when I go bounce the sponge on a different area of the face, there is a streak of product left. Using this sponge also takes a lot of time before I can get an even, blended application.
Durability and Ease of Cleaning: 3.5/5
The first time I went to wet the sponge, I already noticed a small cut. I did not see any other cuts after that even after multiple times cleaning it, but this sponge is so hard to clean. Because of all the foundation soaked inside, it takes a long time to really remove all of those.
BH Cosmetics Studio Pro Beauty Sponge
Total Score: 3/5
Price: ₱380.00
Price: ₱380.00
Where I got mine: Shophomore Online
The lowest ranked sponge on this list for multiple reasons. As mentioned, this is similar to the Ever Bilena and Detail sponges in terms of feel and performance.
Softness and Bounce: 2/5
The sponge does not really expand much, and retains a lot of water.
Product Absorption: 4/5
It does not absorb a lot of product surprisingly. I am still able to get good coverage from this.
Blending Ability: 3/5
Since this sponge is very hard, it feels like I am pounding my face even if I bounce it lightly. Also, the shape is not as pointy as the others, so it was really hard to reach the sides of the nose or get it right under the eyes.
Durability and Ease of Cleaning: 3.5/5
The sponge is durable but I am deducting points because I always have such a huge struggle cleaning this sponge every time I use it! It takes me more than 2 minutes to make sure that all products are out of the sponge.
Now, let's move on to my recommendations:
- If you want a sponge that works well and lasts a long time, I would strongly suggest that you pick up The Original Beauty Blender. It is definitely an investment, but I can personally say that it is worth it.
- If you do not have the budget for it, you can pick up the Real Techniques Miracle Complexion Sponge, Nippon Pro Blend Sponge or the Miss Bella Precision Beauty Sponge, depending on which is easily accessible to you. I think these sponges are of good quality and works really well for its price.
- Stay away from sponges that are hard to begin with and feels like latex. The ones mentioned in this post are the Detail Black Pamper Sponge, Ever Bilena Blend Me Sponge and BH Cosmetics Studio Pro Beauty Sponge. Others I know that are similar are the sponges from BYS, Shawill and Miine (Watsons).
Make sure that you are also washing your sponges after using it - this prevents staining of the sponges and more importantly it prevents bacteria from growing on the sponge. Also, make sure to air dry it before storing to avoid getting molds on your sponge. In case you are curious, I use the free circular bar soaps you get from hotels. I think they work very similar, if not, better than the Beauty Blender Solid which is expensive.
And that is it for this post! What do you guys think? I really hope that this is helpful to all of you and I want to reiterate that these are all my own, personal opinions - I know that there are more beauty sponges out there so definitely let me know of your recommendations in the comments below.
Thank you so much for reading, and see you on my next post! 😘😘😘
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