There has definitely been a craze for make up sponges in the beauty world over the past few months. I never got round to buying the BeautyBlender because they remind me of my horrendous attempts at applying foundation when I was younger, and I didn't want to spend a lot of money on something I didn't think would work well for me. I did buy a dupe for a fraction of the price, but I didn't really get on with it.
These sponges from Avenue22(*) have completely changed the way I see sponges.
They arrive in brush protectors to make sure they don't get damaged in transit. I've saved mine so I can pop them back on whenever I'm travelling.
The sponges have a handle, which I hadn't seen before, but I think this made all the difference. It makes applying your foundation so much easier as you can hold the handle, instead of trying to hold the sponge in your hand whilst applying make up.
The sponges have a tapered end which makes it much easier to get into those hard to reach areas, such as under the eyes and around the nose. It's also useful if you want to use the sponge for contouring, as the tapered end is precise enough to contour the sides of the nose, but the sponge is big enough to blend out any contouring on the rest of the face.
You can use the sponge either wet or dry. As you would expect, the sponge expands when used wet so it covers a greater area.
The photo below shows my make up when I used the sponge dry. It was very easy to use but a tiny bit rigid for my liking, which meant I had to bounce it on my face more to make sure everything was blended. The results were worth the effort though as my foundation looked much better using the sponge than any other brush I've used in the past.
The photo below shows my make up when I used the sponge wet. It was much easier to use as the sponge covered a larger area of my face, meaning I needed to bounce it on my skin less. It was also softer, making it completely effortless. I could definitely tell when I looked in the mirror that using the sponge wet made my skin seem flawless, and I think it shows a little in the photos too. I haven't edited the photos so you can see the true results of the sponges. I also used the exact same products so any differences were down to the sponge being wet or dry.
I found that my foundation applied much faster and nicer using the sponge wet, but if you're travelling and can't wet the sponge then using it dry gives a great finish too.
My make up seems to be lasting much longer on days I use the sponge. Usually towards the end of the day my make up has sheered out, but I find that it remains as high coverage as when I applied it in the morning.
I have cleaned mine since using them and they clean super easily. I use a face cleanser with water and the sponges come out looking brand new again.
The sponges are currently £10 (including p&p), which I think is more than reasonable. I think that they are incredible value considering the finish they give. I've never thought my foundation looked flawless before, but when using this sponge wet it gets pretty damn close! These would make perfect stocking fillers for anybody who loves their make up or is just starting out!
You can get yours from Premium Beauty Supplies by tweeting them: @Premium_Beauty1
You can also find them on instagram at @premium_beauty_supplies
or email: premiumbeautysupplies@outlook.com
