Review: The beauty blender

What is it?
Well basically it's a makeup sponge but with spunk. It's a hot pink little gem in a domed egg shape that will change the way you put on your make up. Its different to a normal sponge though in its texture (think soft fluffy and velvety) and uses (face, eyes, cream blush..) I promise. Read on petal...

First the cons (let's get them
Outta the way) : notoriously hard to find in stores and very exy for a sponge. It retails in Australia for about $25-30 but trust me, it's worth it. I got mine from crush cosmetics online and paid about $30 including delivery. It was also shipped super fast so I could stop stalking my postman.

The other negative is that sponges can breed bacteria so make sure you wash it well. Same goes for brushes though so really nothing's changed. Don't
Bother wasting your money on the branded cleanser for the brush, it's essentially just pretty stinking water. Instead use a dove beauty bar or baby shampoo in the shower. You're welcome.

And that's it for the cons!

Now for the reasons I love the beauty blender. This lovely little mite will cut your foundation application time in half and have you looking like an airbrushed diva in no time. No compressor needed. The secret is in the way you apply..

For years I've been a fan on my Mac stippling brush or hourglass foundation buffer, and I do still love them. I even own my own actual airbrush foundation system but I prefer to use the beauty blender for my daily face. That's gotta tell ya something.

To use it, you need to run the blender under water and squeeze a few times. You'll see the sponge expand to about double it's size. Make sure all the water is out and then grab your fav foundation. (I'm loving Laura Mercier silk cream at the moment) dot your foundation over your face as you would normally (nose, cheeks, forehead and chin in case your unfamiliar with what constitutes a face)

Don't apply your foundation directly to the beauty blender as it will only soak up product (read: money) then get to work.

Use the large dome end to "pounce" the sponge all over your face in a dabbing motion. Voila! Airbrush skin! Honestly, the coverage you'll get from this is amazing. Go over any areas that need it. I have some acne breakouts around my chin at the moment and some light scarring so I apply a second layer of foundation to these sections and repeat.

You'll see that the beauty blender works the foundation into the skin far better than a brush and "fills in" any large pores or acne scars. There is a reason most make up artists worth their mascara own
At least a few of these.

Another helpful trick is the "rolling" action you can use the sponge for, and what
Makes the beauty blender different to other methods of application. By rolling your foundation over the skin, especially around the hairline and chin, you'll achieve perfect blending and avoid the line of shame.

You can also use the pointed end of the beauty blender to apply concealer under the eyes and around the nose if you gave any redness. It's also great for cream blushes although I tend to use power so can't speak too much on this use. Make sure however, if you use it for a multitude of products you wash well.

Overall I love this divine creation and have not touched my many (many many) foundation brushes since it arrived on my
Doorstep. Do yourself a favour and try it out.