Ah, the Beauty Blender...it's how all those YouTube gurus get their flawless foundation application and is the preferred tool of beauty bloggers everywhere. But $20 for a little sponge? (Yeah, it seems a bit steep to me too).
So after a ton of requests to find a dupe, I saw a similar product at Target the other day from Sonia Kashuk that cost about half the price of the Beauty Blender ($10.49) and I thought I'd try it out. So how do they compare? Keep reading...
First, let me explain how to use this type of tool to apply foundation for those who are unfamiliar with it. You're supposed to wet it under water, squeeze out the excess (I also blot it dry with a paper towel), then dot foundation all over your face. Take the bottom end of the sponge and begin "bouncing" it all over your face, pressing the foundation into your skin. This gives a much more natural, airbrushed effect than using a brush. Getting the sponge slightly damp means that it won't soak up too much foundation, so I find that I actually have to use less product this way.
The Sonia Kashuk Blending Sponge has a slightly different design than the beauty blender. It's blue instead of pink and has an indent in the middle for easy grip. I liked that about it, as it was the perfect place to hold it. But that's the only thing I liked about it, unfortunately.
First of all, it's not as soft the Beauty Blender. Even once it's wet, it still stays hard, dense, and firm and doesn't have much spring or bounce to it, while the Beauty Blender is very soft, squishy and airy. Trying to bounce the Sonia Kashuk version on my face actually hurt a little bit after a while.
When dry the Beauty Blender is actually a little smaller than the Sonia Kashuk Blending Sponge....
...but when wet, the Sonia Kashuk sponge doesn't get any larger while the Beauty Blender expands quite a bit to become very soft and squishy. When damp, it's actually bigger than the Sonia Kashuk one.
Application-wise, the Beauty Blender just gives a better finish compared to the Sonia Kashuk Blending Sponge...it's easier to use and feels much nicer. So if you're in the market for a blending sponge, this is one of those rare instances where I would recommend just springing for the higher end product and go for the Beauty Blender. I'll keep looking for dupes, but right now, I just haven't found one that delivers as well. I should also note that I have also tried the $4.99 Essence of Beauty sponge at CVS, and it was similar to the Sonia Kashuk one...too firm and just not comfortable to use.
Have you tried the Beauty Blender yet or any of the other blending sponges on the market?
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