The BeautyBlender is the accepted standard for makeup sponges – the ubiquitous teardrop-shaped sponge, most commonly in neon pink or black but has also been seen in other variants like red, purple, nude and white, shot to fame after pro makeup artists and high-profile beauty bloggers touted it as the way to apply your makeup with a flawless finish. Of course we’re BeautyBlender users as well, and it is indeed a great product that has become a necessary part of our makeup application regimes, but what we’re saying here is, it’s far from being the only option out there.
The BeautyBlender’s meteoric rise to fame has predictably spawned a whole bunch of similar products from other brands, which has expanded the makeup sponge category vastly so that consumers today have a whole lot more to choose from, as compared to the pre-BeautyBlender days.
Of course, more options are always welcome. What with all the different sponges made for various makeup needs from brands of a spectrum of price ranges out there, the jury’s still out on whether the BeautyBlender is the ultimate makeup sponge – you can start finding out by trying these options.
Faux Fayc Fauxtool Soft Focus Perfection Sponge
We love that this very edgy makeup brand was started right here in Singapore – shoutout to their rad Fauxstix Matte Liquid Lipsticks – and how they’re paving the way in the local beauty industry by making a comprehensive range of makeup products of credible quality.
This bell-shaped sponge feels significantly firmer than the BeautyBlender’s material, and the wider bottom is meant to be used for blending foundation, concealer, highlighter etc., while the narrower top is for harder to reach parts of the face, like the sides of the nose and around the eyes.
$22, Faux Fayc store at B1-32A Plaza Singapura and fauxfayc.com
Real Techniques Complex Sponge
Pretty much everyone we know owns at least one Real Techniques brush, because it really is hard to find another brand that’s so good at making very affordable yet quality makeup brushes. So of course, we expect their sponges to be great too. Many have touted this as a very credible BeautyBlender dupe, with an additional flat edge to contour around the eyes and nose. We like the fun orange colour, too.
$16, Sephora. realtechniques.com
Wander Cushion
What gets us first about this sponge is definitely that rich burgundy hue that immediately makes it look so luxe. The Wander Cushion is from Wander Beauty, a travel-themed line by former supermodel Linda Ellingson. Similar to Real Techniques, this one is teardrop-shaped with a flat surface for better reach.
US$11, net-a-porter.com. wanderbeauty.com
Cala Beauty Blending Sponge
If you’re on a budget, the drugstore has options too. Cala is a US-based supplier of makeup tools, and they have their version of the makeup sponge that comes in at just under $10 (thanks, Watsons sale!). The top half looks exactly like a BeautyBlender, while the bottom half is hourglass-shaped and made wider to ensure a more even coverage.
$9.90, Watsons. calaproduct.com
Hourglass Cosmetics Ambient Strobe Light Sculptor
The shape on this one is unlike anything else we’ve seen before, when it comes to makeup sponges. That’s because it was designed to apply Hourglass’ famous Ambient Strobe Lighting Powders, with the angled top to apply the highlighter, and the bottom to diffuse it to get that “ambient light” effect on your skin.
$35, Sephora. hourglasscosmetics.com
MAKE UP FOR EVER Ellipse Sponge
Now, this shape is even more unusual. As the name implies, we guess this is an ellipse, which is defined as a “rectangular oval”. This was made to be used with Make Up For Ever’s new Water Blend foundation, which has an ultra-light texture, and is meant to be applied with a technique called the “press n’ roll”.
Basically, you apply the foundation with the flat surface of the sponge, then fold it and gently roll the curved surface over the skin to evenly blend.
$18, Sephora. makeupforever.com
Sephora Flawless Complexion Sponge
We’d compare Sephora’s version to one of those spinning tops, what with the wide contours in the middle and the extra-sharp ends. All these also mean that this can really be used to apply a wide variety of products on almost every part of the face, from the forehead and jaw, to the sides of the nose, to around the eyes and lips.
$14, Sephora. sephora.sg
