For the face, I think sponge applicators are still really useful, especially if they’re more durable so you can get more than a few uses out of them. Ones for the eyes I find less useful in a day-to-day routine, since they are harder to use (too large for me/the sponge often pulls away from the plastic holder) to really get a nuanced eye look.
— Christine
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Yep, for the face they’re fine. But for the eyes, ack no!
For me, the beauty blender is definitely sponge worthy.
Not so much for eyeshadow sponges, but they do help sometimes when trying to pack on certain eyeshadow formulas. I have a pack of disposables for this purpose…really don’t use them very often.
love the Seinfeld shout out!
I hate the sponge-tipped applicators that come with eyeshadows. The only thing I find them useful for is with my ColourPop shadows. I don’t like the old school latex wedge sponges for makeup; never have. I do really like the beauty blender-type sponges for the face. My only gripe with those is that they stain so easily.
Since using a sponge to apply my foundation i have never looked back..I still cry over money i spent on make up brushes that now just lay useless.Make up sponges apply foundation and consealer like no other!Whenever i hear people saying they don’t like the Beauty Blender i am always thinking they just don’t use it the right way..
I’m a rare person who doesnt see the hype of the beauty blender. As i have heard it describe it gives foundation a skin like finish when you bounce/pat it around your skin. You also have to wet it but not dripping wet. I have also tried it with mac fix+ and water. I didnt see a difference in coverage however i thought it took way to long to apply. So i stick with a brush and returned the beauty blender. Also knowing i would have to replace it eventually… was the final nail in the coffin. I just dont get it. I would love to be enlightened but i know when i apply foundation i love the way it looks. ¯\_(ツ)_/¯
Oops also meant to say i could see why its loved for concealer and powder to set concealer.
I tried them for foundation, LOVED the finish. But the sponge was “eating” up my foundation! Got told that they’re no good for water-based foundation, so I stopped using them. Went back to using my own clean bare hands. No more waste.
As for spongetip eyeshadow applicators, they can be really good for eyeshadows that need to get packed on, like some in the UD Naked Smoky Palette do. Sephora hands out some very good spongetips! Other than that, I never use them. I much prefer brushes.
Yes, I find the beauty blender eats foundation like crazy. It is not that the BB is bad. It just isn’t exceptional esp when using certain formulas. Sometimes I use a BB. Some things I prefer a brush. In other instances it is about the fingers. Whatever you need to get seamless finish no?
I haven’t used the old school wedge sponges before, but I did use eye applicators with sponges back in middle and high school. Those things were not meant to last the life of the eyeshadows for sure! I have tried a couple of Beauty Blender dupes, and while I liked them, they’re a little high maintenance for me. I don’t do my makeup in or near the bathroom, so having to wet it, clean it, and store it was more of a pain than I wanted to deal with every morning.
I like my sponge for face products but it’s a bear to clean! I’ve just given up on the stains as long as it’s washed I no longer care about foundation and blush stains.
I”m honestly not a fan of beauty sponges. I find they take way too long to blend out my foundation.
I actually like to use a damp eye sponge to apply a dot of highlighter in my inner eye corners. I sometimes use eye sponge applicators for some of my “harder” eye shadows that don’t respond well to brushes or fingers.
I hate them b/c they don’t make for a particularly comfortable or blendable application and b/c they fall apart pretty easily.
I never use sponge applicators for the eyes–if it won’t work with a brush or a finger, it’s probably not gonna work with one of those for me! But for the face, my GOSH I cannot live without my sponge. I have a $4 dupe for the beauty blender and while quality wise it’s so not the same, it performs well in application. It’s a must for anything cream-based on my face, especially color correct it’s.
I have the original beauty blender and the Earth Therapeutics blender. Not much different texture or end result. One cost $20. The other $6. I have about 6 or 7 of the $6 one. I reach for the $6 more often. The original beauty blender is harder to clean and soaks up way more foundation. The original is not bad. It is just not the be all end all like people claim. Sometimes people jump on bandwagons far too easily lol
I love my BeautyBlender, so I’m a bit biased. I like the seamless coverage I get with it, and I like that if I overdo something like blush/bronzer/etc I can just go over it with the BB I just used.
I don’t like that they can eat foundation, and they are a bit time consuming, but even with those issues I love it.
I’ve never really heard of using sponges for eyeshadow, and it sounds like it would be a disaster.
I love beauty blender-esque sponges (I’ve only used one from Ulta’s brand and the RT Miracle Complexion) to blend foundation, concealer, and some ColourPop cheek products like blush/highligher. For eyes, I HATE those old school sponge applicators ever since I converted to makeup brushes years ago. I think I’d only use those eyeshadow sponges for using product that would ruin a brush or maybe to do a sponge manicure.
Rant – they are really terrible when using them to apply eye shadow and I never use them anymore.
Rave: nope!
Face sponges like the Beauty Blender and its knockoffs are good for blending out, but I don’t like to use them to apply foundation because of the amount of waste involved when liquid foundation gets soaked up.
Eye sponge applicators are the tools of the devil, but occasionally work as a last resort when dealing with certain fallout-prone shadows.
I like sponges in general–for face and eyes BC they are always gentle on the face (no poking) and BC certain shadows apply better with sponges.
For shadows that are too hard (ie many baked formulas) sponge applicators are great for scraping color off and packing it onto lids. Same with soft/loose shadows that need to be packed onto the lids. I also like sponge applicators for quick touch ups, since I don’t like to carry brushes. My favorite is the double- ended sponge applicator, with 4 sides, so I can apply 4 different eye shadows with it.
This is a good question because most people hate sponge applicators for eye makeup. Actually a little sponge wand can do wonders for packing on intense colors and glitters, blending cream products and digging L’oreal infallible eyeshadows. Sponges won’t kick up a lot of powder like brushes do, so they are ideal for highlighting inner corners and lower lashlines. I even use an arrow shaped sponge to fill my eyebrows. Even a cheap round sponge (usually free for testers) can be used to blend lipstick for a quick gradian lip look… wish my comment helps:-p
Great answer! I’m very much of the same mind! I’m glad I don’t have to rely just on sponge-tips alone these days, but they have their uses, and can do certain jobs very well!
If we r talking about normal wedge shaped sponges; then no.. Definitely not. But the beauty blender gets a big thumbs up from me… I just love it( not for the eyes though). The only problem is they take a lot of time to dry after cleaning; so i keep it for special occassions only.
I find the beauty blender soaks up my foundation but is good for pressing loose powder onto my T zone to minimise the look of my pores. If I needed sponge applicators for eyeshadow I’d give the palette away. I take long enough doing my eye makeup as it is. It’s my equivalent of meditation!
I find them very useful for small detail work around my eyes, especially to smudge a bit of shadow under lower lash line. And they can work great for applying colourpop shadows, if I don’t feel like using my fingers. But please keep in mind, I started using eye makeup years before brushes started becoming the be-all and end-all for eye makeup application, and sponge applicators were pretty much it with shadow. So maybe it’s just a matter of what I’m used to, I don’t know. But the majority of the time, they’ll do what I need them to do just fine.
And… I just realized, I misunderstood the question LOL! You didn’t ask specifically about sponge-tip shadow applicators, did you?
For face, beauty blender-type sponges are great. But once again, most of the time a cheapo wedge-shaped sponge will do what I need it to do… buffing out excess foundation, blending edges of things, getting in close around my eyes, etc.
I typically use a sponge for foundation. Nice for easy application. But it depends on the type of foundation. For some foundation I prefer a stippling brush. And sometimes I find sponges don’t get completely clean even the original beauty blender and even w the beauty blender cleanser. For other makeup, I use various brushes!
For the eyes, I think sponge applicators are perfect for the more creamy eyeshadow formulas being released (MUFE Artist Shadows, Makeup Geek Foiled shadows, those kinds of formulas), as I have a hard time picking them up and applying them opaquely with a brush. That’s all I really use them for, lots of people use their fingers for those formulas but a sponge applicator works just as well with more precision! For regular eyeshadow I avoid them because I just don’t think they blend well enough.
I am on the fence about the beauty blender sponges. I have a bacteria problem meaning I don’t like touching door handles, etc. type deal so when I use a bb and it was used yesterday I feel dirty but trying to wash them every day after each use is a no go so I use the sponge wedges, one per day/application and they work just fine.