Beauty

[Rachb]

Not happy with brushes for applying liquid foundations, I always use my fingers, and still not always completely happy. Today at Ulta, I picked up a blender sponge. It's Ulta brand but the SA said its pretty comparable to a Beauty Blender. She suggested I dampen it and squeeze out the excess water before using. I rushed home, cleansed, moisturized and primed my face. I squirted some of my Lancome Teint Idol foundation on my hand, tapped the sponge into it, and started to blot onto my face. I can't believe how fantastic it applied. I highly recommend it and can't believe, in all my beauty hauls over the years that I've never tried it. The only thing is, I used some Purity afterwards to clean it but the foundation doesn't really come off of the sponge. Is that normal?

[Drythe]

@Rachb

In my experiences with blender sponges they do hold on tightly to product and must be rinsed, rinsed, rinsed, and they do stain.  I've used a sponge for application for years and they have always stained.  I clean mine with Baby Shampoo.

Well, I hope it's stain or I'm really in trouble!

[scatcat]

I must be doing it wrong. Although I squeeze the life out of it to remove the water, the foundation looks so sheer it's almost non existent. And I need coverage. Maybe I should try it dry??

[Rachb]

@scatcat mine was damp, but well-rung. I got pretty good coverage. Almost comparable to when I use my fingers, but definitely more even.

[Jen44]

I'm doing something wrong, as well.  I've tried multiple ways to use it, but I don't get the coverage I want, and it seems like I'm wasting product.  Bummer...

[HappyDaze]

@Drythe mine stained too even though I wash it all the time.

I only use mine dry. I don't like using it damp as I don't achieve the same look when I do. I also actually apply my foundation in dots to my face first then use the sponge kind of like a stippling, rolling motion to sheer it out. I don't like applying it to the sponge directly as I feel this wastes more product and, again, doesn't achieve the same look or coverage.

[Drythe]

I use mine very slightly damp.

Wet it well, squeeze it, then wrap it in a paper towel and squeeze a few more times.

Generally I'm not looking for coverage, just color.

[FUTURE]

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@Drythe wrote:

I use mine very slightly damp.

Wet it well, squeeze it, then wrap it in a paper towel and squeeze a few more times.

Generally I'm not looking for coverage, just color.

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That's what I do. I squeeze it out on a paper towel or clean hand towel first. I've tried it several ways, and this is the best, IMO. 

[BabyYoda]

I never had much success with the beauty blender sponges, especially applying liquid foundation around my nose. It looks too sheer no matter how much foundation I apply. The sponges soak up the foundation and forget the time spent just to wash them and clean them!! Terrible.

[River Song]

If I'm using liquid foundation, I use a cheapy damp cosmetic wedge sponge to apply the foundation in a stippling motion, then just throw it away!  Voila!  No need to wash a sponge!  I get more even coverage using one of the cheapy wedge sponges than my fingers or a brush, that's for sure, and a package of sponges is only a buck at Big Lots or WalMart.

The beauty blender sponge is a nice idea but the devil to get clean of liquid foundation or concealor, even using dish detergent to clean it.

With powder foundation, I use a slightly damp Beauty Blender sponge to lift off any excess powder that looks caked on if I'm a little too exuberant applying the powder, same with too much powder blush and eye shadow. 

I purchased a Beauty Blender knock-off at Ulta and still think it was a waste of money, lol.   I can get the same effect using a disposable cosmetic wedge and I don't have to worry that the sponge I'm using is harboring bacteria from old cosmetics that haven't been completely removed.