I am a diehard Beauty Blender user.
So when DetailedBeauty, a recent, local, student startup came out with their own low cost makeup sponge, I had questions: will it compare? Can it match up? Dare I say, could it be better? Time for the testing to begin!
First off, here is what she looks like in the package:
Decent packaging. Cute. Not as cute as the Beauty Blender, but comparable with the Real Techniques Sponge.
Onto a side-by-side with the Beauty Blender:
Here they are dry:
And here they are ~wet~:
Dry, the DetailedBeauty Sponge is obviously a bit wider, but the two start at the same length. When wet, they expand pretty equally to one another, though, interestingly, the DetailedBeauty Sponge gets proportionally much wider in the butt (yes that is what I am going to call it) than it was when dry.
Now it’s time for the real test. Can she apply my makeup like a pro? Let’s give it a go!
Welcome to my face:
Here she is, the blank slate.
Here she is with just primer and a layer of heavy coverage foundation (and eye makeup, but that doesn’t count):
So far, so good!
Next, I used a liquid concealer (this is important, I will talk about this later):
(Please excuse my insane looking undone face)
At this point it looked pretty decent. The sponge, which I used wet, did not seem to absorb much more than a Beauty Blander would. The finish looked pretty even, seamless, and clean.
It wasn’t until I put on the rest of my face, that I realized the true quality level of this product…
Like—DAMN—she look good. Better than a Beauty Blender? Honestly… YES
My skin looks:
- Smooth
- Photoshopped??
- And this photo is COMPLETELY UNEDITED FYI
- Even
- Well blended
If you could not tell, basically this sponge had me SHOOK, so I decided to take my investigation to the next level.
My Sherlock Holmes-like senses notices to big differences between the sponges, NOT including the shapes.
First off, the sponges had two very different feels. The Beauty Blender felt more ~spongy~, while the DetailedBeauty Sponge felt more like memory foam.
From squeezing, I noticed the second, and VERY IMPORTANT DIFFERENCE.
THE PORES
Let’s look at the Beauty Blender:
Lots of holes, very porous, normal stuff.
Let’s look at the DetailedBeauty Sponge next:
NO HOLES
AND LET ME TELL YOU, IT’S NOT BECAUSE THE CAMERA IS UNFOCUSED (IT’S NOT)
THIS SPONGE IS JUST SO SMOOTH.
THUS:
GLAMOUR
Fast forward to a few days later. I decided to try it dry. I used the same exact products, but with a dry sponge. On the DetailedBeauty website, they say you CAN use it wet or dry, so I decided to give it a go!
Interestingly, this is how the sponge looked after:
Where it picked up the foundation the most the sponge inflated quite a bit, enough to be seen (this photo is also a good visual of immediate wear on the sponge. Nonetheless, it applied my makeup pretty well:
(sorry the shirt is blacked out for branding reasons)
Still applied well, but definitely ate up more product.
Thus, I think if you are using a liquid foundation or concealer, USE A WET SPONGE. When using a cream or stick concealer/foundation you can probably use the sponge wet or dry, to your own discretion.
Overall, I’d say this sponge is a win. Hella.
So if you wanna support your classmates, get a good, cheaper alternative, and live your best life in a smooth finish GET YOU A DETAILEDBEAUTY SPONGE. DO IT.