BLENDING SPONGES - REVIEW / COMPARISON

Just recently I have experimented with different methods of application for foundation,

I have tried several different sponges and I thought I'd share with you what I've learned so far.

At the point that I took these photos I had tried all of these sponges with the exception of the Real Techniques one. The first impressions of that sponge were really positive. Keep reading to see how i got on with each of these. 

1. This sponge cost me £1.50 and was purchased from Primark, it's quite hard and not very flexible. I feel that the best application with this sponge is through dabbing, if you try to sweep you do end up fairly streaky. This washes OK and as you can see hasn't really stained too badly.

2. The middle sponge is the 'Beauty Blender',this cost me £16 and it is a popular blogger and youtuber favourite. It can be purchased with free delivery on www.beautyblender.co.uk here along with a load of other interesting products.

3. This sponge was purchased from Dealz and retails for £1 in the UK, the shape is different from the other two and I must say this is more awkward to use because of this. In addition it is very stiff and not very flexible. Again, like the one from primark it does tend to only work when bouncing the foundation in rather than smoothing it onto the skin.

REAL TECHNIQUES MIRACLE COMPLEXION SPONGE

And for the piece de resistance, coming in at just £5.99 from boots, this is soft but not as soft as the beauty blender. For me this is just the right consistency, it doesn't suck up all of your foundation and it works with a variety of different textured foundations and concealers. I can achieve such a light layer of foundation with this, yet it still gives flawless and full coverage. This is by far the best value sponge I have tried and I use it everyday.  This washes really well and a couple of months in it still feels like new. I will definitely be repurchasing this sponge, whats more you can get it even better value, 2 sponges for £9.99 here

WHAT NEXT?

OK, so I am loving this sponge, but I am still open to trying others, see below images taken from the boots website.

The first one I would like to try because it is so refined in shape and looks like it would be great for getting under the eyes and getting into any awkward little places. 

The second one is another really interesting one, it's not a shape I have seen before in beauty blenders and for this reason alone I would like to see what it can do. I think this is perhaps just for fiddly areas as it's a little small for larger areas.

And the final one I would like to try is cheaper than the 'Beauty Blender', however it's by the brand Dior. So in the case of this sponge I would like to know if it's Dior quality or if it's just a cheap blending sponge with Dior branding. 

Have you tried any of these sponges? Let me know what you thought, also if there's any sponges I haven't mentioned let me know and I will give them a try!

Cookie x

Billion Dollar Brows | The review!

Billion Dollar Brows 60 Seconds to Beautiful Brows - £24 at boots for the powder and brush

This little set is a lifesaver, especially for those days where you don't have much time to spend on your brows. 

A little goes a long way, and I have a feeling this product will last me a very long time. The powder can be purchased on it's own for £18 and comes in Taupe, Light brown and Blonde. I tried Taupe and I have to say that colour looked really natural for me.

The brush also retails on it's own at boots for £17, meaning buying the set is totally worth it.

The brush was really useful for evenly distributing the powder, and the spoolie was perfect for blending the product in for a more natural finish, This is a great kit for a quick tidy up and it makes light work of adding depth.

Above is all of the fantastic brow boosting products that I received to try. Now that I have road tested these I can give you my honest opinions.With the exception of the items from the 60 seconds set, the other items come together to make the Billion Dollar Brows Best Sellers Kit which retails at boots for £49.50.

This is a really comprehensive kit which means super precise eyebrows are totally achievable at home, no salons and no tattoos required. The first time I used the kit it took be approx 30 minutes to get 2 perfect brows, I have since had a fair bit of practice and have got my time down to 10 minutes!

Universal Brow Pencil by Billion Dollar Brows £17 at boots

The Universal Brow Pencil is suitable for many skin tones and hair colors and can be applied in layers to the darken the final result. This doesn't require sharpening and comes with a spoolie brush for effortless and effective blending to assist you in achieving a perfect finish.

Billion Dollar Brows Brow Duo Pencil - £20 from feelunique.com

This is a fabulous 2 in one product, on one side you have a concealer and the other side has a highlighter. I draw around my eyebrows with the concealer and use the below smudging brush to distribute evenly. I then go back under the brow with the highlighter and blend this out using the below brush, this helps to create a really distinct and neat brow look. These are both really easy to blend and look natural once applied.

Smudge Brush - I haven't seen this on sale in boots or on feelunique.com

This is a really soft brush which made blending a treat. 

Billion Dollar Brows Clear Gel - £17 from boots or feelunique.com

This completes the set and a sweep of this formula is all you need to put those brows in their place. Its super strong and lasts throughout the day. On the days were I am feeling lazy I skip on all of the above and just use this, and to be fair it works pretty good on it's own too!

These products may seem expensive, but I believe that each one of them will last a considerable amount of time. I have purchased cheaper brow kits before, however they have been a waste of money so far as they haven't been that easy to work with so I haven't got much use out of them.

           

Here are the finished brows, sorry I put my hat on and then thought to take a picture of the finished look. By that time I had committed to the hat hair that would follow.. I'm sure you understand.

Cookie x 

*PR Sample*