This is SO overdue and I completed it aaaages ago, but just haven’t gotten around to writing up my experiences of my week long Beauty Blender trial.
Beauty Blender trial? I hear you ask…
Well, I set myself the silly little task of using nothing but a Beauty Blender to apply my foundation. I wasn’t allowed to touch my foundation brushes for a full week. I wanted to see if the Beauty Blender was anything more than just a passing novelty.
I’ll show you a ‘step by step’ from my first day and how I use the Beauty Blender and I’ll leave you with some observations I made from this daft little exercise.
The cast of characters…. The Beauty Blender and Bourjois Healthy Mix Foundation
Dispense the usual amount of product onto the back of your hand and wet your Beauty Blender until it swells in size. Once thoroughly soaked, gently squeeze excess liquid from the sponge until it feels damp, but not wet.
Taking the round end of the blender, “bounce” the sponge into your foundation… coating it in product.
It doesn’t matter if it’s not *that* evenly coated…
Taking the blender, “bounce” the sponge on your face… a constant patting/bouncing type action all over… don’t swipe or circle… just bounce! To get the foundation into nooks and crannys like the inner corner of your eye socket, use the pointed end of the sponge.
I found the whole process quite slow-going at first…. it took me about 4 days to get my speed up. The first couple of goes I was a bit “what’s the point… this is taking me double the time a #187 would take”. But as I persevered, I really started to hone my technique.
The obligatory before/after foundation shot! (Bourjois Healthy Mix is a great looking foundation btw – although the lightest shade is a touch too dark for me).
Here’s a horrible close up… but it always helps to be able to see the finish properly right? Click the image to SUPERSIZE MAH FACE!
Please note, this was before powder… shine city!
So there we go, that’s how I use my Beauty Blender… it still takes me a bit longer than a stippling brush so I don’t reach for it if I’m in a hurry.
I do love the finish it gives me… but I think I use a bit more product in the application thanks to the sponge (despite being damp) soaking up a fair amount of foundation.
I need to tell you something though…
I bought Makeup Forever HD foundation at IMATS… and I haven’t liked it at all. I simply could not see what the fuss was about. Overrated.
Until I used it in conjunction with the Beauty Blender. Oh Em Gee. It’s turned blog sale fodder into a wonderful foundation for me. I’ve also done a complete 360 on my Clinique Superfit since applying it with the Beauty Blender.
Don’t ask me what the Beauty Blender does that my normal application methods obviously don’t. I couldn’t tell you.
I also prefer the Beauty Blender over a standard cosmetic sponge, the Beauty Blender is softer, bouncier and just feels far more luxe on my skin. Don’t bother with those expensive special Beauty Blender cleansers though… I use a bit of Leila’s shampoo and it works great! Oh and be careful of putting nicks in the sponge when squeezing… it’s delicate!
Back to my original question… could I really throw away all my brushes in favour of the BB?
No… I like having the choice, I like the speed a stippling brush gives me. But I’ll be forever grateful to the Beauty Blender for making me fall in love with some foundations that I thought I’d wasted nearly £50 on. It’s already paid for itself twice over.
In the UK, you can purchase the Beauty Blender from Just Beauty Direct, priced at £14.50 each. I was lucky enough to nab mine from a blog sale woo!
Thank for the review..I cannot stomach the thought of shelling out so much for a glorified sponge but i have been so curious about this. I may get it at some point because of your review. Justbeautydirect are fab too. Great service and the lady who owns it is lovely. You have such beautiful skin! very jealous.
Ah brilliant, I’ve been considering getting one of these for ages but didn’t really understand what all the fuss was about. Looks like a good investment now, I also have about a dozen foundations I’m not so keen on that could quite happily be rescued with this device! xx
” nooks and crannys ” >> this is the best word of the day. Love it! This product really appeals to me
1. It’s bright pink and it brightens my day even before I apply makeup
2. It looks like it’s going to be easier to wash that anything I’ve seen before to apply foundation with
3. I never used EVER in my whole life a brush to apply foundation (only used my hands so far) so this might a nice gradual step to me. Thanks for the tips. The tight git I am find the retail price a bit steep but I might treat myself one day. oooOooo I wonder whether I could get one of my US friends to get it from the ‘target nearby’ for me, or maybe eBay?
xx
Hey my lovely what brushes do you normally use to aplly your foundation ?
The result is FABULOUS! The Bourjois Healthy Mix shades are a bit dark…I wear 52, the second lightest shade.
I will think about it!
Thank you for the lesson! I love your blog and have become a follower!!!
Great review, I really want one of these but haven’t been able to justify the price to myself….but I think I may get one in the hope of using some of the many, many unloved foundations that are languishing in my drawer!
Ellie x
missyellieuk.blogspot.com
You skin looks so luminous in the pictures! Thanks for doing the review. I might try out Sonia Kashuk’s sponge first just cuz of the lower cost. 🙂
thanks for sharing! it’s definitely fun to have choices. and it helps that the beauty blender is so cute too!
-dani
http://onemustbe.blogspot.com/
Ok, I will FINALLY use mine tomorrow.
your face looks really fresh and not cakey 🙂
I really envy the flawless faces of Maggie Q, Maggie Cheung, and Shu Qi. Maybe this is part of their secret, other than healthy Asian skin 😉
I think your photography is beautiful- and your skin is lovely 🙂
Would a stippling brush be more foundation efficient? a comparison would be interesting. someone said sponges suck up more product than needed…that’s my only concern 🙂
Great review. Some top quality pics too. Thanks x
excellentttt i’m really glad you mentioned not to swipe because that’s exactly what I would have done! it seems kind of pricey for a sponge though – don’t ya think? And then how often do you have to replace it? ouch!
but i would really love a review/tutorial on the stippling brush, I really want one but am debating whether the application will be heavier (read: cake) than my everyday fingers
Thank you!
What a strange little thing, I can’t buy it though. I have too many gadgets!!
Thanks for the lovely review, my dear! I’m glad the BB lets you use and love some of your other foundations 🙂 And oh my goodness, the finish of the Beauty Blender + Bourjois foundation literally has me stunned — it looks so natural!
(Yes, of *course* I enlarged the image. What did you think, that I had self-control? Hah! :P)
great review! i have been using my fingers to apply my liquid foundations…so this seem like a fun alternative 🙂
What shade Bourjois foundation do you use? 🙂
Dude, your skin looks FLAWLESS. I think I need a BB in my life 😛
@Louise – it varies, at the moment I’m using that Aurifere tapered blush brush a lot. Not sure I’m seeing any major advantages to using it… but I keep reaching for it at the moment ‘cos it’s still my newest toy yano?
I also use my Body Shop synthetic kabuki for runnier foundations.
If the foundation is heavier (like colorstay) I use my MAC 187 dupe which is the discontinued Pout Airbrush. x
@Becca – It’s #52 Vanille, and reading the comments Jamilla has pointed out that it’s not the lightest shade afterall. #51 Vanille Clair is! So, now this foundation will probably be on my repurchase list!
@Julie – Yes, brushes are more product efficient that sponges in my opinion. x
Great review. I think your ‘after’ shot looks amazing and flawless, though i don’t know how much of that is the blender and how much is just you or the foundation 🙂
Too expensive for me though.
I’ve heard amazing things about it and it looks fun but I just can’t quite justify that much for… a sponge. Maybe a prize for a giveaway?
[…] Actually, it won’t really ‘do’… ‘cos I don’t like it very much. For a cream foundation I find it pretty drying. It accentuates dry patches on my skin and despite being creamy, I’m finding it tough to blend. It offers fairly full-on coverage and I’m gonna give it a go with my foundation-saving Beauty Blender. […]
[…] Is the Beauty Blender worth it? [Lipglossiping] […]
I love my BB and it is worth every penny to me. They really last forever. I have tried brushes but I never feel like they make me look as natural as my BB. I’ve also tried the sephora and sonia kashuk dupe and they are not dupes. They don’t swell the same and aren’t as bouncy. They are both pretty hard and don’t clean as well. And I actually find that I use less product with the sponge than with a brush. Also, I don’t put my sponge right into the makeup, I dab the foundation onto my skin and blend it on that way. And one more thing, I use my “old” BBs to apply my mac msfn for touch-ups at work. Dry and Wet.
Great review, thanks! I’m still unsure though- I tend to use my fingers if I can’t be bothered with my 187, and there are other foundation brushes i’d rather buy if i was going to fork out on something new, if that makes sense? I guess i just can’t get the old-style sponges out of my head, and that’s what is putting me off!
[…] know what a Beauty Blender is or why you’d need one? Check out my review here for more […]
Which mascara are you wearing here, it looks great?
Hi D, I’m sorry – I can’t remember x
This is like the latest response ever but since I am here I may as well tell you that you can use less foundation if you dot it on the face and then bounce with the sponge over it. I love this sponges but I also had this problem with using sooo much foundation and this helps alot. I hope this is helpful to annyone=)