Synthetic or organic? Drop-shaped or round? Original or dupe? Joy or disappointment? – Find out how the three products deliver as make-up sponges.

It’s Like TOP GEAR!
But For Sponges!

Kidding!
I won’t be towing airplanes.
Though…

Meet the contestants

While all three sponges are vegan-friendly, only one is natural in the proper meaning: the Konjac sponge is made from a plant with no additives apart from clay (a 100% pure variety is also available, I just picked pink for this test’s aesthethic harmony purposes).
Beautyblender & its drugstore €4-dupe are artificial sponges.
I have no information on production, colouring and other processes nor how clean or toxic those might be for the original product or the dupe.
Other than the dupe (there are no specifications), the Beautyblender however is 100% free from allergenes, latex, and fragrance.Costs check:
drop-shaped dupe sponge €4, Konjac sponge €10, Beautyblender €17.

Testing circumstances… and a SUDDEN end

I’ve run this test for two weeks, alternating the sponges.
Monday the Konjac, Tuesday the BB dupe, Wednesday the BB original, Thursday the Konjac… You get the idea.
I had planned to do this for three weeks and was really enjoying the process as suddenly…

…the original Beautyblender’s tip went off!
Not due to aggressive cleansing or medieval application methods as I shall assure you.
I have no idea why, but I hear it a lot from other ladies, too. Not a nice way at €17 apiece!
Besides, as you can see above, the dupe has developed minor flaws only; and the Konjac sponge hasn’t even started showing signs of age.

While the two weeks have given me enough insights to share with you, I must say I was looking forward to the symmetry 3 weeks – 3 tools… Plus I planned to possess the Beautyblender for a while.
This sure has been the most short-lived and thus, most expensive beauty tool I’ve ever had.

Testing the sponges

The beauty industry – like any industry – is not existent without trends and fads.
Sometimes it’s a pore-cleansing device, sometimes it’s a lash booster, and sometimes it’s a makeup sponge.

Beauty brands are trying to find solutions to satisfy their customer who seems to crave nothing more than perfect coverage (but not cakey!), silky smooth dewy shine (but not oily!) and overall Photoshop goodness sans Photoshop.

Nearly a decade age, this search for the Perfect Foundation has brought us airbrush makeup pistols.
And a few years ago, it has brought us a drop-shaped, hot pink Beautyblender:

The design is actually pretty smart:
1. the round sharp tip is ideal for getting around the nose or under the eyes;
2. the round end is mimicking the shape of a round brush, helping spread out the foundation evenly for a polished, refined effect without a lot of fuzz and even suitable for beginners.

The trick here is to wet the sponge before use. It then gets bigger, super fluffy and soft, and does not suck in most of the product like its standard “pie box”-shaped siblings do.
The nuisance: the Beautyblender bleeds.
Pink water when washing it and, if you’re not lucky, even pale pink streaks on your skin are the consequence.

The Konjac sponge can only be used when wet, and it equally gains in volume.
It never bleeds any colour though, unless you dip it into some of course.

The dupe is not as bright pink, doesn’t bleed but doesn’t get fluffy or any softer. It gets a bit bigger but in the end it’s smaller than the Beautyblender, as you can see on the photos above.
In fact, it’s a bit hard, not unlike to those stress-relieving rubber balls they used to sell in fun gift shops.

Make-up Application – Evaluated

Firstly, I truly prefer applying my mineral foundation with a wet sponge. It reduces the drying effect, it dramatically reduces the amount of dust you inhale *cough* (read about my doubts regarding minerals in my lungs) and allows for a greater control of coverage.

I found the Konjac sponge to be the most pleasant to the touch.
It feels soft, almost creamy on the skin.
The dupe is the hardest on the skin; the original Beautyblender is soft and enables for very comfortable and super versatile handling. I was able to put on complete makeup with just the Beautyblender: under-eye concealer, eye shadow (yes!), foundation, blush, bronzer… However, here it’s the bleeding pink colour is what actually does put me off.

So while it’s not possible to apply eye shadow with the Konjac sponge, it is my favourite to apply mineral foundation; mineral blush and bronzer; finishing powders and colour concealers.

The price is super reasonable for the great longevity the Konjac sponges never fail to offer;
it is bio-degradable (find out how to give it a second life in your flower garden here)
and versatile as a face care tool.

So, what are your tricks to dust less with your fave mineral foundation?