If you’ve been with me for a while, you may recall a post I wrote a few years back comparing the Beauty Blender to the Real Techniques sponge. When it first came out, Real Techniques’ sponge was widely regarded as a nearly identical to the Beauty Blender. It was truly the first drugstore dupe of this iconic pink $20 sponge. It’s now a few years later, and it seems that every drugstore brand has their own version of a Beauty Blender. In total, I’ve tried four. How do they compare?
Real Techniques Miracle Complexion Sponge--$4.99 to $5.99
If you want an in-depth review, visit my post from 2015. In a nutshell, it feels and performs identical to the Beauty Blender in my opinion. I love the flat edge, and I love how they now sell them in twin packs (you can still buy them individually as well). I have several of these in my makeup artist kit, and I also always have one on hand for personal use. A lot of beauty bloggers have commented that the Real Techniques sponge has changed and is no longer as good as it was originally; however, I have not noticed any differences. To me, it’s exactly the same as it was a few years ago.
L’Oreal Infallible Blend Artist Foundation Blender--$5.99 to $7.99
This is another great option. I liked the color (pink) and thought it also felt nearly identical to the Beauty Blender. When it's wet, it is larger than the Beauty Blender and the Real Techniques sponges. The only downside here is that it doesn't have a flat edge like the Real Techniques. Despite that minor shortcoming, I would buy it again.
E.L.F. Total Face Sponge--$4 to $5
Out of all these options, this one, in my opinion, is the least comparable to the Beauty Blender. The material is different--it appears more porous, almost like an actual kitchen sponge. It does become soft and squishy when you run it under water, but it feels noticeably different than the Beauty Blender or all other options mentioned in this post. It's hard to explain--you would just have to try it to know what I mean! It's not a bad sponge, but it did seem to absorb a little more product than the others. It does, however, have that nice flat edge I like!
Flower Beauty Ultimate 3-in-1 Blending Sponge--$7 to $9
This one takes the cake for being the largest sponge. After you submerge it in water, it gets huge! It's very soft and has a very similar feel to the Beauty Blender. I love the light purple color. It does have a flat side, but it's smaller than that on the other sponges mentioned. Because it's so large, it can be hard to work under the eyes or in other small areas. The other edge to that sword is because it's so large, it quickly blends out foundation on large areas of the face, which is nice.
Final Thoughts
I've come to the conclusion that there's no point in spending $20 on a Beauty Blender. Even though none of these are identical to it, they are all suitable options that will allow you to achieve similar results. Really, they all do the same thing the Beauty Blender does. Although I like them all, the Real Techniques sponge remains my favorite.
If you have tried any of these or any I haven't mentioned, I would be curious to know your thoughts! As always, thank you for reading! I truly appreciate it.
xoxo,
