Budget Makeup Sponges…

Before I purchased a makeup/blending sponge I was extremely sceptical as I thought they’d be a waste of money and not do a good job of blending the product on your face. I honestly did not see why they would be helpful. But as I heard everyone raving about them I decided to purchase a couple of budget sponges, before splashing out for an expensive one. 

The three sponges I purchased were as follows:

1. Teardrop Beauty Sponge – eBay £2.50
2. Makeup Gallery Blending Sponge – Poundlad £1, obviously…
3. Claire’s Blending Sponge – Claire’s or BHS £4

The first sponge I’m going to talk about is the Makeup Gallery sponge from Poundland. If you’re new to the sponges, like me, this is a no-brainer-buy. For £1 with a few different colours to choose from, where could you go wrong? I passed it today and thought, why not? It was available in a few different colours, however, I went for the nude coloured one as I wanted different colour sponges. 

It came in simple packaging but I couldn’t complain for the price. The only thing I noticed about this sponge was that it had quite big pores so initially, I worried about it picking too much product up. It has a pointy edge and a relatively flat bottom to suit the contours of your face. It’s also the second softest of the three when you squeeze it. While using it to apply foundation I noticed that it was slightly rough on your face which is annoying as it left the odd hairline streak due to the texture. It also absorbed a little bit of the product but not too much and it provided a nearly flawless coverage, so all in all, not a bad buy. Does the job. Avoid if you have sensitive skin due to the texture. The colour probably isn’t the best as it will show a lot of dirt/use over time due to it being so light but since it’s so cheap it’s easier to replace every so often.The shape is good, too. 
The second sponge I’m going to review is the Teardrop Beauty sponge, which is the second most expensive of the three. Like previously mentioned, I picked this sponge up off eBay for £2.50 and you can get it in a range of different colours, however, I stuck with the original pink colour. This sponge is also claimed to be a great dupe of the more expensive Beauty Blender sponge, 

The sponge was packaged in a velvet bag. I love velvet, however, I don’t think this is the most hygienic of storage techniques. Still cute, though. The sponge is definitely the softest of the three I’m reviewing. The texture is also the smoothest and the pores in it are microscopic, okay, that’s an exaggeration but they are small. I genuinely fell in love with this sponge as I’ve used it a few times and it picks very little product up and it’s soft enough to mould to your contours. The bottom is quite round, which isn’t too helpful. The sponge spreads the product so easily across your face and leaves it flawless, I prefer this sponge over my RT Foundation Brush. Out of the three sponges I’m reviewing today, this is my favourite, I couldn’t live without it now. 
The last sponge I’m going to review is the Claire’s Blending Sponge, available out of Claire’s, obviously, and places like BHS which is soon to close. This sponge is the most expensive of the three, retailing at £4.

This was the sponge I was least impressed with, it was the hardest out of the three and the texture was the roughest, along with it being the most expensive. However, it is the smallest of the three so it’s great for getting those harder to reach spots. It also doesn’t absorb too much product, however, it does show how much product is on it due to the light colour. I feel like this sponge is very similar to the Makeup Gallery sponge, apart from the size, so it’s probably better going for the latter due to the cost. They both apply similarly, too but definitely great for newbies to the sponge! 
Obviously, done rule out giving any of these sponges a try as different products work better for different people! My favourite was definitely the Teardrop Beauty so I’d recommend giving that one a try first as it seriously impressed me and was really easy to use for a first timer! 
What sponge should I try next?
Lots of love, Jessica xxx