The birth of Beauty Blender definitely elevated the status of a sponge as a makeup tool. With the addition of the Sonia Kashuk Blending Sponge and the Sephora Precision Sponge, I basked in tons of sponge reviews for several days (almost wanted to just stick with my good old disposable sponges!) weighing which of these three should I get.

Since I've learned heaps from what I've read, I'm sharing a summary on the comparison of these three sponges.

Kashuk Sponge Photo Source; Sephora Sponge Photo Source; Beauty Blender Photo Source

The Feel

Beauty Blender has the softest, smoothest and the most lightweight feel among the three. You can squeeze it effortlessly. Sephora Precision Sponge is the densest.

When used, the Beauty Blender gives more bounce to makeup application, allowing a faster rate of stippling while properly blending the makeup in. Sonia Kashuk Blending Sponge comes in second to being springy, while Sephora, last.

The Shape

Sonia Kashuk wins for its ergonomic shape. It has a tapered middle part that's great for gripping and most users swear that this feature adds to its ease of use. The two others are pretty much on the same page because of their similar shape.

However, because of SK's erratic shape, only its base and tip can be used to apply foundation. The other two's basic shape allows more surface you can use in applying your makeup.

Durability

There's a huge ruckus to the reviews I've read on which sponge is the most durable. Up till now, I can't tell which one is built to last.

Is it perhaps because they're all equally durable? And that the user's ability to care for them is a BIG factor to consider?

Price

A single Beauty Blender sponge costs $20. To get more value for your cash, you can get two for $26. SK costs $9-$10, and Sephora's Precision Brush is priced at $12.

After-care

The Beauty Blender comes out the cleanest among the three. You have to squeeze the other two a bit harder every time you clean them (minus points for durability?).

Sonia Kashuk Photo Source; Beauty Blender and Sephora Sponge photos from Sephora

Surprise, surprise

These three are meant to be dampened prior to use. Sonia Kashuk's and Sephora's do not expand much after soaking with water, while the Beauty Blender expands twice its original size (that's bigger cross-sectional area for makeup application!).

That into consideration, biggest-to-smallest sponge is during use is: BB-SK-SPB.

And the biggest surprise of all? Each brush performs just as well as the other! No sponge is better in terms of makeup application! All three can give you that flawless, natural look

Makeup Alley Ratings

BB - 4.4/5 84% of the 147 reviewers will buy again

SK - 4.2/5 83% of the 146 reviewers will buy again

SPB - 1/5 no one of the 3 reviewers will buy again

Conclusion

I can see you are relieved that there's really not much difference in the way these three sponges apply makeup. I am relieved, too! That makes decision-making a hell lot easier, right?

Beauty Blender obviously wins the race. Most affirm that Sonia Kashuk's Blending Sponge is a pretty good dupe to it. If money's an issue, then SK's your best bet. And if you're gaga about Spongebob, then go for the Sephora Precision Sponge (OMG! I really don't know what to say!)!

More resources

Okay, so if this post didn't help much, let me direct you to Hell Candy Makeup and Cosmeddicted.com. They've got in-depth feature of the Beauty Blender vs. Sonia Kashuk Blending Sponge vs. Sephora Precision Sponge you might want to read.

ELF slashes off half the price on ALL its brushes! Offer lasts till the 17th, so it's best to stock up on your favorites now. Coupon code is: RTB.

Most ELF brushes are famous for being cheap yet effective. They offer the 3 lines for these makeup applicators: Essentials, Studio and Mineral.

Here are the high-rating Essential brushes:

Eyeshadow Brush, $1
4.5/5
90% of the 490 reviewers will repurchase

Blending Brush, $1
4.0/5
79% of the 149 reviewers will repurchase

Defining/Angled Eye Brush, $1
4.3/5
85% of the 70 reviewers will  repurchase

High-rating Studio Brushes:

Powder Brush, $3
4.8/5
96% of the 505 reviewers will repurchase

Complexion Brush, $3
4.4/5
83% of the 189 reviewers will repurchase

Kabuki Brush, $5
4.4/5
78% of the 105 reviewers will repurchase

Eyeshadow C brush, $3
4.3/5
83% of the 86 reviewers will repurchase

Blush Brush, $3
4.3/5
85% of 81 reviewers will repurchase

The Mineral Blushes are the newest to the collection so there aren't much reviews on them yet. Most single brushes in this line start at $5.

You can get a good brush for as low as 0.50! I still smell the holidays around! :)

I was about to throw out my Fashion 21 Eyeshadow Brush when my brain suddenly switched to its creative mode.  Why not turn this unused tool into something useful?

And so with a pair of scissors, I chopped off some hair until I got the 'look' I wanted.

BEFORE - Fashion21 Eyeshadow Brush, 60php

AFTER - herroyalbleakness' angled brow brush!

A closer view of the hair and ferrule

What I love about it is that it isn't too thin like an angled liner brush!  Think of something in between a liner brush and a shadow brush--- that's the bleak angled brow brush!  The lines I create with it when filling-in sparse areas of my brows are very, very natural and flattering (vs. angled liners).

So how'd I revamp a relatively denser eyeshadow brush into a bleak angled brow brush?

I had to cut off half of the hair sagitally, like so:

Looks ugly, but this is what makes it so pretty as a brow brush!

Not too thin, not too thick--- purrrrfect!

I'm now using this Fashion 21 eyeshadow brush with my In2it brow kit (remember how I disliked the small brush that comes with it?).  It works perfect in picking up the ample amount of pigment that I need for my brows!

Yep, even brushes can go through a makeover.  I can't believe myself for almost throwing this one out!

Test yourself: Can you identify which are synthetic brushes? The 10th person to email me the correct and complete answer wins a Bloom blush brush!

x0x0x0x0x0x0x0x0x0x0x0x0x

I've only started using makeup brushes during the second quarter of this year. I bought a couple of 'em without understanding their structure, thus, wasting good money for those that I have no use for.

So before you get those moolah wasted, acquaint yourselves with brushes first.

Brushes are primarily categorized based on the type of bristles. We have:

1. Natural Brushes- made of real animal hair (goat, squirrel, badger, and more!)

(note: there are no brushes made of skunk hair. The term 'skunk' pertains to the black and white appearance of the mixture of hair)

2. Synthetic Brushes- out of man-made fibers like nylon and taklon.

	Natural	Synthetic
Appearance	Bristles are shiny on pics; hair strands hardly seen as single units	Bristles appear to be more defined (like you can see the demarcation of the strands) on pics
Bristle Texture	Very soft; can be easily deformed	Soft and smooth but firm
Usage	Powders/pigments	Liquid/cream
Brush Care	It may be a pain to remove makeup stains	Bristles do not trap the product, easier to remove stains

These are the basics in knowing your brushes a lil bit more. Stay tuned for part two, makeup newbies! We'll talk about face brushes, eye brushes, and great tips on purchasing brushes!