Beauty sponges

There was no way I was going to spend £15 on a sponge unless I thought it was worth it. The Beauty Blender seems to regularly make an appearance in YouTube beauty tutorials and is credited with giving a flawless finish.

I ordered a pack of two beauty blender inspired sponges from eBay to get an idea if the real thing might be worth the fuss. The sponges are shaped so that the tip can be used to get into smaller areas, like around the nose and under the eyes, and the rounded part on the rest of the face.

To use you wet the sponges, at which point they swell up and you squeeze out the excess water so that you are left with a damp sponge. You then apply the makeup to your face and use the sponge in dabbing motions to blend.

Although I've used this for applying both powder and liquid foundation my favourite use is for applying concealer under the eyes.

I have very fine lines under my eyes and concealer can gather in the lines and make them look worse. But I don't have this problem when I apply with the sponge.

In fact it has been so good that some products, which I abandoned because creasing was such a problem, I'm now able to use again.

I haven't developed a preference for either shape sponge and even though I am curious to know how the original beauty blender compares, for now these work perfectly for me.

The only problem with the sponges is that they do look dirty quickly and are a little difficult to clean. The best way I have found is to mix a little fairy liquid with olive oil and massage this into the sponge with a little water. As you massage you can see the makeup lifting out and once finished you can leave it to dry or use it straight away since it is already damp.

I purchased mine from this seller on eBay, with the pair costing about £6.

I'm not much of an expert when it comes to makeup application but this makes it pretty easy. If you have any tips or tricks please share these with me below.