Hello and happy Thursday! I haven’t done a #ThursdayThrowdown in quite some time so in case you’re new to this series, welcome! In this series, I compare high end to drugstore products and see which is better! Today I have 3 sponges to share with you:
Price:
- Beauty Blender: $20/1 sponge
- Real Techniques Miracle Complexion Sponge: $6.99/1 or $10.99/2 pack
- Ulta Makeup Blending Sponge: $10/2 pack
Shape:
- Beauty Blender: As you can see, the BB and the Ulta share the most similar shape. The BB is super soft and very squishy.
- Real Techniques: The biggest difference with this sponge is the flat edge (see below). I really love this for powder and getting a sharp contour with cream products. This sponge is a little less soft than the BB.
- Ulta: Shockingly, the Ulta sponge is probably the softest. The only downside is that it is a little larger so for the under eye area you need to pinch the sponge some to make it work.
Performance:
- Beauty Blender: My only issue with the BB is that it seems to absorb the most product. Not to say it’s a lot, but it’s something I’ve noticed compared to the other two.
- Real Techniques: This sponge is a little harder than the other two. That doesn’t really change its performance but more so the technique. I don’t “beat” my face as hard with this sponge (that was my attempt at a bad makeup pun).
- Ulta: Like I said earlier, this sponge doesn’t perform as well under the eye, but it’s doable.
Cleaning & Wear:
- Beauty Blender: My last two BB’s have bled pink real bad when I’m washing them. I’ve heard that the newest beige one is a crowd favorite since it doesn’t have a bright color.
- Real Techniques: This sponge has held up great. It takes a little more effort to clean stains out but nothing super annoying.
- Ulta: I haven’t had this one very long but so far so good! I wouldn’t be as mad if one tore on me (I had a BB Pro that tore and I was less than pleased) but so far it seems great.
Verdict: I don’t think I’ll be repurchasing a BB anytime soon. For a long time, the drugstore was really struggling to come out with sponges that hit the very high bar set by BB. Now that they have, I’m struggling to come up with a reason why I could buy 1 for $20 or 4 for $20.
I was using the Real Techniques sponge for awhile after my last BB tore and when I switched back to this newest pink one, I just didn’t like it as much. Each sponge is different, but so far, the results are the same.
Tell me what your favorite sponge is below!
I love the Real Techniques sponge. I was never a fan of the BB. Right now I am using the Sephora wet or dry and I’m loving it!!
Author
Thank you! Good to know I have not seen theirs!
I thought I was the only person on the planet that didn’t like the BB. The shape of the Sephora sponge is a little strangely shaped but it’s not as soft as BB. I really like the texture and that you can use it dry or wet.