So there were a few beauty items that I bought last year which I've been holding back from blogging about, mainly because after using them for some time, I've got a serious case of "sitting on the fence" syndrome.
All of the products are much-hyped in the beauty world, rather expensive, and are items which I spent literally ages trying to decide whether to buy or not. I researched them to within an inch of their lives and then ended up taking the plunge when I was feeling a bit down or a bit frivolous.
The first of these is the Beauty Blender, an innovative new way of applying your foundation which is supposed to give flawless, unrivalled coverage.
I blame American Youtubers for this purchase, because I swear there was a time when every. single. one. of them used one of these babies. And the results were undeniably flawless. I'm always intrigued by new methods of foundation application, because my own "application methods" have evolved throughout the years and always for the better. From the wedge shaped sponge (every teenager's go to method) to the round sponge, to the paintbrush style foundation brush, to the Real Techniques bulb-ended Expert Face Brush and crashing into 2014 with the bloody amazing wide-topped Zoeva buffer brush. I've always felt I've upgraded my method, so when this completely new concept popped onto my radar, it was a no-brainer to give it a go. My next successful evolution could be just around the corner!
So a quick 4-1-1 on the Beauty Blender. It's a small, egg shaped, bright pink sponge, which you're supposed to squeeze in water before using. When you squeeze it in (or under) water, it grows. Kind of like those random flannels you get that start off the size of a tealight and then you chuck it under water and it grows into a flannel. Except maybe not on the same scale... Anyway. Once it is wet and "fully grown" you're supposed to towel it off and you are left with a damp, bouncy, slightly larger egg-shaped bright pink sponge.
OK, so the photo above doesn't really give you any idea of the size change as I didn't either a) compare it to the dry version or b) give a size reference. But oh well..there it is. All saturated in water. And bright pink.
The wider end of the "egg" is meant for applying foundation over your whole face, whereas the tapered end is for more precise application around your nose, your chin and also for concealer.
First things first, this application method does give you coverage, and plenty of it. When I used this with any of my foundations, it always up'd the coverage compared to what I was used to with a brush. It's also supposed to make you use less foundation as the sponge is already wet so it doesn't absorb any liquid. I'm not sure I noticed a massive difference in the amount of foundation I was using, but it may have been because I was going in a bit heavy handed.
If I'm honest, I didn't find this the most natural and easy product to use - it certainly took quite a bit of practice and I'm still not 100% convinced by it. You have to tap or sort-of bounce the beauty blender on to your face to apply the foundation, but for some reason it just didn't feel quite right. I felt like I wasn't using it properly, or that I just wanted to give the foundation a good old buff. I found myself doing some random half tap-half buff type action which probably isn't the technique the creators intended. If they'd have seen me using it, they might have cried a little bit.
The end result was that I felt the foundation was sat on my skin a bit, and it felt quite mask-like. I also found that the dampness of the sponge actually dried my skin out. I have the kind of skin that feels very tight after being in contact with water. Give me 5 minutes after a shower, and if I haven't moisturised then I'll have shrivelled up like a prune. I got a similar effect with the Beauty Blender, where I could feel as the "dampness" evaporated or was absorbed into my skin, or wherever the hell it went. And left behind was quite a thick, dry layer of foundation, which didn't feel particularly comfortable on my skin. Maybe this is one of those products better suited to the oilier skinned girlies out there, but if you suffer with dry skin like myself, I don't think it's the best way of putting your foundation on.
I do keep going back to this little egg sponge, because I am concerned I may be using it too heavy handed, or not trusting the tap-tap-bounce method enough, but when it comes to the success of beauty products with me, I always find the proof is in the continuous use. If I've stopped using it within a few weeks of purchase, then to me, it's a sign it was a complete novelty product. A novelty, or a disappointment, or I've got fed up of not quite getting how to use it. This falls into the latter for me, and safe to say that little eggy is rolling around somewhere in the bottom of my make-up box as we speak. Or someone could have pinched it. I'd literally have no idea.
I think I would use this to apply foundation on areas where I need a bit more help in the coverage department, but I'm not really a fan of it as an entire face application method. I thought I was a bit on the fence with it, but now I've sat down and written this post, I think I'm leaning a bit more towards not enjoying it. I'll probably rediscover it next week and fall hopelessly in love with it, but if I do, I'll be sure to let you know :)
In the meantime, I'd say save your pennies on the Beauty Blender and invest in a Zoeva Buffer brush instead.
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