The Best Makeup Sponge is $6 and Sold at Target
I switched from using makeup brushes to sponges years ago, and wrote about the Real Techniques Sponge in this post. I used that sponge (not that exact sponge, I repurchased a few times) for years and years, and even added the mini version to my collection. But then I stopped wearing makeup regularly, focused more on skincare and well, staying home during a pandemic, and my sponges languished. I was using them so infrequently that when I did pull them out, they seemed kinda gross. Not like, growing mold or anything truly awful, but I had to check that I’d washed them since their last use, and I’d wonder how long makeup sponges last when they’re used one or two times a month, and then after I used them I’d think, “I should wash this right now. Actually I need to get going. Well I’ll just wash them later” and the cycle would start again. This is all to say, I recently threw out my makeup sponges and decided to start fresh.
On my next Target run, I added a new Real Techniques sponge to my cart, naturally, and also decided to try something new, the E.l.f. Camo Concealer Sponge. I haven’t opened the new RT sponge yet, and I’m honestly thinking of returning it to Target, because that E.l.f. sponge is AMAZING.
The packaging says it’s made to be used with E.l.f. Camo Concealer, but you can use it for whatever you like. I’ve lately just been wearing concealer on a few areas, and whether I’m using Fenty Concealer, Eye Brightener, Catrice One Drop, It Cosmetics Bye Bye Under Eye, this sponge blends all of them like a DREAM. I think the secret it its sproingy-ness. It’s just so good at bouncing off your skin and blending gently and easily. I tend to “bounce” my sponges with a little too much aggression, and this sponge is easy to use with less pressure but better payoff. It’s also a great size - not so large that you can’t get right where you want under your eyes or around your nose, but not so small that it takes forever to use on your chin or forehead. Plus, it’s pliable enough that when it’s damp, and twice its size when dry, you can squeeze it and mold it to whatever shape you want.
Both ends are tapered, but one is smaller than the other, so you can customize your application experience. I don’t have a ton of makeup sponge experience, at least in variety of sponge brands. I basically grabbed Real Techniques and never questioned it, but the E.l.f. Camo Concealer Sponge is so good, I may pivot to using it and nothing else.
