19 Makeup Sponges for a Flawless Face
It's time to update your kit.
Here, your cheat sheet to finding the best blending tool.
Beauty Blender
The original squishy makeup sponge still delivers a dewy application depositing just enough foundation, cream blush, or highlighter. Easy to maneuver and simple to clean, this long-lasting tool will be a forever favorite of beauty editors.
Beauty Blender Original, $20, beautyblender.com.
Fenty Beauty
What better to apply Rihanna's much-loved foundation with? The latex-free sponge offers three sides - a rounded body, a broad flat side, and a blunt, crescent-shaped tip - so you can nail just the right angle for every contour of your face.
Fenty Beauty Precision Makeup Sponge, $16, sephora.com.
Color Me
This is the closest thing you'll get to a professional foundation application at home. The device uses sonic pulses (yes, the same technology as your Clarisonic) to help makeup melt into your skin at 15,000 vibrations per minute.
Color Me Automatic Foundation Applicator Pro Edition, $68, net-a-porter.com.
Hourglass
Think of this dual-ended makeup sponge as your magic wand for adding light and dimension to your bone structure. Use it to place and buff highlighting powders onto skin for a lit-from-within radiance.
Hourglass Ambient Strobe Light Sculptor, $22, nordstrom.com.
Milk Makeup
Instead of the traditional porous sponge texture, this gel-like version maximizes your foundation application (and minimizes the amount of product that gets lost in the sponge) with it's ultra-smooth, non-absorbent surface.
Milk Makeup Dab + Blend Applicator, $14, Sephora.com.
Alcone
These inexpensive, disposable wedges are a secret weapon of beauty insiders. They double in size when wet and glide onto the face for a streak-free complexion that never looks cake-y.
Alcone Non-Latex Sponges, $2.50 for 12 sponges, alconeco.com.
The Makeup Bullet
If you find juggling a bunch of different tools frustrating (or you just have a deep-seated passion for fingerpainting) this small, conical spongecakes an ideal choice, since the hole in the bottom allows you to hold it on the tip of a finger or the end of a brush.
The Makeup Bullet, $25 for three, ulta.com.
Koh Gen Do
The dense elastic material of this sponge won't soak up all your foundation (or tinted moisturizer…or CC cream…), so even the priciest products will go a long way. Plus, it's handy shape and size makes it easy to deliver the perfect amount of pressure.
Koh Gen Do Makeup Sponge for Liquid and Cream Foundation, $12, amazon.com.
Sephora
The bright and cheery-looking set of mini sponges comes in five different shapes to address every hard-to-reach area. Pack them in your makeup bag for a glow on the go.
Sephora Collection Confetti Mini Sponges, $12, sephora.com.
Sigma Beauty
It may look like an abstract sculpture, but the real work of art will be on your face when you use this multi-facetted sponge. The flat sides are perfect for creating sharp sweeps of color (think: contour and highlight) while the base is ideal for stamping on targeted doses of color (cream blush, concealer); the pointy tip lets you really fine tune, and the curved side blends everything out to a soft, natural finish.
Sigma Beauty 3DHD Contour Blender Sponge, $15, sigmabeauty.com.
Beautyblender
For those particularly tricky areas like the corners of your eyes these teeny almond-sized sponges are the perfect fit.
Beautyblender Micro Mini Pro, $18, sephora.com.
Sonia Kashuk
Best for beginners, this hourglass shape is easy to grip. Use the pointy tip to conceal under the eyes and around the mouth. Blend with the bottom to diffuse makeup that appears too heavy.
Sonia Kashuk Blending Sponge, $6.50, target.com.
Japonesque
The plush, bouncy texture of this tear-drop-shaped sponge leaves foundation looking flawless and the pretty swirl of colors will save stain-obsessives from stress.
Japonesque Kumadori Beauty Sponge, $10, ulta.com.
Rather than the springy foam surface of many makeup sponges, this version is flocked for a velvety-soft doeskin texture that is perfect for buffing down products for a my-skin-but-better effect.
Jane Iredale Flocked Sponge, $6, nordstrom.com.
Givenchy
It looks like something out of a sci-fi movie, but the dip in this chic black sponge is actually designed to help keep your fingers clean while flawlessly applying foundation and concealer. And unlike some sponges that work best with creamy formulas, this version works just as well with powdered compacts.
Givenchy Makeup Blender Fluid & Compact Sponge, $20, sephora.com.
EcoTools
Earth Mothers take note - this duo of chisel-shaped sponges are made from a special home using 70% plant-based materials, so you can feel even better about using them to look so damn good.
EcoTools Perfecting Blender Duo, $10, ulta.com.
Real Techniques
You know what they say about diamonds being a girl's best friend. The different facets of this diamond-shaped sponge allow you to apply multiple different products and shades without cross-contaminating your colors.
Real Techniques Miracle Diamond Sponge, $10, ulta.com.
Benefit
For flawlessly-blended, artfully smokey eyeshadow, these tiny microphone-esque sponges are just what the doctor ordered.
Benefit They're Real! Shadow Blender Duo Beyond Easy Eyeshadow Applicators, $10, nordstrom.com.
Dior
The teardrop-shaped sponge also contains a beveled edge to make smoothing and blending equally simple. Pro touch-up tip: "Lightly mist toner on the flat side of the blender and dab it over your face to refresh makeup that has begun to settle," says Ricky Wilson, a Dior celebrity makeup artist.
Lauren Hubbard is a freelance writer and Town & Country contributor who covers beauty, shopping, entertainment, travel, home decor, wine, and cocktails.
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