956 Real Techniques Miracle Complexion Sponge

To start with if you do not use these I do not know why because I wouldn’t go back to brush ever (at this point anyway). At first, I found them quite difficult to use but now I have got used to it I find using a brush hard. Admittedly if you use it wrong you do not get the results when I first bought these, I didn’t put it under the tap to get it wet first so it was very hard making it unpleasant to use but once you’ve got the hang of it your makeup will thank you.

Other than the shade of the foundation I think the main factor to the finish is the application, there are different ways to apply foundation and each foundation will apply slightly different. Some are designed for brushes, and some are designed for sponges but whatever you use will give you a different finish.

It does depend on how you want the finishing look to be. I find with a sponge you are pushing the foundation/concealer into your skin, blending it in as one but with a brush, you paint it over your face, either way, you get a different effect or at least I do anyway. I am in no way saying you shouldn’t or can’t use a brush, all I am saying is that I prefer the sponge finish.

The main downside is you must replace them every 6 months or so for hygiene reasons. You never know how much of it you are cleaning. I have found the maximum life on these sponges is about 12 months. If you wash it every day you may get a longer life span but if they have been stained it doesn’t look great and I wouldn’t want to put that on my face. I am lazy when it comes to washing brushes and sponges as I often don’t have time to let them fully dry before I must use them again. I find these sponges easier to clean because you don’t have to wait for them to completely dry as they need to be wet to use them.

I grab them when they are on offer, so I never pay full price. Sometimes that means I have up to four spares, but I’d rather get one free and have them in my cupboard (wrapped up) for a year or so than pay £7 for one each time.

It is going to sound strange but the cleaner I use is the Body Shop’s shower gel. It lathers up so well you only need a small amount to get the brush or sponge clean, I have never liked brush cleaners as it is expensive, and I would get through them so quickly. The one time I used them, to fully wash my brush set I used almost an entire bottle and it was £12 I think, so if I am washing them once a week that is going to add up very quickly. If you are doing makeup professionally you should be washing your brushes every day. The shower gel lasts a good 6 months or more (if you get the big bottle) and I use it for me as well as my makeup brushes.

They do all sorts of knockoffs and dupes, but I stick to these as they are not stupidly expensive, and they are available in most shops. At most, it costs me £10 a year which is less than £1 a month so it doesn’t break the bank. I find it cheaper to either buy the set of two or four sets, I look around at deals going and get the cost-effective one. I got 4 not that long ago for £15, which made them less than £4 each, if you buy them individually, they will cost £7 which means they should have cost £28 for the 4.