Why I’ll Never Go Back to Applying Makeup With a Beauty Blender
I've been using the Beauty Blender literally longer than anyone I know.
Yep, I remember the exact day the game-changing sponge came into my life. This was about 10 years ago (!) on the brink of its official launch. My then-coworker Sydne was the Senior Editor for E! Online's now-defunct sister site, MyStyle (RIP). She sat next to me and often turned to her E! pals to test various beauty products new to the market. Long before Instagram and YouTube influencers made everything a thing, having a little blurb on a website stating your opinion was how things were done.
I was one of the lucky recipients of the now-coveted Beauty Blender—and I was blown away at first use. Accustomed to using traditional foundation brushes, this almond-shaped sponge was a foreign object to me. But it got the job done, and well. My face looked flawless, almost airbrush-like. The girls in the office were wowed. There were a few spares sent Sydne's way, and her team gave the product a whirl as well, loving it as much as me.
Fast-forward all these years later, and guess what? Not only have I still been using the pricey piece of material, but so has the rest of the beauty world! Well, that is, until recently. I had lunch with a publicist, who brought me tester items from her clients—one of them being Juno and Co., a brand that creates polymer makeup sponges using their patented Cloud Technology. I quickly dismissed the new sponges—nothing could ever replace my beloved Beauty Blender.
It wasn't until a vacation a couple of months ago that I gave one of Juno & Co.'s standard Storm Cloud Makeup Sponges a whirl. I didn't want to pack one of my BBs and risk losing it, so I went ahead with the spare sponge and was in for a major surprise. Not only did Juno & Co.'s product help me apply my foundation effortlessly, but I noticed it didn't soak up all the foundation in the process. When I got back to town, I lived out of my travel makeup bag for a bit and continued the sponge's use. Before I knew it, it became my go-to.
After a while, I decided to revert back to my BB, like visiting an old friend. While there's no doubt the small yet mighty sponge blends miraculously, it also requires the use of so much more foundation than the sponge I'd replaced it with. I wasn't used to something soaking it all up like that. Oh, and it doesn't hurt that one Juno & Co. sponge costs a measly $5, while one BB is a whopping $20!
I plan to use my Juno & Co. sponge to apply all my foundation, and save the BB only for what it's known to do best: blend!
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