Today’s edition of Top 5 will be a little different than normal. I will still be talking about my top five favorite products in a certain category but this time, it’s essentially one well-known product and four of its dupes.

Everyone’s heard of the original beautyblender®. If you’re into make up, you probably have owned one at some point. If you haven’t used a beauty sponge before – the basic steps include running the sponge under water and squeezing the water out while the sponge expands and becomes ready for application. Never use a dry beauty sponge! You won’t get the result you’re looking for. Some people don’t like using beauty sponges because they definitely eat up more of your foundation and waste it compared to say a kabuki brush or a different application method. I personally still love the beauty sponges because the finish I get and the ease of application.

Today, I’ll be talking about my love for the original as well as four much more affordable versions. I’ve tried many beauty sponges, some that were rock hard no matter how long you soak them underwater, some that literally absorbed all your foundation and now I finally think I’ve found the best of the best. Let’s jump right in…

The original beautyblender® ($20) – I can definitely say this was a revolutionary make up product for me when it came to applying foundation. Once I got a beautyblender®, I never went back. I occasionally still use kabuki brushes to apply my foundation and I do love my oval brush but nothing will ever beat the finish I get with a beauty sponge. I used to consider the beautyblender® the best in its category until a bunch of other companies came out with dupes for it. Some honestly ended up surpassing the original in quality for me which was huge considering the original is $20 and has to be replaced at least every other month, and no one wants to spend that much money on a make up applicator. I probably do still “treat myself” to an original beautyblender® at least once or twice a year but for the most part, I stick to the others.

L’oreal Infallible Blend Artist Foundation Blender ($5-7) – This one is probably my favorite of the five for several reasons. One, you can find this one at any drug store. Two, it’s very big which cuts application time. Three, despite its large size, it has a pointed end specifically for applying concealer which makes it super convenient. Four, its price ranges from $5-7 so even if you replace this four times, you’ve barely surpassed the price of one beautyblender®. Do I really need to say more to convince you to try this?

Morphe Flawless Beauty Sponge ($7) – This one would be my favorite if I didn’t have to order it online or specifically go to Ulta for it. Before Morphe came to Ulta, I had to order this one every time which was kind of a pain but totally worth it because this one has the best shape of all of them and is the softest material. I love the finish of my foundation and the ease of application with this one. Now that you can just pick it up at Ulta, it’s definitely made its way to my vanity on more occasions.

Real Techniques Miracle Complexion Sponge ($6) – This was the first beautyblender® dupe that I ever tried that I actually loved. The shape isn’t as good as the others for applying concealer but it definitely still works. Another nice thing about this one is that it can almost always be found in a double pack for under $10 which is a steal when it comes to beauty sponges. These can also be found at drugstores as well as Ulta.

Sephora Total Coverage Sponge ($12) – This one was sent to me in a Sephora Play! Box and as much as I had low expectations, I did end up liking the sponge. It did a good job with make up application even though it was a bit more stiff than the other sponges I’ve liked. I still think this would work if you don’t want to spend the money on the beautyblender®. I would try the ones mentioned above first, but this one definitely still works.

So that’s all I have for you guys as far as beauty sponges go! I hope this post contains some of your next favorite beauty products and I really hope I was able to save you guys some $$$ with more affordable beauty sponges if you’ve been only loyal to the beautyblender® up until now!

As always, thanks for reading!

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