beautyblender dupes

First thing’s first, nothing compares to the original beautyblender sponge. It’s an exclusive open-cell material that is porous, without being too dense and molds to fit any area of the face. If you have $20 to spend, buy the original beautyblender, without hesitation. It’s worth the hype. However, if you don’t want to part with your Andrew Jackson just yet, read on for some possible beautyblender dupes.

I’ve ranked the following beauty sponges in order of best to worst. I’ve taken into consideration factors like softness, how moldable it is, ease of use and durability.

1. RickyCare 3D Blender Sponge, $10 I discovered this from a client who said she bought it after reading it was the best beautyblender dupe. I agree; it is.  It’s soft and pliable. It absorbs enough water but doesn’t retain too much.
2. PUR Cosmetics Contour Blending Sponge, $12 This sponge comes with a product I actually don’t like at all, The Cameo Contour Stick. This dude is the silver lining though. It is soft, pliable and has enough bounce back to apply foundation seamlessly. It doesn’t retain too much water and it’s a great price point.
3. LimeLight by Alcone Blenderful Sponge, $22 I’m rating this 3rd for the added value of the included mesh bag. If you travel at all, you simply cannot but a damp beauty sponge in a ziploc bag. That’s the fastest way to grow mold and ruin it. A mesh bag is a must-have for storing and traveling with your beautyblender dupe so the fact that this includes one, put it above the sponge below. The angle of the flat edge cut makes for a stiffer sponge, making this better for applying cream foundations and concealers. The bag is reusable so I do wish LimeLight made just the sponge alone available for purchase at a lower price point.
4. Real Techniques Miracle Sponge, $7 This is a great value and a practical shape. I don’t find these wear as well as some of the others, especially if you have long nails, but for the price, you can afford to replace them every month. I know some prefer the flat plane to the beautyblender’s rounded end. I don’t necessarily, but I find these easy to work with and a great, widely-available option.
5. e.l.f Precision Sponge Trio, $12 While it’s nice that elf gives you 3 different sizes, breaking down to $4 per sponge, they aren’t much to write home about…or on a blog about. When wet, they hold onto to much water, making them feel heavy and dense. Because they are white, they will permanently look stained and dirty, no matter how well you clean them.

Clockwise from top
The beautyblender micro.mini is not really a necessity but some prefer this for getting under the eyes and in other smaller areas of the face like around the nose. There are dupes for that too of course.

RickyCare Mini Egg Blender Just like it’s bigger sister, this is a great dupe. Soft, moldable and gets the job done well.

e.l.f Precision Sponge Trio, $12 This is the baby bear of the papa and mama bear it comes with. Sadly, due to it’s propensity to hold too much water and density, it’s just not that special. 

If you a need a refresher course on how to use a beauty sponge like the beautyblender and others, see this post.