Although I have an undying love for my flat top kabuki brush for giving me such a flawless finish with foundation, I will always have a place in my heart for beauty blenders/makeup sponges. The first makeup sponge I ever heard of was the beauty blender however I found a cheaper alternative and went for the Real Techniques Complexion Sponge and I’ve never looked back since. Nowadays, a variety of brands are bringing out different sized makeup sponges all for different uses and I have found they’ve made a huge difference in my makeup application. Here are a few reasons as to why I love makeup sponges and why I will continue to re-purchase them in the future:

They have unique shapes | Most beauty sponges will come in a sort of oval shape which makes the rounder side perfect for bouncing foundation over the main parts of your face, then you have the little point which makes it easier to get the foundation blended around your nose and underneath your eyes.

You can use them wet or dry | I like to use my complexion sponge when it’s a bit damp as I find it’s easier to blend my foundation out, also the sponge becomes softer and more flexible making it a whole lot easier to use. The only time I tend to use a dry beauty sponge is when I’m baking with loose powder, I like to pick up a good amount of product and bake underneath my eyes, my nose and my smile lines. It works perfectly and my makeup doesn’t budge for the rest of the day.

Cleaning them is super easy | Although makeup sponges claim to last a few months, they can actually last a lot longer if you take great care of them and clean them on a regular basis. I am the type of person who despises cleaning makeup brushes as I have way too many and I find it very time consuming, however I L O V E cleaning makeup sponges because they’re super easy to clean. Baby shampoo and a bit of olive oil works perfectly to deep clean and get out any staining that the makeup may have left.

Sponges give me the most natural yet flawless finish | My flat top kabuki brush will always be my favourite for foundation application however, it gives me a super full coverage that I don’t always want on a daily basis. Makeup sponges are for the days where I want a natural looking skin day but I still want to look healthy and flawless. It’s also great to use when my skin is dry as it doesn’t disrupt the skin as much as a brush would.

I spend less time applying foundation | Using a makeup sponge I found has been the quickest and most efficient way to apply foundation with especially if I’m in a rush. They blend out the foundation super quick without the worry of having to try and blend away brush strokes or any dry patches.

I believe that everyone should have some sort of makeup sponge in their collection or at least try it, because I guarantee you’ll become obsessed with them just like I did. What are your thoughts on makeup sponges?

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Milani Conceal + Perfect Foundation Review

 I’m pretty sure I’m a bit late to join the hype when it comes down to this foundation. Everybody has been raving about it so I finally decided to pick one up for myself. I’ve been using this Milani Conceal + Perfect 2 in 1 Foundation and Concealer (that’s a mouthful) for about a week or so as my daily foundation. I like trying out new foundations however I always seem to go back to my trusty Bourjois Healthy Mix as I feel as if nothing can ever beat that in my opinion.

When choosing a shade I must admit, I was pretty disappointed as the selection was minimal. I’m as pale as anything so I immediately went straight for 01 Creamy Vanilla which is the lightest shade however it’s still too dark for my skin. Slightly annoying. I found myself having to blend the foundation down the whole of my neck and even on the top of my chest to make sure it matched. It didn’t help that the product immediately oxidizes on my skin, which made me look even darker. That being said, I still managed to work with it and I found that once my concealer and powder are applied over the tip, it doesn’t look too bad.

The consistency threw me off a bit at first as I didn’t expect it to be so thick. I used one & a half pumps and I found that to be the perfect amount to cover my whole face with. It blended out nicely and didn’t feel too heavy on my skin which was something I was worrying about considering it’s a thick, full coverage product. It managed to cover any little blemish and redness that I had and it gave me a flawless satin finish. The foundation lasted on my skin throughout the whole day without any fading however I found that it had the tendency to cling onto some of my dry patches around my nose and mount, there I’d recommend using a good moisturiser and a hydrating primer before application.

I haven’t used this as a under eye concealer just because I feel like it’ll be too thick around my eyes  will most likely create creasing. I’ll just stick to the foundation side of things! The foundation retails for £11 and you can purchase it on Beauty Bay. I honestly do like this foundation and I would re-purchase again in the future however I would love to see Milani expand on their foundation shades.  

Have you tried this foundation yet?