When the Airbrush FX Blending Sponge landed on my desk inside my January Glossybox, I was sceptical before I even opened it. I’ve been a longterm worshipper at the alter of the original Beauty Blender and so far, haven’t found a blending sponge that has met my expectations. My Real Techniques blending sponge comes a close second, but the first one I always reach for is the Beauty Blender.
The Professional Airbrush FX Blending Sponge, from NICKAK New York, works in the same way as other blending sponges – you dampen the sponge with water until it swells in size, firmly squeeze off the excess water until you’re left with a slightly damp sponge, then dip the sponge into your product and pat it onto the skin in a dabbing and stippling motion.
The first thing I noticed about the sponge was how dense it felt – it was extremely hard compared to other sponges that I had tried before. I was also really confused to see that the sponge didn’t really seem to change in size at all once it was dampened – I used extra water just to make sure, but there still wasn’t much change and the sponge still felt extremely hard to touch. It also didn’t have that extra soft ‘bounce’ that beauty sponges are known for.
I persevered anyway, and went on to dab the sponge onto my face to apply my foundation. After being used to the soft, cushioning feel of the beauty blender, this felt quite pokey on my face and I didn’t really enjoy the sensation. It almost felt a little sore around my eye area.
After trying my best to continue on to get the full experience, I had to put the blending sponge down and revert back to my old faithful Beauty Blender which felt like angel hands on my skin. Sure the Airbrush FX Blending Sponge applied my foundation and blended it out okay, but the feeling was not really something I liked.
Unfortunately I didn’t enjoy using the Airbrush FX Blending Sponge, it isn’t terrible at all, but my main dislike is the fact that it really is quite hard. Should it be a softer, more cushioned sponge, I’m sure I’d have liked it more as the shape is really easy to hold and the pointed tip makes a great feature for getting into smaller areas of the face like the under-eyes and sides of the nose. But for now, I’m afraid it doesn’t make my love list.
© This post is copyright of Rachael Divers 2016.