MAKE-UP: Brushes or Beauty Sponges, What works better?

For Friday's post, I'm gonna go with a personal debate that I've been having: which is better for make-up usage, a brush or a beauty sponge? Of course, this is all a matter of preference but I can discuss my personal pros and cons of both and what I've currently been using as of late.

DISCLAIMER: I'm not a Make-up Artist in ANY sense of the word, nor do I have any knowledge past what I've learned from way too many tutorials. These are my opinions based on my experiences. NO AFFILIATE OR DISCOUNT CODES HERE.

So let's get started with this post, shall we?

Credit to pexels.com for their lovely stock and royalty-free images. One day, I'll get good at photographing...

Make-up Brushes

Make-up Brushes have been there as a staple in any vanity for as long as I can remember. With a variety of styles, thickness and application, they've always been around in my stash in some form or another. As part of my ipsy subscription as well as the availability of a nearby drugstore, I've always had a steady supply of brushes, some better than others. I have both the traditional and the Artiste-inspired brushes that came and went. 

For applying powder-based products, brushes will always have an edge over other tools, as they're designed to do exactly that. Brushes have the advantage of reliability in picking up product, though the application itself may vary on the thickness of both product and bristle. A very packed, thick brush will pack on Clean-up is comparatively easy, running through a wash with gentle soap and water tends to have the best results. Given the climate I live in (hot and humid), the brushes air-dry quite quickly and can be used the next day without issues. 

But when it comes to a wet product, like foundation, brushes tend to have more mixed results. Brushes tend to produce streaks of product rather than a more uniform application, especially when done in a hurry. These streaks then result in an uneven texture on my skin and require extra buffing in with a thicker brush or by stippling on the product itself. This is especially evident when you consider that some products require a few layers of application to properly shine through. Cream products tend to be middle of the road from my experience with brushes. With the thicker bristle/more packed brushes, cream products blend good enough but can be finicky to say the least. 

Beauty Sponges 

A relatively recent addition to the repertoire, beauty sponges have been in use for the longest time, mostly the disposable triangles that you can buy for 10 a piece. The beauty sponge has seen a renaissance with the arrival of the Beauty Blender Sponge by Beauty Blender. With its distinguishable egg shape, soft texture wet or dry, and the $20 price point, it caught the world by storm, inspiring countless imitators and application techniques. 

For a wet or cream product, the sponge is where it's at, as the product can be managed with relative ease and distributed evenly. This is especially evident when the sponge is wet and more receptive to product. Most beauty influencers swear by the Beauty Blender, and it's hard not to see why. The sponge requires (from my own experience) less than half the product needed when compared to a brush, and spreads the coverage farther along without causing the dreaded streaks. You can even use powder, including those classic eye-shadow applicators for a layered application!

That said, there are cons to using beauty sponges, starting with the cleaning. Cleaning a beauty sponge is absolutely necessary to ensure that your face doesn't break out. It absorbs all the water and product that remains there, which can cause irritation and acne as well. The beauty sponges must be cleaned out regularly to keep using it...

Which then brings me to the next issue: durability. From what I've experienced, soft Beauty Blender style sponges tend to start showing cracks fairly soon after regular usage. This in turn could run up the costs like no tomorrow.

WHAT I CURRENTLY USE:

My current line-up consists on mostly brushes from brands like La Créme, NYX, L.A.B2, Wet 'n Wild, Luxie, Crown Beauty, Elizabeth Mott (thank you Ipsy RNG for those three brands) with the Walgreens' Brand Beauty Silicon Sponge and the EcoTools Total Perfecting Sponge thrown in there. Listen, I'm a budgeting law school graduate, I save in what I can. 

I can't deny that sponges do smooth over most of the streaks a brush leaves behind, but I use the blending sponge sparingly as it has unfortunately started to crack with my regular usage. The Silicone Sponge itself helps apply the liquids before I start using the brushes. I join both tools but my preferences lie with the brushes even with wet or creamy products, but that may change! Make-up and beauty are ever evolving and my opinion may change with experience.

I can't say this is minimalist but I intend to use these brushes until they start falling apart and replace them with more sustainable alternatives if necessary. Those I don't use at all will be donated or given away to those who will enjoy them more, if allowed. I don't collect as much any more, only buying what I need. 

Thank you so much for reading! If you got this far and want to share your thoughts, write a comment about which one you prefer: brushes or sponges and why.

- SP