I decided to buy my beauty blender after I noticed how much hype it was getting amongst the beauty blog community & almost all of my favourite beauty guru's were mentioning it and recommending it. It didn't appeal to me at first as it looked a bit gimmicky from the pictures but I was really impressed by all of the positive feedback that it was getting and after researching it a little I decided to order one. I purchased mine from an online retailer (beautybay.com for anyone wondering) and paid £16.00, not including delivery.

They can also be found on various other websites as well as Selfridges and the retail price ranges from around £12.00 to £16.00, so this isn't particularly cheap. Saying that though, I do think that it's worth it - I get used to through quite a lot of compact and disposable sponges and they wouldn't last long before going gunky and they didn't wash well where as this is incredibly easy to clean and it looks good as new once it is dry. There are a few different dupes of the beauty blender - some of which retail at under a fiver, and I do wish I had realised this before buying mine but as I am happy with the quality and it does what it's supposed to I can't complain too much!!

The beauty blender for anyone who hasn't got a clue what it is is basically an egg shaped sponge. It is completely smooth with a large surface area - it makes applying foundation so quick and easy (and fun as well!) It has a pointed edge which is handy for using under my eyes and around my chin and t zone. The sponge is very dense but nice and soft and because it's so smooth it feels really gentle against my skin. As it is rounded it's very easy to grip and although it's quite small (it can easily fit in the palm of my hand) it is not fiddly to use. I use this whenever I am in a rush and can't be bothered to use my foundation brush. I usually use a stippling brush for my liquid foundation because up until recently I was worried it'd stain the brush and make it go all tacky but it washes off fine - I just soak mine in some warm water and baby shampoo and it looks good as new!!

Using the sponge really couldn't be easier and although at first I was concerned that it woudn't be very precise due to the large surface area it is really effective at giving flawless coverage really quickly and the pointed bit on the end is a good size for my nose, t zone, chin etc and this is the part of the sponge that I apply my concealer with. It took me a few minutes to completely get used to it when I first got it but I had gotten the hang of it in no time and I actually find it really fun to use!! I love how it bounces against my skin when I'm blending my foundation etc - it's a weird sensation at first and it takes a little time to get used to the technique of bouncing it rather than dragging it on the skin but I soon got used to it. As long as you remember to wet it first if you're after lighter coverage (and squeeze it out!) and don't apply too much product to the sponge and make sure that you don't drag it against your skin you really can't go wrong and the results = a flawless, even, airbrushed finish!

Overall I highly recommend this sponge - it's great quality & so easy to use. It blends well and gives full coverage. Five out of five stars.