Cosmopolitan Blend Perfection Sponge

- Product description

"Cosmo's Blend Perfection Sponge allows for flawless application of foundation using a bouncing or stippling method to leave a perfectly blended finish without leaving tell tale lines or visible streaks. Ideal for use around the nose and eye areas for precision blending. The sponge is Hypo-Allergenic and Latex free." Amazon uk

- About the product

This product is a beauty sponge which is used for applying and or blending make up - mainly foundation, but it can also be used with cream blushers and cream bronzers. The sponge is about 7cm in length and it is bright pink - I would have preferred the sponge to be a white/lighter colour as you would have been able to see when it needs to be replaced a lot easier. Product claims: "For amazingly flawless foundation application".

- Packaging

The product comes in a re-sealable pouch and the packaging actually does have some useful usage tips on the back - such as wetting the sponge first. The front of the pouch is see though as you can see exactly what you are buying. The best feature of the packaging for me is that the top of the pouch has a re-sealable edge. I took this sponge in the pouch on the cruise with me (about two weeks ago) and this pouch was really handy just to keep the sponge in so it does not get dropped on the floor, so it does not get all dust on it and it also stops me from loosing the sponge. Overall, I like the packaging, the pouch that the sponge comes in could be a bit bigger but other than that the packaging gets a 10/10.

- Product shape

The shape of this product is a little strange (unless you have seen/used the beauty blender sponge, of which this is a cheaper re-make). The sponge is a kind of bell shape, it is wider at one end and it is really narrow at the other. It dips in, in the middle, I think that is to make the sponge easier to hold while using. The sponge is made out of a strange material, it is not latex as it is latex free, but whatever the material is I really like it. The material that the sponge is made out of is incredibly smooth, super soft and really squishy (as you would expect from a sponge!).

- How to use the product to apply foundation

I use this sponge with my revlon colourstay foundation (for normal to dry skin) which is amazing. I have had this sponge for about three weeks now and I really like using it as it works really well. So firstly I cleanse my face and apply my moisturiser. I then dispense some of the foundation (mixed with my moisturiser) to the back of my hand.

Once the foundation is mixed I then dab the sponge into the foundation and I take a good sized amount of the foundation and dot it onto my skin. I start at the centre of my face and work outwards. To blend the foundation I just dab the sponge onto my skin but on some areas of my face I just swipe the sponge across my skin - I use the latter method on my eye lids and the outer edges of my face, such as my jaw line, just because it is quicker and my skin there is not very dry at all.

The shape of the sponge is really good for applying my foundation quickly and easily, as one end of the sponge is fairly wide, which allows me to cover a larger surface area with foundation. I mainly use the larger area of the sponge to apply my foundation but I also use the sides of the sponge to blend the foundation, if I need an area of the sponge that does not have any foundation on. I do not use the really narrow end of the sponge as I find that it is easier to use my fingers to apply and blend my foundation around my nose and under my eyes.

To completely cover all of my face with my foundation, using this sponge, it probably only takes me a couple of minutes, which is great as it cuts down on the time it takes me to get ready in the morning. I really like this product as it is a really quick, easy and fool proof way to apply liquid foundations. I have only used this product with my liquid foundation but you maybe able to use it with cream blusher, cream bronzers and it will work with various other liquid foundations.

I find that as I have dry skin, due to my eczema, any thing I use on my face has to be really soft and smooth otherwise it can make my foundation look really flaky and obvious. With some make up brushes I find that I can get this flaky look which is obviously not nice but as this sponge is incredibly smooth, soft and springy it just creates a really nice medium coverage smooth finish on my skin - with out my foundation looking flaky or really obvious.

I did take this sponge on holiday with me and it worked so well on holiday as all I had to do was dispense my foundation and then dab the foundation onto my skin - and no brushes were needed which is especially great when you are traveling. The sponge is also fairly small, it is very light weight and it comes in a re-sealable pouch - a fantastic combination for traveling.

One thing that I don't like about using this sponge to apply my foundation is that the sponge does soak up some of my foundation, so I have to use more foundation than I normally would (in turn I will run out of my foundation faster than if I used a brush or my fingers to apply the foundation). This is not really a problem for me and the foundation that I use as the revlon colourstay foundation has no dispenser on the bottle so I always end up dispensing out too much foundation anyway.

- Results

I really like the results/finish I get from this product. I have really dry skin so this product is great as it is incredibly smooth and soft to the touch, so it does not drag or pull on my skin and it also does not feel harsh on my skin which can cause my foundation to look flaky. This sponge applies my foundation really well, giving me a medium level of coverage. This product leaves my skin looking smooth and more even as it makes my foundation apply really smoothly and evenly. Also the material of the product does not irritate my skin.

- Cleaning the sponge

For the past few weeks I have not really been cleaning this product as I thought that as it is a sponge it would just soak up any water I put on it and it would loose its smoothness. So I have been just spraying the surface of the sponge with a anti-septic spray, but this is slightly deformed the sponges surface so you have to smooth the sponge out after wards.

But over the past few days I have been washing the sponge. The instructions on the back of the pouch say to wash the sponge so I did and it worked fairly well. I just put the sponge under running water and squeeze the water out of the sponge - and just repeated this process until it is clean. I knew it was clean as when I wiped the sponge on my arm it did not leave any foundation on my arm. After it was washed it had increased in size to about a 1/3 bigger than it was originally (even after I had squeezed most of the water out). It does take a while to dry out but it still remains really smooth and soft after it was washed. But I still feel that it is not fully clean and I think I will have to replace this every month or so.

- Overall positives

The main positives of this product in my opinion are as follows: the sponge is incredibly smooth, soft and squishy so it is really gentle and smooth on my skin. It applies my foundation really smoothly and gently without leaving lines on my skin - and it also gives a medium level of coverage in a short amount of time. It is also great for traveling as it lasted a week cruising and four (unfortunately turbulent) flights.

- Overall negatives

The main negatives of this product in my opinion are as follows: it can not really be cleaned fully and when I do wash it, the sponge takes a while to dry. The only other negative really is that sponge soaks up my foundation, so I have to use more than I normally would which in turn makes my foundation run out faster. And I don't really see the need for the narrow end of the sponge as I find it is really easy to apply and blend foundation around my nose/under eyes with my finger tips.

- Price and availability

I bought this product from amazon uk for only £4.95 - I think I will have to replace this product every month or so due to the foundation build up inside the sponge which can not be cleaned completely in my opinion. This product is also supposed to be available in superdrug but I can not find it online and it is not in my local superdrug either.

- Overall, would I recommend this product?

I would recommend this foundation if you have a fairly affordable foundation (such as high street brands and maybe clinique) but if you have a high end foundation which is expensive (from lancome, dior or chanel) I would not recommend this product as you will be loosing some of your foundation in the sponge. Overall I would recommend this sponge as it applies and blends my foundation really well, it is super smooth and soft so it does not leave any harsh foundation lines on my skin and it also does not irritate my skin.

Conclusions

Positives

*Easy to use with my liquid foundation
*Incredibly smooth, soft and squishy material which means that it is very smooth and gentle on my skin - and after being washed it returns to its original shape
*Really affordable - but I think I will have to replace it every month or so
*Great for traveling as it is fairly small and really light weight
*Comes in a re-sealable pouch that is good for storing the sponge
*Does not irritate my skin and it works really well for me

Negatives

*Soaks up some of my foundation every time I use this applicator, so I have to use more foundation than I normally would
*Can not be fully cleaned in my opinion - which in turn could cause spots due to possible bacteria build up
*I personally do not use the narrow end of the sponge so it would be better for me if both ends had the same larger surface area - instead of the narrow pointed end

Thank you for reading my review - this review is also posted on ciao under my username labellavita1992