These days I rarely use a brush to apply my makeup. Since purchasing my Beauty Blender one and a half years ago, this is what I have reached for.
Unless I used my fingers, which happens with Tinted Moisturizers or BB-Creams a lot, for I am a lazy girl and hate cleaning brushes or sponges.

Avenue22 Makeup Sponge on the left, (stained) Beauty Blender on the right

But one and a half years of regular use have taken their toll on my Beauty Blender, and while I was still contemplating whether to rebuy or go for one of the countless dupes out there, Premium Beauty Supplies got in contact, looking for bloggers to test their Avenue22 MakeUp Sponge.
Of course I jumped at the opportunity.


What Premium Beauty Supplies claim:
These makeup sponges are for applying your foundation or contouring your makeup.

Facts:
At the moment, the sponges are 10 pound, P&P included. For comparison, the Beauty Blender retails for around 16 pound without shipping.
They are smaller than the Beauty Blender (BB), but still big enough to cover your face quickly and just like the BB they expand when soaked in water.

The handle is made from ecofriendly wood (as the company told me), and didn’t scratch during my testing period.
The golden metal part is nicely cut, there are no sharp edges, and the sponge is fitting in well.
I pulled at it with medium strength (all for research purposes, you know) and it stayed put.

Avenue22 Makeup Sponge

The application is similar to the BB, but needs a little more blending effort.
The BB is a no-brainer for me, I just dab dab dab and put it away.
With the Avenue22 makeup sponge I had to go back in at a few places, but the final result was the same.

The sponge texture is very giving, so you don’t pull at the skin when using it in strokes, something you are tempted to do, because it just feels like you are holding a brush.
To be completely honest, I ended up holding the sponge directly instead of the handle most of the times. I just felt that gave me more control.
And I like holding a sponge for some reason.

Does it live up to its claims?
I can’t vouch for the contouring part, as I use powder contour most of the times. But it does a good job at applying your makeup. I like the flat part for distributing the product, then flipping the sponge to buff it in.

Would I (re)buy?
Probably not. It is a decent product, but the main advantage is the handle, and I prefer my sponges without them. I will happily use it as long as it lasts, but afterwards the Real Techniques version is on my to-try list.

Who would I recommend it to?
If you don’t like getting your fingers damp and dirty, you will prefer these over the original BB.
They are cheaper, so may be a great alternative when you are on a budget, although I can’t tell you about the longevity yet.

Have you heard of this brand before?
Do you use the original Beauty Blender or a dupe?
Or is it brushes all the way?

MerkenMerken