Beauty Blender: Worth the hype?

Up until about two weeks ago, I wrote off the Beauty Blender as an overprized, glorified sponge. One night while watching YouTube beauty gurus, I stumbled across a video by Wayne at gossmakeupartist. He has TONS of videos, and I can't even find it now! I believe it was one of his videos on foundations for dry skin. Anyhow, the point he made was that using a sponge such as the Beauty Blender is ideal for dry skin. When you use a brush to buff foundation on dry skin, the friction aggravates the dry patches and can worsen flaky areas. This made perfect sense to me. I almost always had areas on my face that looked flaky after using a brush to apply my foundation, even if my skin didn't look or feel particularly dry before applying makeup. I bought mine at Sephora with a 15% off coupon, but the Beauty Blender retails for $19.95. Yes, that is a hefty price for a sponge. I don't regret it for one second. Here's why.

Texture. This non-latex sponge is super soft and light. It is meant to be dampened with water before using and can be used with liquids, creams, and pressed or loose powders. I have only used this with liquid foundation, so I can't speak to how it performs with other consistencies. When you wet the sponge, it doubles in size. To apply foundation, you "bounce" or stipple the foundation across your skin with the dampened sponge. This makes foundation application a breeze! After you're done, you can sit the sponge on top of the container to dry. I'm not sure if that was intentional in the designing of the package, but it's suggested in the instructions and works out pretty well!

Shape. It's egg shape allows the sponge to reach all areas of the face, even areas around the nose or around the eyes when blending concealer.

Application. I am not exaggerating in the least when I say my foundation looks a million times better when I apply with the Beauty Blender versus a brush or my fingers. My skin looks like skin, but perfected. You don't notice the makeup on the skin. The material of the sponge blends out the makeup so well. I haven't had any issues with flaky patches since I've been using the Beauty Blender. I'm in love with this thing!

Drawbacks. There is no avoiding the fact that a sponge will soak up more foundation that a brush. I do have to use a tiny bit more foundation to get the same coverage I like with a brush. Water-based foundations will soak into the sponge more than silicone based foundations. I have also found that it takes quite a while for the sponge to completely dry. Even though I leave it out to dry on top of the container every morning, it still seems a bit damp when I'm ready to use it again the next day. Like brushes, the Beauty Blender needs to be cleaned often to prevent bacteria from spreading and causing breakouts. Some like to wash the sponge after every use. While this is certainly not a bad idea, I usually go a few more days between washing it. Your foundation may stain the sponge, so it may look a little dirty even when it's perfectly clean. And lastly, the cost. Twenty dollars is a lot to dish out for a sponge the size of a small egg.

The verdict.
In my opinion, the Beauty Blender is worth the money. I have never loved the way my foundation looked so natural but covered so well as much as I do when I use the Beauty Blender. If you've read my previous posts, you know that I struggle with dry/combo skin, so the fact that this sponge eliminates my flakey patches is huge.
For those who have pretty normal or oily skin, I still think the Beauty Blender is worth a try for the beautiful finish it gives. If you're not ready to commit $20, there are loads of reviews on BB dupes you can find on YouTube or beauty blogs. If you're makeup obsessed like me, go for the real deal. I love having this tool in my makeup collection!

What do you think? Have you tried the Beauty Blender? Found any great dupes? I want to know!