BEAUTYBLENDER Electric Violet Makeup Sponge

I first owned and used the original pink beauty blender and loved it, but my skin didn't. I believe the dye in the original one broke out my skin. I also noticed every time I cleaned the pink one it leaked the pink color. So I decided to try the Pure version since I loved the sponge so much. And I am so glad I got it! It does a great job, same quality as the original. Delivers a flawless application of my foundation and I love that this cleans up great! I clean mine periodically with my all natural Castile soap (dr bronners) and all the stains disappear! Amazing sponge! Update- January 27th 2014 Nearly 3 months in and this is still my go to tool for applying my foundation and concealer. It is amazing! I have tried it with powder foundations, liquid and cream (my preferred one) and it does a fantastic job on all of them! This is a fantastic tool for people who have sensitive skin, acne prone, etc. Using brushes can be more harsh on the skin, more pulling and tugging, hold bacteria, etc. None of that at all with the beauty blender! Mine is stain free also still and I use it a lot! I thought I would offer some helpful tips for anyone who needs it. :) 1. Don't clean it immediately after applying your makeup. Clean it after it has dried, like the next morning or at bed time. I have cleaned mine this way from the get go and never have had any staining with it. 2. Clean it with a liquid soap or dish soap. I prefer to use a more natural soap (dr bronners liquid Castile soap) but have heard of success using Dawn dish soap too. These will do a better job of getting the stains out verses using your cleanser and are much cheaper than splurging on the beauty blender one! I clean mine every other use. I see some reviews stating they only cleaned theirs once per month or so. That's not smart and slightly annoying that they would write a negative review of this product when it was most likely their own negligence that caused the issues. #1 it's white (hello!) #2. Not washing it will cause it to hold bacteria and could cause irritation or break outs. #3. It can also cause the color of the makeup your applying to be off (if its hoarding weeks worth of old make up). Also I see negative written reviews of people who claim their beauty blender grew mold. Folks, DO NOT store it in a closed container while wet! Thought that was a given, apparently not for everyone. Allow it to dry, and then put the lid on! 3. Be gentle when cleaning this tool, no need to scrub the heck out of it. Mine has not been broken or fallen apart, but I take my time cleaning it. Wet it, add a few drops of soap, gently massage it in, rinse and repeat if necessary. 4. I highly recommend watching some you tube videos on how to use a beauty blender ( more available on the pink one, doesn't matter the technique is the same). They were very helpful to me in understanding how to use it! There is definitely a technique, so educate yourself on how to properly use it. The payoff is worth it! I get a flawless application of my foundation every time. Then flip it to the pointed end and use it for my under eye concealer. Blends beautifully! That's all I have for now, I will update again in the future! Totally worth the $15 I paid for it!!!

Great addition to my makeup kit since it's basically a multi-tasking sponge. Immediately fell in love with it. My main use for it is foundation and concealer and it has a fantastic application. Really airbrushed finish, no creasing, and really soft when bouncing it on the face. It is best when used damp, even for powders. It's a bit tough to clean since it picks and holds quite a bit of product, but I use baby shampoo and it works wonders plus definitely cheaper than the solid/liquid cleanser they sell. A bit of dye can come out while cleaning but it's very typical of the sponge and the color doesn't stick to anything (so if you clean it and use it on your face, don't worry the dye won't stick on you or mix with your makeup). Also 100% cruelty free and vegan~ As for those who are worried about getting fake ones on amazon, there's a list of authorized dealers on the beautyblender website (which I used to tell who are legit sellers on amazon such as Lock & Mane, reference beautyblender's e-partners page as well) and of course I got a real one. Update for 12/9/2017: After going through 3-4 beautyblenders (I replace them every 6 months or so for sanitary reasons), this is still my staple beauty sponge. Quality is still great. Only thing I have to note after all this time is that over time it gets slightly stiffer (it's still quite soft when damp) and easier to rip if you're not super gentle with washing (my error but still wanted to make note). But for $20 for 6 month use, at least for me, it's worth it and I swear by it to this day.

Occasionally, someone does invent a better mousetrap, as they used to say! As a grown woman who has applied make-up for many years (and on stage, for work & just because) and in many ways (brushes, foam wedges and, most often, tips of the fingers, which I'm told is not good to do, but never cared before) the idea that there was a new, better way to apply makeup seemed absurd. Beautyblender is said to be made with a patented material developed especially for applying makeup. I wanted to try it and am so glad I did. For one thing, the sponge material is in fact quite different than others I've used. Other sponges, from the older wedges to newer, different shaped ones, drink up my makeup - more goes into the sponge than on my face! That's money! Even drugstore foundation, for example, is no longer cheap.. Then the sponge gets dirty or ratty, I throw it away and use my fingers. But the Beautyblender somehow tenderly holds smaller amounts of makeup so you use what you need and it goes on remarkably smoothly. It looks more natural. I don't use as much foundation, especially, or eye makeup, as I did when I was younger, but this sponge is still very helpful, maybe more so - it blends fantastically, so i can use as much or little as I wish - it rinses out, doesn't waste foundation.. It's a life changer, and, as far as I can tell, it really is a whole new advance. Was so excited when we watched the Emmys and I saw one of the winning actresses accidentally carry her bright pink Beautyblender to the stage! I knew what it was!

Just as expected!

Edit: PLEASE MAKE SURE YOU BUY FROM A TRUSTED SELLER! A lot of the 1 star reviews are from people who received dupes or counterfeits from amazon sellers. I've had counterfeit items sold to me and even FULFILLED BY AMAZON in the past so I was especially careful to find one from a seller with 100% feedback - Lock & Mane sells real beauty blenders. (If you order from amazon directly, not just fulfilled by amazon, you will also find a real one) I can't imagine anyone comparing this to a store bought sponge, the actual authentic beauty blender is a huge step up it's not even funny. I WISH I COULD GIVE THIS MORE STARS. I just finished my first application with this beauty blender and I was SO blown away that I went straight here to write this review. I bought both a flat Kabuki brush from beauty junkees and this sponge. Prior to this I was using a regular store bought make up sponge which I assumed the beauty blender would be a slightly better version of, holy crap was I wrong. The Flat kabuki brush was the first thing I tried, and it buffed my make up out easily and left a heavy coverage that looked better than it would have if I'd have attempted it with a generic make up sponge and with less product waste. Unfortunately if you got within 2-3 feet of my face, I looked like a hot mess. The make up was very obvious and made my face look really gross. At this point I really thought it was impossible to wear foundation and have it look like you weren't caked in make up and I got really discouraged. Today I tried the beauty blender. I was just planning on covering only a few problem areas after the make up mess the kabuki left, but as soon as I started to dab it on my skin and saw how different it looked, I kept going. When I was done I looked in the mirror and I was really impressed, but it wasn't until I got really close up that I noticed how AMAZING it looked even from a shorter distance. If you get close enough you can still tell you're wearing make up, especially around the dry spots of my face, (I mean dry flaky skin, not just dry areas) but unlike the Kabuki brush it looks way, way better. It doesn't looked caked on by any means, and it has a much more skin like texture. I feel so gorgeous in my foundation for the first time EVER. I have never gotten my foundation to look this natural or this flattering, just when I was about to give up foundation for good. (ahah well except for bad break outs) AND THE BEST PART which I almost forgot about, is that I used maybe 1/2 to 2/3rds of the foundation I used to. I even had some left over on my hand because I assumed it would take more! This sponge is amazing. The kabuki brush is still a good product if you need heavy coverage to hide a lot of pimples or redness, but if you don't need a lot of make up and you want a more natural looking foundation, the beauty blender is the most amazing thing I've ever tried. I seriously cannot recommend it enough, I've never been more impressed by a product.

This seems like it is smaller than my pink beauty blender. It is however a perfect size and easy to keep clean. Also, the Sapphire Beauty Blender is easy to manage when applying makeup. It costs the same amount as the brands same Pink Beauty blender. I LOVE the color, shape, and softness of the sponge. I also like that it is latex free as I am allergic to latex. I much prefer the softness of this brands sponge to less expensive ones. I have tried less pricey blenders but prefer the way this feels on my face. The only caveat to it having a more desirable softness and superior application of makeup is it has a higher likelihood to tear it when you clean it. You can use products made for cleaning your beauty blender or use baby shampoo or a mild dish soap. The beauty blender can produce near perfect makeup application when you wet it and make sure you do not apply makeup too thickly. Also, makeup application can not only look “air brushed” by heavily blending your face, but your makeup will look nearly perfect and stay that way if you use the beauty blender with a Makeup Setting Spray. I tried both a dewy and matte setting spray with the blender and both looked terrific. The blender is

The texture of the sponge is a little rough, and scrapes at my skin when applying makeup. I haven't had this issue in the past, and I wonder if it's just the blue one. The pink and green one have been gentle and soft when applying.

I love it!!