Brush Works Silicone Sponges Review

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When it comes to foundation I’m strictly a sheer coverage kind of a girl. I like my foundation to look fresh and dewy and not to hide my freckles, whilst gently perfecting my skin and masking unevenness. Most of all though, I like it to look natural.

In pursuit of this natural, fresh and dewy look I’ve worked my way through umpteen foundations and a plethora of application styles to arrive at my preferred method. This involves either applying foundation with my fingers, gently tapping a little more coverage under my eyes and around my nose, or using the Real Techniques buffing brush which gives just slightly more coverage, in my experience, than fingertips alone.

I’ve never had a great deal of success with makeup sponges though, although my 16 year old daughter swears by the Beauty Blender. For me, I could never quite get over how much of my wildy expensive foundation ended up somewhere inside the sponge and never even made it to my face.

So I was intrigued to read about a new and improved modern take on makeup sponges and was happy to be offered the chance to trial the Brush Works Silicone Sponges. Find them here

According to their literature Brush Works Silicone Sponges offer the following benefits:

• Speed up your makeup routine, giving flawless coverage.
• The sponge is coated in a unique ultra smooth layer which does not absorb your makeup.
• Ultra hygienic, easy to clean and long lasting.
• Allergy free & non sensitive.

On opening, they are a strange texture. Firm, but with some give. They are coated in what looks like a layer of film, which the instructions say that you shouldn’t remove.

To apply your foundation you drop it directly onto the sponge. Bear in mind that you are unlikely to need as much as you would with other methods. You then carefully blend the foundation over your skin in circular motions until it has all absorbed.

When you first apply it, it’s a strange sensation, completely unlike anything I’ve felt when applying makeup before. Although it’s called a silicone sponge none of the product absorbs at all, which means that when you start applying it to your face it feels slightly odd. I would describe it as more akin to smearing it over your face than blending it. The sponge feels as though it slips and slides over the skin with an almost rubbery feel as you smooth the product over your face.

Although it’s a strange feeling the sponge certainly lives up to its claim of meaning you need less makeup. None of the product is absorbed by your sponge or brush, so a little really does go a long way. Not a single drop is wasted; the sponge ends up looking almost as clean after application as when you started.

However, despite how easily the sponge slides over the skin and distributes the foundation I wasn’t able to get the ultra sheer, airbrushed type finish that I prefer my foundation to have. Instead, I had the sense that I was moving the makeup around my face. In several areas it looked streaky, almost as if it had brush marks through it. It took a lot of work and a lot of reapplying and reblending over the same areas to eliminate the streaks.

The instructions tell you to apply your foundation in circular motions and then blend it by tapping it into the skin with the sponge. The three sponges I tried were different shapes. I found that the tear drop shapes were very handy for getting into the nooks and crannies of my face. For the larger areas I tended to bend the sponge and tap the makeup in with the curved edge.

Nonetheless, I wasn’t able to achieve the same finish that I am able to by applying my foundation with my fingertips. In addition, I have slightly dry skin on my chin and forehead and I found that in those areas the circular motions of the sponge actually worked the foundation into the dry patches making them more apparent.

I tried the sponges with both a foundation from The Ordinary and the Armani Maestro Fusion Foundation. In both cases I found when using my fingertips on one half of my face and the sponge on the other I could achieve a better finish with my fingertips.

One area where the silicone sponge does excel though is hygiene. After use, you simply wash it warm, soapy water and it’s ready to use again.

In conclusion then, if you are someone who loves sponges to apply your makeup these are probably worth a try. They are inexpensive, easy to clean and long lasting. Similarly, if you like the idea of using less of your expensive foundation or find other methods of applying foundation unhygienic, these might appeal to you.

For myself, I wasn’t able to get a level of finish that I was happy with, although this may have been down to poor technique. There are a multitude of rave reviews online from people who adore these sponges and at under £8 each if they do work well for you they are an inexpensive solution to applying your makeup .

You can buy Brush Works Silicone Sponges online here

Rebecca Varley

Read more of Rebecca’s articles for ReallyRee here