Cosmopolitan Blend Perfection Sponge Review

With reviews for makeup brushes or sponges I always think an example of what the tool can actually achieve is so needed - so I thought I'd rave about the Cosmopolitan Blend Perfection Sponge and the type of effect you should get when using the sponge - plus actually show my face (which I don't do that often) so you can see what I'm talking about! 

 Now I love using sponges and actually never use a foundation or stippling brush anymore to apply my foundation, the reason being I like quite a light coverage and a sponge gives that airbrushed, dewy, light look to the skin. Plus I find using brushes can create an exfoliating effect on my skin, which leaves  me with quite flaky patches either side of my nose.
Not a good look. 

So sponges just seem like a good option - they give a flawless finish, make the skin look dewy, easy to clean/dry, perfect application within second and they never make foundation look cakey! 
However they do get grubby and it can give you too light of a coverage depending on the sponge...which is why I've tried so many to find the perfect one!

However my quest is over! 

I bought the Cosmopolitan Blend Perfection Sponge for £4.99 in Superdrug as it basically looked like the much talked about Beauty Blender and I liked that it was abit firmer than any other sponge I'd tried in the past - more like the feel of a stress ball than a latex sponge.

Feel free to click on the picture and have a really close up look at my face/foundation!

The idea behind the sponge is you actually bounce it off the face and use the different sides for different areas - the tip is really perfect for the sides of the nose and around the hairline. 
I really haven't got clear skin especially around my nose and chin and always have quite abit of redness - but as you can see the sponge really does give an even look to the skin. The foundation I used in all three photos is the Max Factor Second Skin Foundation in Creamy Ivory (which definitely doesn't look dewy when applied with a brush or the fingers). 

Even less coverage - blended out from the T-zone

But what I really love about this is you can build up the coverage in the areas you need it - for me this is to cover up blackheads around my nose and forehead. Simply by adding an extra dot of foundation to the areas and stippling it out to blend in with the rest of the face.

After I've used it too apply my foundation and it's a little less damp I use it to blend out the concealer I'm using and if I'm using a cream blush I use the base of the sponge to apply it. So it really can be used for more than just foundation application! 

Ofcourse after use it needs to be washed however I find I wash it daily as you need to dampen it before use anyway - so I just rinse it with abit of soap under hot water and it removes all the foundation and then it's ready for use again. 

All in all I can't see any down sides to the sponge other than you may find you need to use abit more foundation than you would if you were using a foundation brush or your fingers.
But what I love the most about this is it does give such an flawless look to the skin and it literally takes seconds! 

Definitely one of my best purchases of 2010!