Real Techniques - Miracle Complexion Sponge | Review

I have never really been one for the whole Beauty Blender/Cosmopoliton obsession, I've just never really felt compelled to use a sponge, but when I discovered Real Techniques had brought one out, I just HAD to get it!

'Why this one?' you may be thinking, well to start with, I'm a HUGE fan of the Real Techniques range, their quality for price is outstanding and secondly, I have an anourmous amount of respect for Samantha Chapman (the mastermind behind the brand and one half of the Youtube duo, Pixiwoo) and trust her professional opinion.

 

When the sponge finally arrived through the post, I was kinda supprised by the size of the packaging in comparrison with the sponge itself, half the size would have been enough. Saying that, though, I did like the egg shaped cup to hold the sponge and the fact it slid out easily, saving the trouble of having to rip/pull/cut my way in. The sponge itself is quite unique as it has quite a distinctive, 3-sided deisgn...

 

1. Flat - Foundation: WOW! I can honestly say that this now my FAVOURITE method of application EVER! I've had the sponge for about a week now and I've tried and tested it with a variety of different foundations, and with each one I've probably halved the amount of product I normally use, this is due to the fact that the sponge is EXTREMELY blendable and instead of absorbing the product, the foundation sits of the surface of the sponge, allowing you to get the most out of the product.

 

Using the sponge gave me an amazingly, seamless finish and because of the shape and angle, it fits in every nook and cranny, ensuring the entire surface of the face and neck is covered. With sponges, though, you generally do get a more sheer finish, but if you press the sponge on the area(s) you want more coverage, you can build it up until you get the coverage you're happy with.

 

 

2. Pointed - Concealer: Without fail, I ALWAYS have a cluster of spots/blemishes that just will not be hidden, no matter what method or product I use so I was very sceptical that this was going to be any different...BOY, was I wrong! All you do is apply the concealer on the back of your hand or directly on the targeted area and PRESS the product onto the spot/blemish and the surrounding area and it's gone! However, I found it kinda hard to fit in the contours of the eye so I went back to the Flat side and used the same pressing technique. The Flat side is probably best for getting around the nose crease as well, but you alternate it and use the Pointed side to really blend the product outward.

 

 

3. Rounded - Blush, Powder & Bronzer: This is probably the most versitile side of the three, it can be used with almost any and every facial product. So far I've used it with powder, powder bronzer and blush, cream bronzer and liquid blusher.

 

Powder - Setting or just using a powder foundation, the rounded side can be used to press the product into the skin or buffer it in. When I used it to set my face, the product went on A LOT easier, it was easier to blend than a usual buffering brush/powder brush and the finish was a lot more seamless, and there were no patchy, flakey bits I normally get when I've applied a powder.

 

 

Blush - So far I've used it with liquid and powder blush, both very different formulas and with the songe produced very different results.

 

Liquid: The first thing I noticed was that the sponge actually absorbed most of the product before I had chance apply it, but what was left on the sponge I applied in a kinda rocking motion on the cheek bone. The finish was a bit dissapointing, it was patchy and the colour pay off was very week.

 

Powder: For this I manitpulated the sponge, tucking the corners in so I was left with a nice, rounded ball to fit the shape of my cheek apples and just pressed the product onto face. The finish was MUCH better than the liquid blush, it gave a natural flush of colour and the colour pay off was imense.

 

 

Bronzer - Powder: The powder bronzer I used was kinda the same story as the powder blush, the pay off was amazing an it sat on the skin naturally, but the differnce was the method of application. Instead of pressing/rocking the product on, I used small strokes going in the direction of where I wanted the product. The shape of the sponge also fit the temples, jaw line and cheek bones perfectly, so every area I wanted product was eaily accessible.

 

Cream: Using the same technique as applying the powder bronzer, the cream was super easy to blend and picked the colour up beautifully, and as before, the finish was lovely and natural

 

 

 

Cleaning

Everone has their own preferences when it comes to cleaning their equipment, but I just place a small amount of shampoo on the palm of my hand, swirled the brush around and then rinsed under luke warm water. Normally usuing this technique cleans up my brushes beautifully, but with the sponge I found it almost impossible to get it back to it's original condition, and even now it still has a few stains, kinda off putting! It also looses it colouring EXTREMELY easy, once I'd dampened it I found when I rinsed it it gushed out the neon orange dye, it also expanded in about a quarter of it's size and still remains that side days after drying.

 

 

Despite it's difficulties to clean, the Miracle Complexion sponge is definitely a MUST HAVE! Because of it's versatility, it's perfect for anyone who travels a lot or for someone who's just starting to build their collection. Retailing at £4.99 it's definitely worth it!

 

 

 

If you want to view a demonstration, watch Samantha Chapman show you how to get the best out of the Miracle Complexion sponge here: http://youtu.be/xe2_tr41dWs

 

 

Thanks for reading x