Review: Essence of Beauty Teardrop Sponges

Earlier this year I decided to give cosmetic wedges a try (you can check out that review by clicking here) and since then, I've almost exclusively used them for foundation and finishing powder. Every time I mention this when I'm in a makeup store, everyone comments about how I'm wasting product with sponges. But here's the thing about using them, I get a much better application of the foundation and finishing powder. I also use them to apply blush. 

Though I've used the wedges almost exclusively, I have tossed in some different sponges here or there. The Beauty Blender is one of them (but that's a post for another time) and these teardrop sponges have been another. I actually got the teardrop sponges before I got the Beauty Blender but I tend to go back to my wedges. For some reason I think of them as being a bit more sanitary than anything else I keep in my makeup kits.

Why?

I wash them after single use. That includes my teardrop sponges. On one side of the sponge, I'll use the pointed end I work the foundation in. I usually then flip it over and use the other side of the pointed edge to work in the finishing powder. The other end -- the fuller end, I use to work in blush. And that's how I use the regular wedges as well. 

They give an even application and allow for the products to be worked in well. This likely occurs only because it picks up more product so keep that in mind. They are incredibly easy to clean and take about 3 days to fully dry out (or rather, I give them three days to fully dry out whereas they are probably fully dried after the second day).

Whether you're all about the brushes, sponges, or a mix of both, I think these particular teardrop sponges are a great addition to your train case. They are multipurpose when it comes to makeup so you don't have to think of them as just being for foundation or finishing powder. They are great for blending eyeshadows as well. These feel good and are easy to handle. I think they are great in addition to my wedges, though cannot serve as a replacement for me since at times they do feel a bit bigger than what I'm used to (this is specific to how they feel in comparison to the wedges). 

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Product: Essence of Beauty Teardrop Sponges
Price: $3.99
Would Recommend? Yes!
Takeaway: I love wedges to the point where I use them almost exclusively -- the exception being these particular teardrop sponges which not only feel good but are easy to use. I will caution that sponges (wedges and even Beauty Blenders) pick up much more makeup which is what causes the fantastically even application. That is your call as what you want to do but I will say that keeping some sponges around as a backup in your makeup kit would be a rather good call. 

Cleaning a Kabuki Brush

I've been going through my old photos and I noticed that I had a series that show how to wash and dry a kabuki brush. I was going to create a guide for someone on /r/MakeupAddiction/ but then I found the original video and figured there was no point. Since I have the photos lying around, here's my post about it but all credit goes to Dustin Hunter. It's a great video and a great idea, so I suggest you watch the whole thing.

I now store my kabuki brushes in this manner so the pictures I have are of a dry brush. Trust me when I say though, this method is very easy.

1. I use paper towels because they are closest to my sink which is where I wash my brushes in the first place. After I wash my brush, I roll it in a sheet of paper towel. Position it in the center of the sheet to assure there is adequate room at the top and the bottom. (You don't have to assure there is room at the bottom unless you plan on changing the storage method).

2. Wrap it up!

3. Slide it into an empty toilet paper roll. For future purposes, you should actually keep a few of these around. Not only are they great for drying and storing kabuki brushes, they are great for resting sponges so they can dry out.

 4. You can now stand the kabuki up -- with adequate padding at the top by the bristles, you can allow it to "stand on the bristles" since now it won't hit the hard surface.

 5. My brush was already dry so I can now toss it and store it in any which way I'd like, which means this is also great for travelling. 

Trying Out Cosmetic Wedges

Since switching from loose powder to a pressed powder foundation, one of the things I noticed right away was that the brushes weren't going to cut it anymore. I have great brushes, but they aren't able to pick up as much of the powder and evenly distribute it. With the original packaging (like all pressed powders) there was the powder puff, which I sort of ignored for a bit. I used it ever so slightly, but also remained unimpressed by the way it distributed the powder. I really had to press it into my skin in order to see the colour. 

Cosmetic wedges on the left and the puff that came
with the powder on the right.

So I fished out a pack of cosmetic wedges that I had and decided that it was time to try them. I had them from Halloween, since I tend to use wedges to apply Halloween makeup so I figured it was worth a try.

For the last few weeks I've been trying out the cosmetic wedges and I've been very happy with the results. I'm still getting technique down with the blush but so far, it's been great.

A pack of the wedges are relatively cheap (about $4 for a pack of 32) and they are reusable. I don't know how many times you can attempt to reuse them, but basically you wash them (they will expand in size so that you can clean them) and then they will shrink back to normal size as they dry. 

So what makes it different than the puff? It's easier to hold, which just might be the key difference here. With the puff, I found myself struggling to press the powder on. The wedges are just a bit easier to hold and really get into smaller spaces (like near my eye). This also meant that not only could I use it to apply my foundation, but also the finishing powder (they are similar in colour) and even pick up the blush without worrying about the colours mixing. 

The moral of the story: If you find yourself having issues applying pressed powders, try using wedges (or even a blender). That is all. :) (Though I kind of wish I knew that before making the switch).

Oh and if you are considering reusing the wedges or even the puff, cleaning it with soap and water works out just fine. As with my brushes, I use anti-bacterial hand soap and warm water. For the puffs and wedges, I have a small basket in which they rest on cardboard tubes in order to allow them to dry evenly. 

The Brush Rack

This weekend I had set out the task of building myself a rack in which I could dry my makeup brushes. After all, I have a whole new set of the e.l.f. brushes coming soon so it's about time I finally do it right. Well, partially right. So brushes are supposed to be cleaned after every use but if you use them everyday that means they get cleaned once a week (if it's my brush, anyway) but they are supposed to be "hung" to dry. Sure you can lay them flat to dry but water could still seep in and disintegrate that lovely glue. 

The original plan was to build something like the image to the left. Okay, looking beyond the very crude drawing here the basic set up is a box with three clothespins on the top. 

I'd decorate the box so that it didn't look completely odd when it wasn't in use (clearly I put more emphasis into decor than I do anything else).

A trip to Michael's and we found everything that I would need. Balsa wood, wood stain, wood glue, and lots of gorgeous little flowers. 

Then I remembered that I wanted to get "The Masters" Brush Cleaner and of course, to my surprise, Michael's had the very thing that I wanted to build in a much simpler format. The Aluminum Brush Washer is perfect if you're looking for a way of hanging brushes to dry.

I've only tried it out with two of my brushes and both of which have much thicker handles. Now I can't imagine this working with the kabuki brushes so I suspect that I'll be sticking with Dustin Hunter's method for drying them out.

There's a ton of different ways like stringing them up or hanging them from a hanger (via rubber bands and paper clips) but I lack the space for this. So having a small area where the brushes are confined works out great for me.

If you go off looking for this it is sure to be in the brush section with the cleansers. Not all art stores carry it so be aware of this before hand. I found perchance in Michael's yet my go-to online art stores didn't have it. Check out your local art store as they might just have it in stock.