Review | Makeup Revolution Advanced Complexion Expert Sponges Soft & Hard

Apart from the Ultra Metals Brushes, Makeup Revolution have also launched some new sponge applicators, of which I got the Advanced Complexion Expert Sponges in both the Soft and Hard versions.

Advanced Complexion Expert Soft (€8.32)

The first sponge I want to talk about is the Advanced Complexion Expert Soft. The sponge comes in a transparent plastic box with rose gold details. It has two slant edges and a pointy, tapered end on the opposite side, a very unique shape for a makeup sponge compare to the others we have seen before. It is pale yellow in colour.

The Advanced Complexion Expert Soft is meant specifically for blending to create amazing HD results. The sponge is meant to be used wet and apart from preventing it from absorbing product itself, wetting it helps to further blend the foundation for a flawless, airbrushed look. I also like to use its wedged end when baking my makeup.

Of course, when wet, the sponge expands to a bigger size, which gives you a better grip, thus more control over ease of application.

I have washed the sponge already and I haven't had issues with it tearing apart but it does retain some stains.

Advanced Complexion Expert Hard (€8.32)

Next up is the Advanced Complexion Expert Hard which comes in an identical box as the soft sponge, has the same shape but is black instead of pale yellow.

Prior to wetting the sponge, I really couldn't tell the difference between the two sponges but after that, I could understand why the black sponge is named hard. It really is harder to squeeze and this makes it the perfect tool for sculpting and applying cream contour products.

Again, I haven't had any issues with this sponge while cleaning it and I like that it doesn't retain product stains.

The price of these sponges is what makes them really good value for money products as they would need to be replaced every three months or so, thus I really don't see why you have to pay more for the same product just because it is a different brand when there is a cheaper yet equally good alternative.

Monthly Favourites | September

My my time is flying by! Here are my September favourites ladies.

 

Starting with make up, I have been wearing these two lip glosses almost everyday this month. Both are neutral shades with shimmer and they are perfect for both day and night wear. They last really good and I find them both to be very moisturising. I like to wear Catrice Colour Show 080 Nude-Tritious first and layer some Essence XXXL Shine 08 Glamour To Go in the middle to give the illusion of fuller lips.

This month, I have been delving into the world of filling brows to make them look fuller more often and I found myself reaching mostly for Essence Eyebrow Designer 04 Blonde and Essence Guerilla Gardening Trend Edition Eyebrow Mascara 01 Garden Girls. They are exactly the same shade of light 'ashy' brown and I discovered I much prefer to use eyebrow products that are slightly lighter than the actual colour of my brows. Thumbs up for both products for performance and ease of use, I just hope Essence introduce the mascara as part of their permanent line.

 

 

Catrice Glamour Doll Mascara is once again my favourite because I really like the way it separates my lashes, giving me a voluminous look that seems as though I am wearing lashes. The last eye product I have been favouring this month, is the NYX Jumbo Eye Pencil in Milk. An ever popular cult favourite, I like to use this product as a base for my eyeshadows to make the colours pop and it never disappoints!

 

The Ultimate Contour Palette from Napoleon Perdis is one of my all time favourite products for various reasons, the main ones being, the packaging, the texture of all three products and the matte bronzer that is not too dark for my skin tone. Need I say more?

 

I have a new favourite skin care product as well and it is none other than Michael Todd Jojoba Charcoal Facial Scrub. I will be reviewing this in full so all I am going to say for now is that I love how this feels on my skin and they way my skin looks after using it.

 

 

The hair brush is my favourite hair gadget this month. It was part of the goodie bag from the Dean Gera Hair Care opening earlier this month and I always favour wide bristled brushes for when I need to brush my hair while wet. This one also comes with a nifty small mirror at the back that you can take out to use while on the go.

 

Foundation sponges or rather Beauty Blenders and their dupes have been all over the blogsphere as of late and a few months back I bought two dupes off Ebay at a fraction of the price and I never went back to applying foundation with a brush ever since. I love how the foundation looks whena pplied with a wet sponge because it gives you the right amount of coverage without looking cakey.

 

Last but not least, the Aztec nails were a favourite with me and people who complimented me on them. They are really easy to re-create (check out the tutorial here) and the neon studs give the manicure a fashion forward feel.

 

How To Clean the Beauty Blender dupes

Hello everyone :) I just washed my makeup brushes and tools and seeing the comments I got about the Beauty Blender dupes featured in the May haul post, I figured I should review the sponges but before that, I want to show you how I thoroughly clean them to get them looking like new again.

 

I am aware that there is a solid shampoo for cleaning the actual Beauty Blender but you really don't have to spend that much money to clean these makeup sponges, a regular bar of soap will do!

 

To start with, wet the soap and the sponge with clear water. Subsequently, rub the sponge over the soap and lather up.

 

 

Rinse away excess soap under clear water, squeezing the sponge as you go. When no soapy suds remain in the sponge, wring out excess water and leave the sponge to dry thoroughly on a flat surface for a couple of days. Make sure you thoroughly rinse the sponge otherwise, bacteria may multiply in the sponge and cause you to breakout.

 

There you go! Let me know what you think about this method of cleaning the sponges!