Manicare Flawless Complexion Sponge Review

Firstly, thanks to beauty review for letting me try this in a trial team! It was my first trial team so I was really excited to try it out. Unfortunately it didn't quite meet my expectations though.

I've never been a huge fan of sponges. I've only really used cheap ones that don't do a good job (soak up a lot of product and don't blend out very well). I tried this manicare sponge hoping it would be better but I wasn't really satisfied. It's a lovely bright pink colour and mostly rounded with a flat angled edge.

The first thing I tried was to blend and buff my concealer with the flat edge, as the packet suggested, but it just wasn't the right shape. It didn't really blend at all and just moved the product around or soaked it up. I did this with the sponge dry. I also tried to blend my foundation with it dry and again it just soaked up product and didn't leave my skin looking as nice as I had hoped.

I read a review on here that if you wet it, it expands considerably in size. So I tried it and it did! Very strange to see. I tried using it damp to blend my foundation. It worked a little bit better than it did when dry but I still wasn't really satisfied with the look and ended up reaching for a brush.

Now, don't get me wrong, I know beauty sponges soak up a lot of product but I just wasn't happy with the amount of product I lost into the sponge. It didn't give the look promised and overall I would use a brush over this sponge any day of the week

I was super excited to try this out, as I thought it looked very similar and could be a dupe for the Real Techniques Miracle Complexion sponge - my favourite sponge and what I usually apply and blend my makeup with.

I did not like anything about using this sponge when it was dry, which doesn't worry me too much as I haven't come across a make-up sponge I like using dry.

While this sponge did work to apply my make-up when damp, it wasn't spectacular and was, sadly, definitely not the same as using my real techniques sponge. The manicare sponge felt really hard and firm, even when wet, which I found uncomfortable and hard to use. I found it took a lot longer to blend my foundation than I'm used to, and found it used a lot more product than if I was to use a brush or another sponge. I tried using it to blend in contour and it took, in my opinion, far too much time and effort. It had an almost doughy texture, and I felt like a soaked up a lot of product.

I did really like it to blend in my concealer, I think the flat edge worked really well for that and was the perfect size.

I might continue to use this just for concealer alone, but can't see myself using this for anything else. While this wasn't horrible, it had quite a few negatives and I have other make-up tools I like better.

The beauty blender and beauty sponges quickly made a name for themselves as one of beauty guru's favorite tools - but with the cost hitting as high as $40 dollars per sponge... could the great value of Manicure's Flawless Complexion Sponge compete at only $11.99?

This sponge comes with the classic rounded end and the new addition of a flat side. They recommend using the sponge wet for a lighter coverage and dry for a fuller coverage.

Now, before anything else - the beauty sponge, no matter what brand will absorb your product so the overall outcome will always be a slightly more sheer coverage. However, because of the flat side of this sponge, allowing you to apply your foundation and concealer in a pressing motion against your skin, this truly does improve the coverage - I found that although some product was being absorbed, my foundation was still giving me the coverage I needed, whilst blending seamlessly so it looked natural yet it still hid any cheeky blemishes.

I also really enjoyed the flat side for precision blending of my concealer, I was able to get in close to my eye (without feeling like I was going to squash or poke it!).

Using the sponge wet, does as it says it will - gives a slightly more sheer coverage but it also creates a really beautiful dewy complexion - so if you're having a great skin day and/or want a natural, glowing look - the wet sponge is definitely your go-to.

As with any beauty tool - it's important to wash this regularly and I would encourage after every use. Bacteria does build quickly on these sponges and that can create breakouts. The sponge cleaned easily enough (with warm, soapy water) but there was still some foundation/concealer residue/staining left afterward that I couldn't get completely rid off.

Overall, this product genuinely does what it says it's supposed to. It's fantastic value for money and I will definitely use it again. It's great to know that you don't have to shell out a silly amount of money, (especially when you're just paying for the 'brand') and get a good quality product.

I had high hopes that this was going to be one of those products that was going to blow me away. Unfortunately as the title of my review suggests I wasn't impressed with this product.

I decided to use it exactly as the product suggested and used it dry first applying my product using soft sweeps across the face (they suggested this if to like full coverage which I do). BAD MOVE! All it did was absorb product into the sponge and whatever product was left just got moved around my face. I decided the next day to try it again but this time with a damp sponge. While it did do a slightly better job I still found that it didn't give me the coverage that I like, which is full. I did find however that pushing the sponge into my face as opposed to swiping it did give me the best coverage.

In my opinion a beauty blender does a better job. I found the sponge itself quite dense and hard. Even after wetting out it took a lot of effort to squeeze the water out. It's not a soft product. I also found the shape of the sponge a little strange and found the rounded end a little difficult to use under my eyes so wasn't able to blend out my concealer that well.

I will keep experimenting with the sponge but probably not for foundation!

So, I have to admit, I've yet to find a make up sponge that I like. I love Natio liquid foundations and bb creams, and this sponge, like most others I've tried, sucks up a lot of product. I get a lot more coverage out of a little product by using my hands. I found the sponge left some 'cakey' looking areas when trying to add more coverage to blemishes. I will continue to try it out though, as I don't have a lot of experience using sponges. One thing I will give this sponge is that it is very easy to clean, a little warm water and soap does the trick well. Not a terrible product, but not a game changer for me.

I was pretty excited to try this because my well-worn Kmart blending sponge definitely is past its prime.

When used properly (damp) it is very dense and springy, and I found that it didn't soak up much product at all, which is a plus. I used this sponge to both apply and blend my liquid foundations - normally I have to apply it with my fingers as my other sponges and foundation brushes soak up too much of it - and to blend out my cream concealer and contour.

It expands to about double the original size, and retains its soft bounciness whist damp. I didn't really follow the instructions on the packaging for application, but the angled side was perfect for applying product around my nose and under the eyes. I think the shape overall makes the sponge useful for the entire face.

I used this for my dance competition on the weekend and it definitely helped the makeup process go smoothly.

Unfortunately this make up sponge was a miss for me. The design of the sponge was not my favourite with it being quite firm and the top of the sponge is an awkward shape. I prefer a more angled top or side so I can comfortably sweep my foundation across or down my cheek and then blend. I also like to have a narrower end to get into smaller areas of my face but I cannot do this. I ended up having to almost dub it on then try to quickly blend it out with the flat end. I find my foundation never looks quite as flawless as the sponge seems to absorbs a lot of product more so than other sponge I have used. No I do not recommend this.

Received as a gift. A good blending sponge, easy to clean, gets into all the contours and blends evenly. I’ve used sponges that we’re less than half the price and worked exactly the same, no difference in quality.

I love most products of manicare, but didn’t really enjoy this sponge. I feel like it soaks up most of my foundation, and i have to use double the amount.