I love finding dupes for products that are overpriced. It makes me feel like I’ve cheated the system. Makeup counters offer so many beautiful products that cost ridiculous amounts of money, so it makes you ask yourself: Is it worth the cost?  Trying different makeup products is all about figuring out which products work best for you. Sometimes it’s the drugstore version of makeup, and sometimes it’s the high-end version.

I went to TJ Maxx and found a makeup sponge by the brand Revive, which I’d never heard of before, but I’ve seen dupes for the Beauty Blender everywhere. There is a dupe here on Amazon that seems to have mixed reviews. I haven’t tried it but want to  (let me know in the comments if you want me to review it, too). Below I will touch on each pro and con for the two products. Remember that for the reviews I run both the Beauty Blender and the dupe under running water for 10 seconds and squeeezed the excess out before I applied my foundation.

Beauty Blender

Pros:

It has a soft, delicate, and spongy texture that, when you pat it on your skin, has a dewy, soft feeling. That is one of my favorite parts, because it isn’t rough and gently spreads the foundation. The dampening of the sponge definitely adds to the gentle texture it has. It made my foundation apply evenly, with no streaks.

Cons:

The price. The $20 price tag at Sephora, online here, would make anyone cringe. But here on Amazon, you can get two Beauty Blenders for $28.95; making it $14.47 per sponge. So if you decide to buy one, do not let Sephora overcharge you by making you pay so much when Amazon gives you almost 25 percent off. Side note: When you compare the price of a Beauty Blender to high end foundation brushes that range from $40-$80 dollars, this one is fairly priced. The only other con is it is high maintenance. Once the liquid foundation touches the sponge, it won’t come out with just water. It takes quite a bit of washing with brush cleaner to remove the stains.  And don’t pinch it with your nails because it will rip the sponge.

Revive “Beauty Blender Dupe”

Pros:

Its affordability, which is the main reason to compare the products. I bought it for $3.99 at TJ Maxx, but you could also try Forever 21’s version here. I would say price was the only thing I liked about it. So you can probably guess there’s going to be more written below…

Cons:

The one issue that had a domino effect of my dislike of the product was the firmness of the sponge. It was so firm that when I tried to blend the liquid foundation onto my skin, it would just stay in one place and not evenly spread out. So I felt like I was doing repetitive motions that weren’t getting me anywhere. The firmness made it hard to clean too. The liquid foundation was so tightly packed into the sponge that it wouldn’t shift around with the cleanser or water to come out. Even though the cons out weigh the pros for the dupe, I can’t say that I completely hated it. It still applied my foundation, it just took more work and the foundation didn’t look as even.

Overall:

I would splurge and buy the Beauty Blender on Amazon, so I wouldn’t feel like I was splurging. Whether you are new to makeup or are a pro, the Beauty Blender truly does make applying liquid foundation fool-proof and look beautiful. Which, to me, is priceless.

Celine Wolff can be reached at blogs@collegian.com.