9 Best Makeup Sponges of 2024, Tested and MUA-Backed

Over a month, I tested dozens of makeup sponges ranging from unique and chiseled to compact and colorful. In the summertime, I lean towards cream foundations and light liquid concealers as they help absorb the oil on my skin and give a blurring effect, so I paid incredibly close attention to how the sponges performed with those products. Ahead, I share my thoughts and reviews of the best makeup sponges I tried that inspired me to put my brushes down for good.

Click here to get more.

I have always been a makeup brush person. Something about feeling the soft bristles across my face always felt so comforting. Brushes helped me achieve the best look&#;they buff beautifully for an airbrush finish. Since I have oily skin , switching from a brush to a makeup sponge meant I needed one that would spread the product well, absorb oil, work with creams and liquids, and pick up setting powder .

My favorite has to be the BEAKEY Makeup Sponge Set . The texture and material made these sponges lightweight and gave me a flawless finish when blending my foundation and concealer. If you prefer a sponge with a high-end feel, the &#;&#; Fenty Beauty Precision Makeup Sponge 100 takes the cake. It provides a luminous, satin finish that rivals Rihanna under glowing stage lights.

Best Overall

Beakey 5 Piece Makeup Sponge Set

PHOTO: Amazon

$13

$7 at Amazon

$14

$13 at Walmart

Material: Latex-free hydrophilic polyurethane | Shape: Teardrop | Size: Medium

Out of all the sponges that have bounced on my skin, the ones from the BEAKEY makeup set do it best. The colorful arrangement is a welcoming, bright pop of color in my makeup collection. The texture is super soft, almost like marshmallow, making it lightweight and easy to maneuver. I often have muscle spasms and sore muscles in my hand, but this sponge was comfortable to grip, and I did not have to twist and turn to reach the nooks and crevices of my face. 

These sponges truly rival any makeup brush I&#;ve tried. Each one spreads liquid foundation and concealer flawlessly. They&#;re latex-free, making them perfect for my oily and sensitive skin. They aren&#;t too absorbent, allowing me to stretch my product further without tugging. Each gave my skin a fresh, airbrushed look without using too much elbow grease to blend in. With a couple of bounces, my skin looked like it belonged on the cover of a magazine.

Best Budget

Essence Makeup & Baking Sponge

PHOTO: Essence Cosmetics

$11

$10 at Amazon

View on Essencemakeup.com

Material: Vegan & latex-free foam | Shape: Teardrop | Size: Small

I often rely on concealer to complete my looks. Too much can leave my skin looking two-toned, while too little can leave me looking like a glazed donut. I prefer brushes for a detailed look under the eyes; however, this sponge not only set my concealer but also absorbed the excess oil.

The unique, flat shape at the top of the sponge allowed for perfect product placement. I usually like to bake my face for about five to seven minutes, but I found I could skip this step as the sponge picked up a lot of powder. The product does build up at the tip of the sponge, which makes cleaning it a bit difficult. Overall, this one made my makeup look just like my skin.

Best Blender

AOA Studio Makeup Sponge Set

PHOTO: Amazon

$13

$10 at Amazon

$18 at Walmart

Material: Vegan, latex-free sponge | Shape: Teardrop | Size: Medium

I am a fan of anything pink, but I love this sponge for much more than its color. As someone with oily skin, I can have a hard time getting the right amount of coverage in my T-zone, especially my nose and upper cheekbones, as the oil pools up there first. This sponge annihilated all signs of shine and discoloration and spread my foundation splendidly. It was very easy to blend with it&#;I didn&#;t have to drag, pull, or bounce too hard. 

This sponge does absorb a lot of product. It got product-filled pretty quickly, and it took a few pumps of shampoo and squeezing to get it out. That said, I was still able to achieve a clean, glass-skin look with this sponge.

Best Spreader

e.l.f. Cosmetics Total Face Sponge

PHOTO: e.l.f Cosmetics

$6 at Amazon

$6 at Target

View on Ulta

Material: Latex-free foam | Shape: Angled | Size: Large

Getting product across my skin before it starts to set or the oil around my T-zone starts to pool is key in my makeup routine. These sponges from e.l.f understood the assignment. The texture makes it somewhat unique&#;it was firm but not so firm that I couldn&#;t softly apply liquid products. I have sensitive skin, so the slightest material or hard bounce can quickly turn my face red. This sponge was durable yet gentle on the skin, all while spreading my liquid foundation evenly.

Best for Under Eyes

e.l.f Cosmetics Total Sponge Set

PHOTO: Ulta

$14 at Amazon

$14 at Target

View on Ulta

Material: Latex-free foam | Shape: Cube | Size: Small

I have discoloration under my eyes due to lack of sleep. And thanks to my olive undertones, the bags look almost grey and can completely throw off my looks, especially when I&#;m attempting to brighten. This sponge applied my concealer very precisely, getting into the corner of my eyes, which can be difficult for me as I have a lazy eye, and the shape can vary depending on how my eye feels that day. 

I typically don&#;t like odd-shaped sponges, but this sponge changed my mind. It has a shape similar to a 3-D cube and was designed for contouring, but I found that it was also perfect for concealer. It did not absorb a ton of product, making it ideal for liquid/cream concealers, covering up all the small imperfections, and absorbing oil.

Best Compact

Fenty Beauty Precision Makeup Sponge

PHOTO: Sephora

$16 at Sephora

$16 at Ulta

$16 at Kohls.com

Material: Latex free | Shape: 3-sided angled teardrop | Size: Small

I will admit that I was shocked and slightly disappointed at the size of this sponge when I took it out of the box. Priced at $16, I expected something bigger, however I quickly learned that tiny but mighty was this sponge&#;s MO. 

Goto JWH to know more.

I used this sponge to blend out my accompanying Fenty foundation and was amazed at how efficient it was. I tend to over-pump my liquid foundations and then have to blend them out, but what made this sponge one of my holy grails was its absorbency. Whenever I pumped too much product, it absorbed a ton and left just enough for me to get an impeccable finish that rivaled my real skin. I was concerned that all of the tapping and squeezing would cause it to lose shape, but the microfiber material was shockingly durable and molded to my fingers/hands. The only downside to this sponge was it did require a lot of shampoo and elbow grease to clean.

Best for Beginners

L'Oréal Infallible Blend Artist Foundation Blender

PHOTO: Amazon

$8 at Amazon

View on Kroger.com

Material: Plush | Shape: Stacked teardrop (snowman like) | Size: Small

When I first started using makeup, I leaned toward brushes because sponges felt scary. I believed they were tools that only seasoned professionals used. But as someone new to sponges, this product really helped blend my foundation and buff it out for a blurred finish, almost exactly the same one I would achieve with my trusty brush.

The unique snowman-like shape of the sponge helped it disperse my product evenly. I used the pointed stipend to pick up and place, while the bottom end was perfect for blending. It is a bit small, so it took longer than normal (for me) to finish applying, but overall I would recommend this product to someone who is interested in experimenting with sponges.

Best for Creams

Real Techniques Miracle Complexion Sponge

PHOTO: Ulta

$15

$14 at Amazon

$6 at Target

View on Ulta

Material: Foam | Shape: Angled teardrop | Size: Large

I absolutely LOVE cream products and thought they blended best with blushes. But then I met this sponge from Real Techniques.

Real Techniques products are standard in my brush collection, so I was slightly hesitant to try its sponges. I did not have to drag or force the product across my face with this sponge and it absorbed so well. The material is also high-quality as it absorbed a lot but did not damage the integrity of the sponge itself, even when wet. Though an average shape/size for a sponge, it performed like a larger one, easily spreading out the product, and it picked up more product than I thought it would. I was pleasantly surprised by how it performed.

Best for Powders

Real Techniques Miracle Mattifying Makeup Sponge Duo

PHOTO: Ulta

$11

$7 at Amazon

$11

$8 at Ulta

$9 at Walmart

Material: Memory foam | Shape: Flat teardrop | Size: Large

Matte looks are always my go-to due to my oily skin. I rely heavily on setting powder, but it's been tricky to find a sponge that works well with it. When it comes to powder, I like to apply just the right amount so my skin doesn&#;t look too oily or too dry. This sponge worked miracles for my skin. The texture felt sponge-like, almost like kinetic sand, yet its holes allowed the product to seep through easily. I didn&#;t have to dig into my powder for the sponge to pick it up, and the flat surface allowed me to pick up an ample amount. 

I could skip baking as the sponge picked up a good amount of powder. I could use it on my high cheekbones and under my eyes, but I had to be gentle as it did become fragile after use&#;the material felt a touch weaker, and I thought it would rip if I applied too much pressure. I wet the sponge first, which was an unusual step for me, especially when applying a powder, but it gave my skin a clean, cloud-like look.

Makeup sponges provide a quick, easy way to apply many kinds of base makeup. We tested makeup sponges by Beautyblender, NYX, Real Techniques, Milk Makeup, Fenty, e.l.f. Cosmetics, L&#;Oréal Paris and Juno & Co. to find the right sponge that will work across applications.

After testing many foundation applications with multiple makeup sponges, used both wet and dry, we found these to be our ultimate top two:

Beautyblender Original Makeup Sponge

Best makeup sponge overall

Beautyblender Original

Ulta

Heralded by beauty editors as the GOAT, the Beautyblender Original Makeup Sponge has lived up to its hype. While it&#;s slightly expensive, its quality (it didn&#;t disintegrate like others did over time) and effectiveness (it led to the cleanest application of the bunch) make it worth the money.

$17 at Amazon

NYX Teardrop Blending Sponge

Best budget buy and best for powder products

NYX Cosmetics

The NYX Teardrop was our favorite budget sponge. Many of the other budget sponges are overly stiff, but this sponge is as flexible as some prestige brands, and its unique shape lets you manipulate it easily and blend your foundation in any crevice of your face.

Currently unavailable at NYX Cosmetics

We see these two as complementary products and think each one is worthy of a spot on your makeup vanity. We applied cream and liquid products by dabbing with the Beautyblender and then set them with powders applied with the flat NYX sponge using a pressing motion. This is a useful technique if you prefer not to mix different shades and formulas on the same sponge, cutting down on the amount of time you spend cleaning your makeup tools.

Katie McBroom

Best makeup sponge overall: Beautyblender Original Makeup Sponge

$17 at Amazon

The Beautyblender claimed our top spot, thanks to its versatility, effectiveness and overall comfortable feel. It&#;s a rounded sponge with a teardrop shape, designed to be used while moist. The brand claims in this video that it should &#;bounce&#; on your makeup, if you use a springy dabbing motion as opposed to dragging on your foundation. And bounce it does. Because of its flexible form and quality material, it increases 30% in size when wet; it truly does feel like you can effortlessly pop on your base makeup swiftly as opposed to using some of the firmer sponges that don&#;t feel as soft or flexible (sorry, L&#;Oréal). It also applied our foundation the quickest and easiest of all the makeup sponges we tested.

Katie McBroom

When used moist as directed, the Beautyblender swells up, making it easier to quickly cover a large area with foundation. You can even use a moist Beautyblender to go over your base makeup after you&#;ve applied everything (including powder) to set it and get that coveted flawless finish. Because of its flexible form, the Beautyblender worked better with this technique than the other, stiffer sponges, which smeared our makeup. (The Real Techniques sponge, which is a bit firmer than the Beautyblender, pressed lines into the finish of our base makeup when we used the slanted side.) We also like that the Beautyblender stayed moist during the application process, unlike Juno & Co.&#;s velvet sponge, which dried out a little too quickly.

Katie McBroom

The Beautyblender is also the most versatile sponge we tested; it let us apply multiple forms of makeup with ease. It&#;s commonly used to apply foundation, but if you want to cover a large area with powder, concealer or even highlighter, this tool can easily be used to do so. (It&#;s also a good tool to use for &#;baking&#; your powder if you choose to.) You can also use the pointed tip of the sponge to apply powder eye shadows (wet for a more intense look or dry for more of the traditional powder finish).

Cleaning the Beautyblender might have been our least favorite aspect of it, as it&#;s not terribly easy to clean to where it looks like new. But it is possible, especially if you use the specialized cleaning solutions the brand offers.

Katie McBroom

Best budget buy and best for powder products: NYX Teardrop Blending Sponge

Currently unavailable at NYX Cosmetics

We love when a product is both effective and affordable. The NYX Teardrop Blending Sponge is teardrop-shaped but flat, so we recommend this one more for powder products, but it can also blend creams and foundations effectively. While we found it easier and faster to do a quick full-face foundation application by dabbing with the Beautyblender (due to its rounded form), if you&#;re more comfortable using pressing or dragging techniques for your makeup (like you might be familiar with from using old-school flat-wedge sponges you stole from your mom&#;s makeup stash), then you might prefer the flat shape. This sponge is also latex-free, making it a great option for people who might have allergies (or who just prefer the texture of a latex-free sponge).

Katie McBroom

The shape also works well to reach smaller, hard-to-blend places (like right under the eyes). You can bend or roll it, or even use the very tip to dot on tiny details (like shimmer powder in the inner corners of your eyes).

Compared to the Beautyblender, it did leave us wanting in certain areas. For example, the shape and form of the NYX sponge, while effective for certain aspects of more detailed makeup application, didn&#;t lend as well to a quick allover application. Ultimately, we preferred the thicker, rounded teardrop shape of the Beautyblender, especially for cream and liquid products; the larger circumference made for quicker, easier application.

While not quite as versatile and effective as the Beautyblender in terms of application, at $7 for a two-pack, it is also extremely affordable. It&#;s also easy to clean, maybe even slightly easier than the Beautyblender, especially since it isn&#;t as thick as that one and most others we tested. If we had to choose one sponge, it&#;d be the Beautyblender. But if that&#;s not in your budget (or you just prefer an old-school flat sponge), then the NYX sponge is a solid choice.

Katie McBroom

How we tested

There are many factors that go into creating a quality makeup sponge. We focused on the following categories and subcategories to investigate the best makeup sponges:

Performance

• Effectiveness: First and foremost, a makeup sponge should be able to dab, stipple or &#;bounce&#; onto the skin to apply your foundation. It should also help you blend different makeup products (like blush or contour products, for example) effectively.
• Versatility: Can it effectively handle applying and blending all types of foundation formulas, including creams, liquids and powders?
• Resulting finish: Does the finish look flawless and streak-free, or are you left with blotchy skin?
• Performance when wet/dry: Many sponges are actually designed to be used wet (or damp). Does the sponge work both wet and dry? Is one way more effective?

Build

• Texture: Does it feel soft against the skin?
• Cleanability: How easy is it to clean?
• Form: Was it too stiff? Did the structure lend well to overall application?
• Shape: Is the shape conducive to both finer application uses (under eye, for instance) and larger application areas like the cheeks?

Katie McBroom

Other makeup sponges we tested

$7 at Amazon

The affordable, effective Real Techniques Miracle Complexion Sponge came in close behind the NYX sponge in our testing. It has a similar shape to the Beautyblender, but with a slanted slide, making it a multifunctional tool that both blends and dabs easily. This one is best for liquid foundation, but you can also use it to apply creams and powders. We preferred the texture and versatility of the NYX sponge, but the Real Techniques sponge is still a great option.

$20 at Amazon

Gen Z (and TikTok aficionados of all ages), listen up. This is not your mother&#;s makeup sponge. A flat, nonporous silicone pad rather than a typical sponge, the Milk Makeup Dab + Blend Applicator is unique among the products we tested. It doesn&#;t absorb the product as much as other sponges, so it is less wasteful and easier to clean. It can be a bit of a shock in the texture department if you&#;re accustomed to the &#;spongy&#; feel of traditional makeup sponges, but if you&#;re down to try something new, this is a great choice, as it applies foundation similarly to the sponges you&#;ve tried before. Aside from the different texture, the only slight downside here is similar to the only thing we didn&#;t absolutely love about the NYX applicator, which is the flatter shape. (We found that the larger rounded teardrop shape of the Bleautyblender allowed for a quicker application.) It also has glitter embedded within, which does nothing for its effectiveness but everything for aesthetic purposes (and looks super cute sitting on our vanity).

$16 at Sephora

The Fenty Beauty Precision Makeup Sponge is another great product from Rihanna&#;s line. It is similar in size and texture to the Beautyblender, though it features a flat edge on one side. This makes it especially great for dabbing on a concealer or highlighter in the under-eye area to add dimension to your face. It&#;s also relatively easy to clean. One drawback is that the edges can increase the likelihood of streakiness if used by less experienced beauty enthusiasts, so it&#;s important to blend properly and check your finish with this one.

$6 at Ulta

The inexpensive e.l.f. Cosmetics Total Face Sponge is very similar in shape to the Beautyblender, though one side features a flat edge. We love the versatility of this one and the low price. It&#;s slightly stiffer than our favorites, but if that isn&#;t a problem for you, then this is a great option. It&#;s also relatively easy to clean, similar to most others in the same price point.

$15 at Amazon

L&#;Oréal Paris consistently creates quality products at a low price. This makeup sponge features a unique hourglass shape, with a pointed tip to apply the product and a round base to bounce and blend. It&#;s easy to clean, and therefore very similar to other traditional sponges in terms of how easy it is to clean. It was a bit more rigid than the others we tested, but overall, this is still a solid choice that will get the job done.

$6 at Target

The texture of the Juno & Co. sponge is unique. It truly feels like soft velvet against your skin, which can be good for some, but might not be everyone&#;s preference. The shape is great, as it offers a pointed tip with a flat edge on one side. The flat edge is relatively small, which is good because it doesn&#;t get in the way if you prefer the other rounded side. The Juno & Co. sponge dried out very quickly when used wet (compared to the other sponges), which can be an issue unless you prefer a dry sponge. It&#;s also not super easy to clean, as the product we applied really permeated this sponge.

If you are looking for more details, kindly visit makeup sponge manufacturer.