Quo Blending Sponge Review

So I wanted to buy a beauty blender but of course I didn't want to buy something for nearly $30 ($26CDN without tax, so with tax it'll even out to $29.38CDN) if I didn't like it. I've seen this cute little purple guy hiding out in the aisles at Shopper's Drug Mart so I decided to give it a try. And for $5CDN how bad could it be?

This sponge revolutionized my life. Okay, I'm exaggerating but only exaggerating slightly. I will never apply liquid foundation any other way. tt

So this sponge works the same way as the Beauty blender. You soak it with water, squeeze out the excess and use the tool to apply and blend makeup.

Here is a picture of the sponge but it's drying, it gets much smaller then this once it's fully dry. I've read reviews online about people buying knock off beauty blenders and hating them because those sponges don't expand when they're wet. Thankfully this one does. It swells up and gets really large and soft.

Also I've never experienced any bleeding of colour with this sponge.

When I bounce it against my skin it feels really soft and . . .well . . . bouncy! I think bouncing this sponge on my face is the most enjoyable way to apply foundation. In addition to feeling soft - it's not scratchy at all - and providing a little enjoyment this thing does a fantastic job at blending foundation onto my skin.

And applying foundation doesn't take as long as I thought it would. Once this sponge is full of water its surface area expands and I can cover a large area of my skin with my face.

Also this bouncing method is extra refreshing in the summer. The coolness of the damp sponge on my skin is lovely.

Sometimes I squeeze a dollop of foundation onto the back of my hand and then dip the sponge into it and bounce it onto my face. I find when I do that, I end up applying more foundation when I need. What I do is dot the foundation all over my face and then blend with the sponge. The result? The most natural looking, perfectly blended finish. At first my skin looks a little wet but once the foundation sets, my skin looks incredible. My skin looks as flawless as a doll's. I was amazed. My mind was blown at how well this sponge could blend foundation.

With brushes or my fingers I can get a nice finish but it never looks as perfect as when I use this sponge.

Cleaning this sponge is a breeze, especially if I wash it directly after use. I pour baby shampoo into my hand, and form a lather, then rub and squeeze the sponge, and then rinse. I don't apply shampoo directly to the sponge.

 Using the method above I can get my sponge stain free which is incredible as my makeup is dark. Once all the product is out I prop it up sideways on one of my BBW Fine Mist lids to air dry. The sponge shrinks back down to it's original size after about 48 hours of drying indoors. It sounds difficult, but trust me it's easier and quicker then washing brushes, well to me it is LOL!

It took me a while to really get the hang of using this sponge but once I learned how to wash it and how to use it to get the best finish I was in complete and total love. I don't think I could ever go back to applying foundation with a brush or my fingers and even if I could I don't want to LOL! And the fact that this thing is $5CDN? I'm head over heels.

Likes:

1. Gives my skin a flawless finish
2. Blends foundation quickly
3. Expands to a large size when damp
4. Feels very soft on skin
5. Is very fun to use
6. Easier to clean then a brush

Dislikes:

None! I'd be nit-picking! Maybe I'd like to see it come in other colours? That would be real cute!

A+

Beauty Empties Edition #2

It's been a while since I've done an empties post but the time was right. The bag I use to hold all of these empty packages was so full it looked like it was ready to burst!

1. L'Oreal Ideal Moisture Day Lotion for Dry Skin: I used this throughout the winter when my skin was incredibly dry. I usually have combination skin but last winter my skin got so dry it was flaking. I loved how moisturizing it was on my skin! It was a very heavy moisturizer but it was great. And the SPF25 didn't leave my skin with an ashy cast. I'd repurchase for use in the winter or when my skin is going through a dry spell.

2. Essence All About Matt Finishing Powder: The powder itself was really great quality, truly translucent with this wonderful pore blurring effect. It mattified my skin right away but the packaging was incredibly fragile and it didn't stay matt all day. Wouldn't repurchase.

3. Dove Pistachio & Magnolia Body Wash: My favourite body wash of all time. I love the delicious warm, sweet, nutty scent and how soft and hydrated it leaves my skin. I adore this body wash!

4. Dial 7 Day Moisturizing Lotion for Dry Skin with Shea Butter: Not my favourite lotion. Had a generic lotion scent. Had a generic lotion feel. I didn't feel like it hydrated my skin that deeply. Wouldn't repurchase.

5. Rimmel Scandaleyes Xtreme Mascara: The brush on this mascara is absolutely fantastic (its in the same vein as the Maybelline Lash Sensational brush and the L'Oreal Voluminous Butterfly brush) and helped to get my lashes looking long, think and defined really quickly. I didn't feel the need to build a lot of coats. Sadly this mascara dried out and got clumpy within a month.

6. Freeman Golden Grain Brightening Face Mask: This is an okay product. The gel was hydrating while it was on but didn't boost the brightness of my skin at all. It didn't help with the formation of dark spots either and that's mainly what I purchased for. Wouldn't buy it again as I've found nicer hydrating masks.

7. Freeman Charcoal and Black Sugar Polishing Mask: This is a fantastic scrub that really worked well to keep my skin soft and keep my blackheads under control. As a mask it didn't really stay on my face, but as I scrub I loved it and can't wait to repurchase this mask and get it back into my life! Once I stopped using it my blackheads returned in full force.

8. Cetaphil Moisturizing Cream: This is so soothing on my skin. My skin is eczema prone so this really helped when I was going through a really horrible spell of eczema. It also works really well as a facial night cream that hydrates deeply without clogging. Love this stuff.

9. The Body Shop Cocoa Butter Body Butter: This body butter was really nice. It was very hydrating on my skin and had a divine melted butter consistency and it smelt like chocolate but still wasn't overpowering. I'd definitely repurchase this.

10. The Body Shop Blueberry Body Scrub: This caught my attention immediately because I thought it was so neat that it looked like blueberry jam. After a while the smell became cloying and I couldn't wait to finish this body butter. Wouldn't buy this again.

11. L'Oreal Sublime Soft Micellar Cleansing Water: My first micellar water and still remains one of my favourites. Click here to read my review. I still love this stuff!

12. Life Brand Clear Action Dual Action Moisturizer: This is Shopper's Drug Mart's dupe of the Clean and Clear dual action moisturizer. I much prefer the Clean and Clear one even though both seriously skimp on moisture and don't include SPF. I don't know if my tube was old or something but it smelt sour. Definitely not repurchasing despite the fact that it did help the acne spots I have, I've found spot treatments that work better.

13. Dove Clear Tone Deodorant: I found this on clearance at Wal-Mart and I know now why it's been on clearance; it doesn't work. It did a good job of keeping my armpits dry and smelling fresh but it didn't even the tone of my underarms at all. I didn't expect it to work so I wasn't surprised. I won't buy these again because they don't work.

14. Maybelline Baby Lips Christmas 2015 LE Ruby Star: The cool red colour of this lip balm was the only thing I liked about it. It was too greasy for my liking. Click here to see my original review of both Ruby Star and Winter Flush.

15. Maybelline Baby Lips Christmas 2015 LE Winter Flush: Didn't like the colour or the greasy feel. I reviewed this at the same time as Ruby Star.

16. Nyx Soft Matte Lip Cream in Addis Ababa: I liked the mousse like feel this lip cream starts off with but then it quickly dries down. I actually liked how sheer this product was because then the colour wasn't too garish. Wouldn't repurchase as I didn't wear this lippie a lot.

17. Maybelline Colour Sensational Lipstick in Untainted Spice: Probably my favourite permanent nude lipstick ever. The colour is the perfect nude for my NW45 skin (It's nude but it's got enough colour to look almost MLBB). It doesn't make me look dead at all, and it looks surprisingly natural. Sadly the formula makes my lips feel numb so I stopped using the lipstick.

18. Essence Colour & Go nail polish in Sweet As Candy: I love this nail polish. It's a nice sheer pink that's great for a natural look or for using as a base for a French manicure.

19. Essence Colour & Go nail polish in Space Queen: My favourite glitter top coat. It also looks incredible over Sweet As Candy. It thickened up after a year which is definitely a first for any nail polishes I own. I really like this polish and would most likely repurchase.

20. Maybelline Baby Lips Electro Strike A Rose: Smells exactly like those sour rocket candies I hated getting in my pillow sack as a child during Halloween. The colour was really pink, cool and pigmented which made me really not like it at all as I didn't like the way it looked on me. Wouldn't repurchase.

21. Revlon Nail Enamel in Cherries in the Snow: I bought this colour mainly because I knew it was a vintage Revlon colour. I actually only like it on myself in the winter because during the winter my skin is paler and the polish doesn't look as bright and as shocking. I didn't wear it a lot and for that I wouldn't repurchase it.