The 8 Best Makeup Sponges, Tested by Real People

Best Overall

L'Oréal Infallible Blend Artist Foundation Blender

$8 at Amazon

If you ask us, the L'Oreal Infallible Blend Artist Foundation Blender is essentially the Goldilocks of makeup sponges — because it's just right for all of your needs.

Made from a plushy sponge material, this blending sponge is quite soft when damp and doesn't feel rough on the skin. It transferred most of our foundation onto our skin rather than absorbing it into the sponge. During application, its pointed dome shape allowed for blending in tight spaces like under the eyes and around the corners of the nose, while the base was great for larger areas like the cheeks, chin, and forehead.

This makeup sponge only fell short when we tried to build up foundation coverage on our skin; our tester has oily skin and hyperpigmentation and was looking for good, buildable coverage. It was not as seamless as we'd hoped, which could also be attributed to the application technique or foundation used — we can't solely blame the sponge.

Overall, this is a user-friendly and affordable makeup sponge that's soft on your skin and allows you to apply makeup evenly, without streaks or blotches. It's a no-fuss beauty blender that does what you expect, and it's super easy to rinse out when you're ready to clean it.

Shape: Hourglass, dome | Material: Cotton | Absorbency: Light | Good For: Liquid or cream foundation

Best Budget

L.A. Girl Beauty Sponge

$12 $7 at Amazon $5 at Target $5 at Ulta

This sponge was quite dense, which allowed the foundation to blend directly onto our skin rather than disappear into the sponge. We also loved how soft the latex-free foam material felt during application.

In terms of design, this sponge mimics a classic teardrop shape with a slight edge for blotting certain areas of the face — say, your cheekbones with blush. The shape aided application, with the pointed tip getting into the small areas around the nose and under the eyes. One word of caution: This sponge tends to push makeup around, so you have to be careful when blending. That said, it eventually created a smooth finish with our foundation.

This makeup sponge is easy to clean, and all the residue came out with a few rinses. Though it's not as plush as other sponges, the size, shape, and material make the L.A. Girl sponge a good option for daily use — and at a budget-friendly price.

Shape: Teardrop with flat edge | Material: Latex-free foam | Absorbency: Light | Good For: Liquids, creams, or powders

Best Investment

Fenty Beauty Precision Makeup Sponge

$16 at Sephora $16 at Ulta $16 at Kohls.com

Fenty's sponge remains a fan favorite among the beauty line. The Precision Makeup Sponge 100 earned a near-perfect score during our test for its unique design, lack of absorption, and precise application.

This soft makeup sponge is light and airy in design, and we especially loved the flat shape and narrow edge at the end. This special design facilitates a clean and precise application, easily blending foundation across all areas of the face. Testing also showed how quickly foundation washes from this sponge (only FourFiveSeconds...get it?). Though more expensive than others on our list, it's hard for us to find fault with this premium makeup sponge. If it's good enough for Rihanna, it's good enough for us.

Shape: Pointed dome with angled edge | Material: Latex-free sponge | Absorbency: Light | Good For: Liquids, creams, or powders

Best Classic

Beautyblender Original Makeup Sponge

$20 $17 at Amazon $20 at Sephora $20 at Target

There's a reason there's only one "original" — it's the first, the classic, and the model to which all future iterations are compared. In steps the Original Beautyblender. "Beautyblender is the golden standard," says Murdick. It offers a classic egg-shaped design with a pointed tip to delicately blend makeup under the eyes and in the crevices around the nose.

The material is similar to many others on our list: Latex-free polyurethane foam. It's soft and works well to blend foundation for a smooth finish, though we did notice it needed several layers for full coverage. It wasn't due to the sponge absorbing too much product (it didn't absorb much at all) but might be attributed to the specific foundation we used. We also found it somewhat tricky to clean with makeup wipes, but think it would clean easily with soap and water.

Shape: Teardrop | Material: Latex-free polyurethane foam | Absorbency: Light | Good For: Creams, powders, or liquids

Best for Baking

Essence Makeup & Baking Sponge

$9 at Amazon $5 at Ulta View on Essencemakeup.com

When you need to slap makeup on before running out the door, you'll want a makeup sponge that will do the job quickly and effectively. This sponge earned a perfect score on all of our tests, with little to no absorption, flawless and quick application, and easy cleanup.

Made from a vegan sponge material, this beauty blender has a classic pear shape with a large round bottom, perfect for blending foundation and "baking" with setting powder. Its angled side creates an edge for smoothing and a tip for hard-to-reach spots.

The only oddity we noticed was how large the sponge grew when dampened for application. That's not necessarily a con for everyone, but when you're trying to reach tight corners around your eyes and nose, smaller sponges are key. Thankfully, it didn't soak up the product and blended it well into our skin. With its budget-friendly price, we think this is a great everyday makeup sponge.

Shape: Pear shape with angled edge | Material: Vegan sponge | Absorbency: Very light | Good For: Liquid or cream foundations, pressed or loose powder

Best for Airbrushed Finish

Real Techniques Miracle Complexion Sponge

$16 at Amazon $6 at Target View on Ulta

This makeup sponge is a popular one — it's almost always in short supply. And its reputation exists for a reason: It created a finish so smooth that our skin almost looked airbrushed. We've home-tested this product for upwards of a year, and it's definitely earned its spot on this list.

This uniquely designed sponge has a smooth edge to apply liquid blush, a pointed section for concealer, and a round side for general foundation, contouring makeup, etc. And it doesn't absorb too much product, so you don't have to worry about waste.

No matter what you're blending, if you've dampened this sponge, you're going to see a smooth-as-butter finish. Though be warned, the sponge grows quite a bit when wet, so you have to be mindful when working in smaller areas of the face. It's super easy to wash with soap and water and lasts for a while when properly cleaned. And though it's recommended to swap out makeup sponges every three months, we have extended usage for this one by an extra month or two.

Shape: Slanted dome with flat edge | Material: Latex-free foam | Absorbency: Light | Good For: Liquids, creams, or powders

Best Latex-Free

Sonia Kashuk Latex-Free Makeup Blender Sponge

$16 at Amazon $7 at Target $10 at Walmart

This Sonia Kashuk sponge has a rounded bottom and pointed top, which allow for versatile application no matter where you're trying to blend product. We loved the soft feel and whimsical design of the black and white marbled pattern.

While this sponge blended our foundation well and created a smooth finish, it did absorb some product, and we needed to add more makeup to our skin to build up the coverage. We suggest applying your makeup directly to the sponge or on your face to avoid product loss when transferring from the back of your hand to your face.

The sponge did rip when we tried to clean it with a makeup wipe — so while not a dealbreaker (because a better way to clean would be to wash with soapy water), it's not the most durable on our list. That said, the makeup did come out of the sponge when cleaned, so if you're gentle when washing, it should last until you're ready to get a new one.

Shape: Pointed dome-shaped | Material: Latex-free polyurethane foam | Absorbency: Medium | Good For: Liquids and creams

Best Set

Beauty Bakerie Organic Eggs Beauty Sponges

$20 at Amazon View on Beautybakerie.com

Why have one makeup sponge when you can have six? This adorable set, designed as an egg carton, lets you designate sponges for various needs — for instance, designating one sponge for liquid products and another for powder.

Though sponges are quite dense, the material felt soft on our skin. The shape mimics most makeup sponge designs but with more rounded edges. We noticed the sponge grew quite large when wet, which made it harder to tackle small areas, but also allowed for easy blending across larger areas like our cheeks.

The only major con is how much makeup it absorbs. We found ourselves reapplying more makeup in several layers since, on the first application, the sponge absorbed quite a bit of product. That said, it was super easy to clean, and all of the product washed out.

Shape: Egg | Material: Non-latex sponge | Absorbency: Heavy | Good For: Liquids, creams, or powders, though we recommend picking one egg for each type of product