It's pretty much unanimous among beauty influencers that a good sponge is the absolute number one must-have makeup tool. Beautyblender perfected them, but many other brands have created their own versions since.
With the passing of time, it only seems these brands have gotten more and more creative with their sponge shapes; How many times have you walked into a beauty supply store and thought, What the hell is that even supposed to do?
Turns out all those wacky curves and crannies have very specific purposes. Here they are:
beautyblender Orginal
The tried-and-true egg shape is simple, but it gets the job done. The curved sides and rounded bottom bounce and blend wide surfaces, and the pointed tip gets hard to reach spots, contours, and highlights.
Sephora Collection The Sculptor
The pointed tip of this sponge is designed to cover small corners like the edges of the nose; the flat bottom is designed to apply cream blush and highlighter; the curved edge is meant for contouring the cheekbones, jawline, and forehead.
Sephora Collection The Painter
Just like the last, this sponge offers one wide side for major stippling and a pointed side for corners — but this one has a curved middle for an easier grip.
Make Up For Ever Ellipse Blender
Make For Ever gave its sponge a slanted, circular edge to hit small nooks and crannies. Why such a long sponge, though? It's so less product gets eaten.
Morphe Highlight & Contour Beauty Sponge
The egg-shaped side of this sponge takes care of wide surfaces and small corners, but the sharpened side is ideal for applying contour creams and setting powders.
Fenty Beauty Precision Makeup Sponge
The slanted edge of this sponge is perfect for all-over coverage. Fenty cut off the very tip to create a flat "mini-moon" edge for underneath the eyes.
NYX Complete Control Blending Sponge
NYX's take on the beauty sponge, like Fenty's, has a flat side for even, full-coverage foundation blending. It also has a "precision tip" that's slanted instead of flat for less finagling in the corners
Sephora Collection Cake and Bake by Vera Mona Sponge
The Cake and Bake sponge's name says it all. Those sharp corners were designed specifically for applying contour creams and setting powders in super sharp lines.
L'Oreal Infallible Blend Artist Contour Blender
This sponge has one side that's entirely flat to ensure completely even blending — it also makes creating a sharp contour way easier.
Real Techniques Miracle Contour Wedge
Each part of this triangular sponge has a very specific purpose. The pointed tips are solely for applying contour creams, the domed sides blend them out, and the flat bottom buffs out imperfections.
Real Techniques Miracle Diamond Sponge
Real Techniques diamond shape is odd yet effective — the wide, pointed lower ends blend cheeks, foreheads, and jawlines; the small and wide slanted edges near the top draw sharp contour lines and reach tiny corners. There are so many sides to this thing, you can have one for each product.
Bronx Colors Medium Precision Blending Sponge
This sponge's many curves, according to its product description, are fit for all the different contours of the face. The point at the top fits perfectly underneath the eyes and around the nose, the round bottom fits around the jawline, and the rounded sides fit just about anywhere else.
Real Techniques Miracle Sculpting Sponge
The large side of this sponge is meant for contouring, meanwhile its small side is for "precision highlighting." Each flat side is for product application, and each rounded side is for blending. Should you need to apply in very sharp lines, down the nose for example, you could use either pointed end.
Sephora Collection The Pointer Blending Sponge
These pointed sponge actually slide onto your fingers for super precise concealer coverage under the eyes.
Essence Super Beauty Sponge
This hourglass shape provides the perfect place to grab hold of the sponge. The single flat edge provides smooth control for product application, and the rounded edge blends everything out.
Sephora Collection Detail Oriented Sponge
Each side of this sponge is for applying a different kind of product. The flat end is for highlighter, and the curved edge is for contour and blush. Everything else is for foundation and general blending.
Revlon 4-in-1 Blending Sponge
Revlon's unique long sponge is ideal for under-eye coverage thanks to its long, flat, pointed tip. The rounded sides and bottom blend foundation and pretty much everything else.
Givenchy Makeup Blender Fluid & Compact Makeup Sponge
Much like other sponges, this pointed sponge was designed specifically to hit small corners – but that unique little stripe in the middle is surprisingly meant to keep your fingers clean.
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