Review: Real Techniques Miracle Complexion Sponge

Real Techniques is a brand that seems to be able to do no wrong; their brushes are some of my best-loved and most-used, and I don't think I've read one bad review of any of their products. When I heard they were releasing a blending sponge I was really interested to see if it would live up to the quality and efficacy of their extensive brush collection, and also how they could improve on an established concept already well loved by many.

The main thing to notice about the Miracle Complexion Sponge* (apart from it's bright orange colour) is that while it keeps the usual conical egg shape of many of the currently available sponges, this sponge features a large flat edge that’s meant to be used to assist coverage over the contours of the eyes and nose. It's suggested to use the rounded sides to blend across the larger areas of the face while the precision tip is recommended to be used for blemishes and imperfections, which isn't generally the way that I use my sponges but it's always nice to try out new techniques.

The flat edge is a really welcome design feature for me- I tend to use the rounded bases of sponges with my foundation or BB cream to cover and blend, so to have such a large and level surface to work with has made the process so much easier and faster with less tapping needed to get an even base. I don't feel the need to change sides to blend around my nose, but as this sponge only has a flat edge on one side, it's easy to turn it over and use either of the pointed ends with concealer under my eyes before tapping in with my finger.

The texture created with this product is much the same as with others- there are no annoying lines or patches that can be a problem with using fingers and brushes, and it stipples over imperfections and pores to create a lovely smooth surface on those of us with skin that needs a bit of help in that department.

What really has come as a revelation with this sponge is the amount of increased coverage it gives over my other blending sponges, and even my fingers. Where my BB creams in particular would largely disappear into my sponge, leaving much less to apply to my skin and sheering out the coverage, with this sponge the product is moved efficiently from the back of my hand to my face and pressed into the skin rather than being spread across so it covers much more in just one layer.

The Complexion Sponge has a slightly different texture to some in that instead of jumping straight back into shape when squeezed, an imprint of my fingers is left just for a few seconds which reminds me slightly of memory foam and might be the key to its increased performance over some of the bouncier sponges. One thing to point out is that I do use my blending sponges dry which in itself allows them to sheer the product less and soak less up, but also means I can use them with loose powder in a pore-filling press-and-roll motion as well as with creams/liquids which is really convenient and easy.

As the Miracle Complexion Sponge soaks up less foundation than most, and things like cream blushes and cheek tints only stay on the surface of the product, cleaning is really quick as I don’t have to spend ages rinsing and squeezing until the water runs clear. I've also had no problems with the colour running from this sponge or my nails making dents during cleaning which I have done with a couple of others I've tried but which is really more annoying than anything.

I really haven't been disappointed with Real Techniques' newest offering and was expecting a price tag of around ten pounds, but for £4.99 I think this product is such a bargain and really worth trying out whether you're a regular user of sponges or a sponge virgin, as I'm sure you won't be disappointed. I assume that Samantha Chapman will be posting a video tutorial on how to use this sponge as instructions on the packet are minimal to say the least and I think there could've been some emphasis on using each side of the product and the unique shape. That said though, as long as you work out that you're meant to use it to blend out cream products you can't really go wrong!

The Real Techniques Miracle Complexion Sponge retails for £4.99, and is available from Professional Online Makeup for £4.49.