13 Best Beauty Blenders and Makeup Sponges for 2023

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If you wear foundation, then you need one of these.

Makeup sponges and beauty blenders haven't always had the street cred they have today. I remember a time when they were just the freebies that came in your makeup compact that you tossed out with the box. But over the last few years, genius makeup artists and cosmetic companies (ahem, Beautyblender) have seen the true potential of old-school foam sponges and have transformed them into the quality makeup blenders you're obsessed with today—the ones that can buff, blend, and smooth your foundation, blush, contour, highlight, and more into a legit airbrushed finish. Ahead, the 13 best beauty sponges and beauty blenders for your every makeup need. Trust me—these will not only rival but beat your current old favorite makeup brush.

Now for the reasons why these sponges and blenders made our best-of list, below. Keep reading, and get ready to have Photoshop-level makeup.

Listen, if you tried this iconic sponge and weren't impressed, I'm almost positive you were using it wrong, because it's actually magical. Unlike a regular foundation brush or dry makeup sponges, which soak up too much product and leave you with patchy/uneven application, the Beautyblender is designed to be used wet. Just saturate it under running water, squeeze out the excess until it's damp, then lightly dab the fat end of the sponge into your makeup of choice and stipple it over your face for a seamless, airbrushed finish.

Truly, there is no better tool for applying concealer to your under eyes, around your nose, on breakouts like whiteheads or cysts, and dark spots, then this makeup sponge from E.l.f Cosmetics. The narrow size and pointed tips easily fit into hard-to-reach areas of the face and pick up the perfect amount of product too.

How cool is this: After 30 days of using this sponge on repeat, you can compost it! Seriously—just toss it in your compost bin or bury it in a potted plant. The sustainable foam (it's made with just five plant-based ingredients) is 100 percent biodegradable.

I'm sorry, but how freaking adorable is this 6-piece makeup sponge set from Beauty Bakerie? The sponges are perfectly designed to fit in the palm of your hand and come in a cute little cardboard box that looks just like a real carton of half dozen eggs. Use them to apply all types of base makeup: skin tints, CC creams, foundations, powders, and more.

This medium-size beauty blender is the perfect shape for seamlessly applying your favorite liquid and cream blushes like a pro. Just put a little product onto the rounded end of the sponge and bounce it on the apples of your cheeks to create a natural-looking flush with zero lines or streaks.

I love using this dual-ended brush for applying foundation. The wide flat end is ideal for buffing either cream, powder, or liquid foundation in your entire face and the tapered tip is clutch for blurring smaller areas to a smooth, airbrushed-looking finish.

This is the perfect Beautyblender kit for for makeup sponge newbs. It comes with all the essentials: a full-size Beautyblender sponge, a cleanser and silicone mat for disinfecting your sponge, and a cute little ventilated pouch for storing your sponge so it stays nice and fresh in your makeup bag.

This tool is for the truly ~extra~ who takes their body makeup as seriously as they do their face beat. Roughly three times bigger than your average beauty sponge, this big boy is the ideal size for covering larger areas, like stippling foundation down your neck and décolletage, or illuminating your arms and legs with a liquid body bronzer.

What even was life before makeup sponges? Oh, right—it was a period when everyone walked around with streaks and lines on their face from using crappy brushes. But thanks to the era of YouTube makeup, we have all come to appreciate the value of a quality makeup sponge. And this line of blenders by Morphe is YouTube's clear favorite. Not only does the quality exceed the price, but the unique shape and texture make it a perfect choice for applying and blending your favorite full-coverage foundation formulas.

If you're a fan of the makeup applicators that come inside of powder compacts, then you'll love this set of makeup sponges. The circle shape and soft, foam texture are ideal for tapping and blending out your powder foundation and setting powder to a smooth, streak-free finish.

$16 isn't cheap for a single sponge, but if you want a tool that does almost everything—concealing, stippling, and buffing—this one from Fenty Beauty is your go-to. Instead of having a pointed tip like most blenders do, this one has a tiny half-moon on top, which can be used to "stamp" smaller areas and crevices to smooth them out. Use the flat, slanted edge to stipple your foundation, then blend everything out (including your setting powder) with the rounded side.

The tip of a regular beauty sponge ain't gonna cut it for applying concealer or blending out smaller spots, like under your eyes and around your nose, which means you'll be stuck dealing with creases and patches by noon. These baby blenders are a fraction of the size of an average foundation sponge, so you can get into every corner and crevice on your face, without messing up the rest of your makeup.

With super-sharp edges like these, there's no way you can screw up your contour. Like a stencil for chiseled cheekbones, this sponge features three flat sides for your respective contour, highlight, and foundation, along with a rounded back to seamlessly blend them all together.

Lauren Balsamo is deputy beauty director at Cosmopolitan, where she writes, edits, and produces all types of beauty content—from product reviews to personal essays and trend reports. She has covered beauty for nine years at Cosmopolitan and has contributed to Women’s Health and Seventeen magazines as well. Follow her on Instagram.

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