beauty blender
Illustration by Rachel Joanis

The Makeup Tool Our Beauty Director Calls a Game Changer

Nothing compares to the real thing

Beauty editors see thousands of products every year—but it’s the ones they always go back to that should be noted. In Can’t Quit You, The Kit beauty director Katherine Lalancette shares the products she can’t live without.

Like hugs and Sriracha, beautyblenders belong to that special category of things that make everything better. I was reminded of that recently, when a combination of sunshine and caffeine compelled me to reach for foundation for the first time in months. I smoothed it on and paused to appreciate the familiar feeling on my face. “This is nice,” I thought, so I kept going; a sweep of bronzer, a dab of cream blush. Then I checked myself out in the mirror and nearly spit out my coffee. 

Although my fingers recalled the ritual to a tee, instinctively picking up product after product, it was clear I was out of practice. Everything looked patchy and heavy-handed. I washed it off and resolved to try again the next day. The same thing happened again. On the third day, a flash of fuchsia in the abyss of my makeup bag caught my eye, like a flare in the night. My beautyblender! Help had at long last arrived. I dampened the sponge until it got big and bouncy, squeezed out the water and gently patted it all over. Just like that, my makeup seem to meld and melt.

I was pretty late to hop on the blender bandwagon. When it first launched in 2003, I refused to believe the hype, preferring to use my hands. Sponges soaked up all your products and the effect reminded me of that time my mom sea-sponged our bathroom for a faux plaster look. (I blame Trading Spaces for that one). But after my friend Gen raved about it—“I don’t know how to explain it, it just makes your makeup look way better”—I caved and bought one.

Gen was right. It was like…. Okay, you know when you sweat a bit in your makeup? Like maybe you ran to catch the bus or didn’t have time to wash your face before pilates, and afterwards your makeup looks amazing—all glowy but not at all makeup-y? That’s how the beautyblender made me look—a game changer. Sure, it took a bit longer than smearing products on with my fingers and required regular cleaning, but the result was totally worth it.

Rea Ann Silva, a makeup artist whose clients included Brandy and P. Diddy in the ’90s and early aughts, came up with the idea in the advent of HD television. More than ever, makeup needed to be imperceptible. “No one should say, ‘Oh, your foundation looks good.’ Instead, people should be saying, ‘Wow, your skin looks incredible,'” she explained. That’s exactly what her tool achieved.

There have been many dupes since, but none have rivalled the real thing. The shape might be close—the absence of sharp edges is key to the streak-free application—but the material is always wrong. That’s because beautyblenders are made of an exclusive latex-free foam (the operative word being “exclusive”). That’s what yields the second-skin finish. It also sops up water, not makeup, so you don’t have to worry about wasting your pricey foundation. But its best trait is undoubtedly its ability to forgive, redeeming any and every makeup transgression. Really, we could all stand to learn from the pink sponge. 

Hugs might be cancelled right now, but we still have beautyblenders (and Sriracha).

Beautyblender The Original Beauty Blender, $26, sephora.ca

 

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