Beauty Blender has been one of those things I've been dying to try out for ages, but I just couldn't justify the price - it costs about 19€. Luckily, I didn't buy it right before Christmas as I'd been contemplating to, because I think I've found a pretty good and a lot cheaper dupe. Now I'm not going to say that this sponge is just as good as the Beauty Blender, because I obviously haven't tried the beauty blender, but it works fantastic for me, so I'm glad I haven't made that splurge. 

In case you have no idea what I'm currently talking about, both Beauty Blender and the thing I'm going to talk about today - Cosmopolitan Blend Perfection Sponge - are make-up sponges used to apply foundation. But they are not your normal, triangular looking sponges that you normally see at a drugstore. To use them properly, you have to wet them under under a tap, squeeze out the excess water and then apply your foundation using the damp sponge. I apply my foundation by putting some of it on my hand, dipping the pointy part of the sponge in it and then tapping it on my face. After I put it on my face, I turn the sponge around and use the flat part to blend it in with the same tapping motion. I'll be publishing my 'Get Ready With Me' video in a couple of days, so you will be able to see how exactly I do it. 

As I have said, I use the sponge to apply my (liquid) foundation and I also started using it for my concealer. I'm seriously impressed with how it works. You can see how it makes my skin look like in the above photo (I'm wearing Bourjois Healthy Mix Foundation - full review here). It doesn't make my foundation look cakey and gives me the most natural look. I don't know how to explain it, but it sort of makes the foundation less thick and therefore more natural looking. The foundation does end up being a bit more sheer, though, but if you need more coverage, you can totally build it up. Right now, I prefer using it over all of my foundation brushes, even my favorite Sigma F80 Flat Kabuki Brush. You can get the Cosmopolitan Blend Perfection Sponge here for only 7€, which makes it three times cheaper than the Beauty Blender. So, who else is in love with this amazing invention?

Today I have a very basic post for you guys. I've realized that I never really talk about my makeup brushes even though I use them every time I put on my makeup. I'll try to do some reviews soon and show you my favorite ones, but until then, I'm leaving you with this post, in which I'll show you how I usually clean and store them. 

Let's first start with cleaning, shall we? The product that I use for cleaning them is not one of those fancy schmancy brush cleansers. I use Johnson's baby shampoo. Yup, you've read that correctly. It is inexpesive and does its job, so I think there is no need for me to buy any special brush cleansers.

What I do is just put some of the shampoo in the palm of my hand, wet the brush that needs to be washed under a tap, and then swirl around with it in the shampoo until all the dirt gets out. I sometimes have to add more shampoo and water if the brushes have a lot of product in them. After I'm done with shampooing, I rinse the brush, wipe its handle with a towel and place it on another towel that I have on the floor. I repeat the same steps for every brush and then leave them all on the towel overnight for them to get dry.



Now on to the storage. When I first got my brushes, I kept them in pouches that came along with them, but after a while, the pouches started to get on my nerves. They're great for travelling, but when you do your every day makeup at home, taking them out and putting them back in all the time can be a bit time consuming. Because of that, I decided to get two glass vases and filled them with some decorative pebbles/crystals. Now my brush storage isn't only functional but also looks pretty! How do you wash and store your brushes?