Back in the 1920s, makeup became increasingly popular as Clara Bow and Mae Murray started to sport their iconic flapper looks. Their faces were adorned with dark Cupid’s bow lipstick, heavy eyeshadow, voluminous lashes and subtle red cheeks.
Since then, makeup has made its way into US culture in a big way. One of the most popular products was foundation. Although foundation was initially made from actual paint, safer ingredients were soon developed. Once foundation came into the mix, beauty sponges became the easiest method to blend foundation onto the skin.
Beauty sponges originally came in square shapes, but packaging soon changed to triangular wedge-like shapes. Today, a beauty sponge comes in the form of a hot pink teardrop design called the BeautyBlender.
The BeautyBlender was invented by Rea Ann Silva back in 2002. At the time, Silva was a makeup artist on several television shows. She invented the beauty sponge on a whim when she was trying to find a better method of smoothing foundation between takes. Soon, she had designed the BeautyBlender’s teardrop design, which allows makeup artists to create clean, precise looks without streaking or cakey coverage.
According to a video tutorial by Birchbox, using the BeautyBlender is easy. To use the BeautyBlender, you wet the sponge and then squeeze out the excess water. Next, pick up a bit of foundation, BB cream or blush onto your BeautyBlender and then stipple the sponge on your face for a smooth finish. While the rounded edge helps blend the makeup, the pointed edge accommodates for hard-to-reach places like the corner of your eyes.
Aside from maximum efficiency, the BeautyBlender also benefits the environment. Unlike other traditional beauty sponges, Silva’s sponges only come in a pack of one because they are reusable. In an article on Racked, Silva mentions how it bothered her that many disposable sponges were often wasted and thrown into landfills for decades. She says, “I know, myself, I probably disposed of an airline hanger full of regular sponges that aren’t really going anywhere and are taking up space in the environment.”
Because the BeautyBlender is so functional and sustainable, it has become one of the most popular makeup sponges created with over $130 million in sales. Today, it’s used by many satisfied celebrities, professional makeup artists, and the everyday woman.
