Paw Paw blender comparison (beautyblender dupe?)

I tested and compared the Paw Paw Wonder Blender with other blenders &#; is it a Beautyblender dupe?! (No.) Find out more in the Paw Paw blender comparison post.

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I always use a sponge when I apply foundation, and until now, I always came back to the original beautyblender. But since influencers sung the praise of Paw Paw sponges, I&#;ve been curious &#; and finally took the plunge. And it is indeed a plunge if you&#;re located outside of the US and can&#;t buy them at Walmart or order them with overnight shipping at the Miss A site! (Because jeez, shipping to Europe is a pain.)

The brand

Miss A was founded in and now has also some brick-and-mortar stores in the US. All (nearly all) products retail for $1. That&#;s because they cut marketing and other extras, selling directly from manufacturers (allegedly).

What is it?

Paw Paw Super Soft Wonder Blender:

This sponge is great for a flawless application of cream or liquid products on the face!
This latex-free cosmetic sponge perfect for foundation application and contouring. It&#;s unique shape allows the blender to be used for many different products and easy to grip. Use the pointed top to contour and sculpt, the flat edge for foundation application to larger areas of the face with a flawless finish. This sponge is also great for adding highlight and blush to different areas of the face.
AOA Wonder Blender rivals the beauty industry&#;s leading makeup blender brand and is the ultimate sponge tool for all liquid, cream and powder products. This sponge provides a flawless, airbrushed finish without streaking or blotchiness.

Miss A

A six pack retails for around $9. It can be used wet or dry.

Beautyblenders (OG and mini) vs. Paw Paw (OG and mini)

Method

I used two dampened sponges every time I did my makeup: for one side of my face, I always used the Paw Paw sponge, on the other side one of the other test candidates.

I also used the various mini sponges for my concealer, and from time to time, would use the bigger sponges for cream blush and liquid highlighter (you all know I&#;m not really for creamy cheek products). For testing purposes, I used various foundations: from very thin, liquid textures to a foundation stick.

Texture

Paw Paw (left) versus Beautyblender (right)

 You can see immediately that the Paw Paw sponge isn&#;t a beauty blender dupe: not only is it larger, but also the material is totally different. Both are latex-free, but the BB feels like a proper sponge, albeit a very soft and bouncy one. PP&#;s sponge texture is less open, less porous, and feels like a mix between a sponge, a mochi and a silisponge (remember those?!) with a hard center. It&#;s unique of all the sponges I own, although Kiko&#;s minis come close. It&#;s a very, very, very squishy feel.

Results

Paw Paw dry (left) and damp (right)

All sponges apart from the Paw Paw one were similar in texture, but were different in form. Real Techniques and EcoTools I found indistinguishable from the original Beautyblender but for their &#;unique&#; forms (which I didn&#;t like in both cases). The Makeup Revolution sponge sat in between the Beautyblender and Paw Paw in texture of the sponge itself (porosity and squishiness) and the results it delivered.  

Using the Paw Paw Wonder Blender with my foundation &#; I really like the finish.

I&#;ve to give it to the Paw Paw Wonder Blender: it achieves a very smooth, blurred finish with any kind of foundation I tried it with. Depending on the foundation and the sunscreen I used under it, I found that the beautyblender worked better in not lifting that base. The Paw Paw sponge would also always yield a sheerer finish than the beautyblender. All sponges were similarly convenient to clean.

When it came to the mini sponges, no matter the Mochi or mini Paw Paw sponges, I didn&#;t like them for concealer at all. They all lifted the concealer noticeably, when a brush or fingers would give a better result. They&#;re nice with blush or highlighter.

Pros & Cons of the Paw Paw sponges

Aaaaaaall the sponges: (l-r) EcoTools, Beautyblender, Paw Paw, Makeup Revolution, Real Techniques

Cons

• Shipping fees, shipping time and taxes: for me in Europe, the package took over a month to arrive. For my order of a six pack of Paw Paw sponges and three individual sponges, I paid about 30&#; (32$) including shipping, taxes and fees instead of the approx. $17-20 I would&#;ve paid in the US.
• Absorbs a LOT of liquid
• Less sturdy than the OG beautyblender, prone to ripping (especially with longer nails)

Pros

• Smoothing properties
• Blurred finish
• Price

There you have it! For me, the cons outweighs the pros. Sure, the look of my base is great with a Paw Paw sponge, but I&#;d be equally content with a beautyblender that I can restock easily by popping into a store over here (and buy them with a discount so the price doesn&#;t hurt that much). I&#;ve a feeling that the beautyblender will hold up better long-term. As I&#;m not a makeup artist and clean my sponges regularly, I don&#;t feel the need to replace them every three months anyway.

Please note that this review is not sponsored in any way. We buy products ourselves, with our own money, and don&#;t accept exchanging goods, or money, for reviews. We are completely independent, and our reviews reflect that.

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Over a month, I tested dozens of makeup sponges ranging from unique and chiseled to compact and colorful. In the summertime, I lean towards cream foundations and light liquid concealers as they help absorb the oil on my skin and give a blurring effect, so I paid incredibly close attention to how the sponges performed with those products. Ahead, I share my thoughts and reviews of the best makeup sponges I tried that inspired me to put my brushes down for good.

I have always been a makeup brush person. Something about feeling the soft bristles across my face always felt so comforting. Brushes helped me achieve the best look&#;they buff beautifully for an airbrush finish. Since I have oily skin , switching from a brush to a makeup sponge meant I needed one that would spread the product well, absorb oil, work with creams and liquids, and pick up setting powder .

My favorite has to be the BEAKEY Makeup Sponge Set . The texture and material made these sponges lightweight and gave me a flawless finish when blending my foundation and concealer. If you prefer a sponge with a high-end feel, the &#;&#; Fenty Beauty Precision Makeup Sponge 100 takes the cake. It provides a luminous, satin finish that rivals Rihanna under glowing stage lights.

Best Overall

Beakey 5 Piece Makeup Sponge Set

PHOTO: Amazon

$13

$7 at Amazon

$13 at Walmart

Material: Latex-free hydrophilic polyurethane | Shape: Teardrop | Size: Medium

Out of all the sponges that have bounced on my skin, the ones from the BEAKEY makeup set do it best. The colorful arrangement is a welcoming, bright pop of color in my makeup collection. The texture is super soft, almost like marshmallow, making it lightweight and easy to maneuver. I often have muscle spasms and sore muscles in my hand, but this sponge was comfortable to grip, and I did not have to twist and turn to reach the nooks and crevices of my face. 

These sponges truly rival any makeup brush I&#;ve tried. Each one spreads liquid foundation and concealer flawlessly. They&#;re latex-free, making them perfect for my oily and sensitive skin. They aren&#;t too absorbent, allowing me to stretch my product further without tugging. Each gave my skin a fresh, airbrushed look without using too much elbow grease to blend in. With a couple of bounces, my skin looked like it belonged on the cover of a magazine.

Best Budget

Essence Makeup & Baking Sponge

PHOTO: Essence Cosmetics

$10

$9 at Amazon

View on Essencemakeup.com

Material: Vegan & latex-free foam | Shape: Teardrop | Size: Small

I often rely on concealer to complete my looks. Too much can leave my skin looking two-toned, while too little can leave me looking like a glazed donut. I prefer brushes for a detailed look under the eyes; however, this sponge not only set my concealer but also absorbed the excess oil.

The unique, flat shape at the top of the sponge allowed for perfect product placement. I usually like to bake my face for about five to seven minutes, but I found I could skip this step as the sponge picked up a lot of powder. The product does build up at the tip of the sponge, which makes cleaning it a bit difficult. Overall, this one made my makeup look just like my skin.

Best Blender

AOA Studio Makeup Sponge Set

PHOTO: Amazon

$13

$10 at Amazon

$18

$15 at Walmart

Material: Vegan, latex-free sponge | Shape: Teardrop | Size: Medium

I am a fan of anything pink, but I love this sponge for much more than its color. As someone with oily skin, I can have a hard time getting the right amount of coverage in my T-zone, especially my nose and upper cheekbones, as the oil pools up there first. This sponge annihilated all signs of shine and discoloration and spread my foundation splendidly. It was very easy to blend with it&#;I didn&#;t have to drag, pull, or bounce too hard. 

This sponge does absorb a lot of product. It got product-filled pretty quickly, and it took a few pumps of shampoo and squeezing to get it out. That said, I was still able to achieve a clean, glass-skin look with this sponge.

Best Spreader

e.l.f. Cosmetics Total Face Sponge

PHOTO: e.l.f Cosmetics

$6 at Amazon

$6 at Target

View on Ulta

Material: Latex-free foam | Shape: Angled | Size: Large

With competitive price and timely delivery, JWH sincerely hope to be your supplier and partner.

Getting product across my skin before it starts to set or the oil around my T-zone starts to pool is key in my makeup routine. These sponges from e.l.f understood the assignment. The texture makes it somewhat unique&#;it was firm but not so firm that I couldn&#;t softly apply liquid products. I have sensitive skin, so the slightest material or hard bounce can quickly turn my face red. This sponge was durable yet gentle on the skin, all while spreading my liquid foundation evenly.

Best for Under Eyes

e.l.f Cosmetics Total Sponge Set

PHOTO: Ulta

$14 at Amazon

$14 at Target

$14 at Ulta

Material: Latex-free foam | Shape: Cube | Size: Small

I have discoloration under my eyes due to lack of sleep. And thanks to my olive undertones, the bags look almost grey and can completely throw off my looks, especially when I&#;m attempting to brighten. This sponge applied my concealer very precisely, getting into the corner of my eyes, which can be difficult for me as I have a lazy eye, and the shape can vary depending on how my eye feels that day. 

I typically don&#;t like odd-shaped sponges, but this sponge changed my mind. It has a shape similar to a 3-D cube and was designed for contouring, but I found that it was also perfect for concealer. It did not absorb a ton of product, making it ideal for liquid/cream concealers, covering up all the small imperfections, and absorbing oil.

Best Compact

Fenty Beauty Precision Makeup Sponge

PHOTO: Sephora

$16 at Sephora

$16 at Ulta

$16 at Kohls.com

Material: Latex free | Shape: 3-sided angled teardrop | Size: Small

I will admit that I was shocked and slightly disappointed at the size of this sponge when I took it out of the box. Priced at $16, I expected something bigger, however I quickly learned that tiny but mighty was this sponge&#;s MO. 

I used this sponge to blend out my accompanying Fenty foundation and was amazed at how efficient it was. I tend to over-pump my liquid foundations and then have to blend them out, but what made this sponge one of my holy grails was its absorbency. Whenever I pumped too much product, it absorbed a ton and left just enough for me to get an impeccable finish that rivaled my real skin. I was concerned that all of the tapping and squeezing would cause it to lose shape, but the microfiber material was shockingly durable and molded to my fingers/hands. The only downside to this sponge was it did require a lot of shampoo and elbow grease to clean.

Best for Beginners

L'Oréal Infallible Blend Artist Foundation Blender

PHOTO: Amazon

$8 at Amazon

View on Kroger.com

Material: Plush | Shape: Stacked teardrop (snowman like) | Size: Small

When I first started using makeup, I leaned toward brushes because sponges felt scary. I believed they were tools that only seasoned professionals used. But as someone new to sponges, this product really helped blend my foundation and buff it out for a blurred finish, almost exactly the same one I would achieve with my trusty brush.

The unique snowman-like shape of the sponge helped it disperse my product evenly. I used the pointed stipend to pick up and place, while the bottom end was perfect for blending. It is a bit small, so it took longer than normal (for me) to finish applying, but overall I would recommend this product to someone who is interested in experimenting with sponges.

Best for Creams

Real Techniques Miracle Complexion Sponge

PHOTO: Ulta

$15

$14 at Amazon

$36

$6 at Target

View on Ulta

Material: Foam | Shape: Angled teardrop | Size: Large

I absolutely LOVE cream products and thought they blended best with blushes. But then I met this sponge from Real Techniques.

Real Techniques products are standard in my brush collection, so I was slightly hesitant to try its sponges. I did not have to drag or force the product across my face with this sponge and it absorbed so well. The material is also high-quality as it absorbed a lot but did not damage the integrity of the sponge itself, even when wet. Though an average shape/size for a sponge, it performed like a larger one, easily spreading out the product, and it picked up more product than I thought it would. I was pleasantly surprised by how it performed.

Best for Powders

Real Techniques Miracle Mattifying Makeup Sponge Duo

PHOTO: Ulta

$11

$7 at Amazon

$11 at Ulta

$10 at Walmart

Material: Memory foam | Shape: Flat teardrop | Size: Large

Matte looks are always my go-to due to my oily skin. I rely heavily on setting powder, but it's been tricky to find a sponge that works well with it. When it comes to powder, I like to apply just the right amount so my skin doesn&#;t look too oily or too dry. This sponge worked miracles for my skin. The texture felt sponge-like, almost like kinetic sand, yet its holes allowed the product to seep through easily. I didn&#;t have to dig into my powder for the sponge to pick it up, and the flat surface allowed me to pick up an ample amount. 

I could skip baking as the sponge picked up a good amount of powder. I could use it on my high cheekbones and under my eyes, but I had to be gentle as it did become fragile after use&#;the material felt a touch weaker, and I thought it would rip if I applied too much pressure. I wet the sponge first, which was an unusual step for me, especially when applying a powder, but it gave my skin a clean, cloud-like look.

If you are looking for more details, kindly visit bulk makeup sponges.