Lucille, this seems very gimmicky, to me. I've used those triangular sponges for many years, washing them after use, and moistening before. The damp sponges create a flawless, natural looking skin. I use a BB cream.

No not a gimmick! These are used and loved by makeup artists and gals that are into their makeup! There are good ones and there are cheap imitations too. I hope you got a good one! The triangle ones do not give you smooth application because they have straight sides but a lot of people use and love those things, I never liked them myself. My favorite are the round flat ones with curved edges.
beauty blender from Sephora

You can read the reviews at Sephora.

If you enjoy watching youtube makeup artists, my favorite lady to watch is Tati. You can search for her videos by just searching the word Tati. She's really good and funny without being corny like so many of the videos seem to be. She tells you if she likes or hates something.these are like the sponges that I use

After doing a bunch of research, I ordered two of the original sponges this morning. I think I will use the cheap imitations I ordered yesterday for powder, and the real deal with my foundation.

I use a moistened sea sponge to apply foundation and love it.

I purchased the true Beauty Blender and although it seems to work fine, I hate how long it takes to lather, rinse, wring & repeat to get it make-up free after each use.....any tips ladies?

Lisa, it is a pain to clean the sponges. I wish I had a tip for you.

HAHA Alisande! I love her! I have tried to watch so many other women's makeup video and just start thinking "this woman bugs me for some reason" but for whatever reason, Tati just seems like one of my sisters or a good friend and doesn't get on my nerves. I think she has that certain something...kind of a star quality the others are lacking. She will just tell you if she likes something or not and doesn't beat around the bush about it. She may have a video of how to clean those beauty blender sponges, I'm pretty sure I've seen her talking about them before. Someone said the LA Girl stuff is from Sally's.

I was watching a video where the person applying foundation did so with a brush and then used the sponge to blend. I'm thinking that might use less foundation since one is not sponging up so much, and in turn that would help keep the sponge cleaner because there would not be so much foundation to wash out.

And to think that those of us in our 60s (and older) always just used to use our fingers to apply makeup. However did we do it?!? :-)

Hmmm, you have a point. Remember how Wilma and Betty were always so pretty?

Yes Lindsey that is so true! How did we ever get by back in the olden days...HEEHEE! I do like using a flat sponge though better than my fingers. Although I use a compact style makeup so that's the main reason I use the sponge. If I used liquid foundation, I do believe I would do back to using my fingers and then a sponge to blend it out evenly. OH and how about the eye shadow sponge tip style applicators we all used to use. Now we have to use a brush for eyeshadow...to tell you a secret, I much prefer the sponge tip style. :)

When I was in college, I remember asking an aunt about her makeup. She was gloriously beautiful and had perfect makeup....dewy, natural, transparent. She used a damp sponge and a department store foundation (as opposed to a drug store product).

Boy, did the sponge ever make a difference with the cheap stuff! They've come a long way with makeup these days, with great quality products readily available at the pharmacy and grocery !

Arkansasgirl, I still use sponge applicators for eye shadow. I buy a pack of dozens for a couple of dollars and just dispose of the used one every few applications.

rhizo, I bought some too but the ones we used to get were a lot better than these new ones. They are so thin and flimsy.

I first started wearing makeup in the 1960s. Back then, eyeshadows came with a small sable brush for application. To this day, I much prefer a brush to a sponge applicator.

Did any of you watch the Tati video on You Tube where (in speeded up time) she applies her makeup? She's not completely devoid of makeup when she starts (unless she has had some permanent eyeliner applied), but dang she sure puts a LOT of stuff on her face!

I prefer a dampened natural sea sponge when I use a sponge. But mostly I use a foundation brush and my fingers for a bit of detailed blending. Tossed all the sponge applicators that come with eye shadow. Only use shadow brushes. I find the Elf ones for a dollar are of decent quality and I can toss them without remorse when they get worn.

Tati's very personable (she actually reminds me of my GYN nurse LOL) but she's a lot younger than I and even without seeing the other video Lindsey mentioned you can tell she wears a LOT of makeup. So I took her advice on a few things and will check out more of her videos, but you won't find me wearing bright, metallic looking eyeshadows or lip glosses that taste like waffle cones. :-)

Watchme, I use Elf brushes, too--and I hope Dollartree continues to carry them. They're great!

I don't know nuthin' 'bout no damp sponges, tho. Are they for liquid foundation? Something else?

When I watch Tati applying makeup, I think to myself "just wait until you get my age, you can't wear all that much makeup anymore!" I used to wear a ton of eye makeup too when I was her age. Now if I put on too much, I look like a cross dresser (to me anyway). You know those men that do the Vegas shows...HA!

Well dog gone, now I have to go check out Tati on youtube. And get some elf brushes at the $ Tree. Oh, and some sponges.

You girls are trouble makers!!!!! haha

You can find the Elf brushes at Target and Walmart too. Still only a dollar for the eye shadow brushes. The brand tops out at 3.00. I like their primer too.

Elf has a really nice eyebrow gel that I use. Can't beat the $1 pricetag!

Susan, a dampened sponge allows for smoother, more transparent application of liquid or cream foundations. I use a BB cream and use a sponge for that.

Thanks, Rhizo! When my BB cream arrives I'll try a sponge with it.

I use an Elf kabuki brush for Bare Minerals. Got it on eBay.

I got my inexpensive sponges yesterday. My (original, expensive) sponges bought off Ebay are tracked to California and have sat there a week. I can't say I blame them:)

So I've been experimenting with fingers, brushes and sponges. Because preferences, foundations, and sponges are different, YMMV.

I found that I prefer the brush to apply foundation. Even when moistened, the sponge used more product and to me, did not return a significantly better result. I may keep trying though as the sponge application seems to have a bit of a learning curve and I have only done it twice.

I tried powder with brush, dampened sponge, and dry sponge. Hands down, the dry sponge delivered a better finish.

I purchased an undereye concealer, I preferred a small brush for it. It (the concealer) was worth the $.

While I am not naturally gorgeous like some of the women pictured in the other makeup thread, in my opinion, a little makeup has improved my appearance, and trying the new applicators and products, and doing some reading, has made a small but positive difference both to the way I look, and the way I think I look.

I have some of the triangular sponges, that I've had for years. Bought a big package of them (something like 30 sponges) because I thought I'd be using them all the time. Used one a couple of times but didn't like it and I've never bothered to throw the others away. (I find it difficult to throw away something that's new and perfectly good, even though I won't use it ever. Weird, I know.)

Anyway, for several years I have applied liquid foundation with a foundation brush. But, I did buy a BeautyBlender sponge not too long ago, and I do like it. I still apply the foundation with a foundation brush, but then I smooth it out with the BeautyBlender sponge (sometimes the brush leaves brush marks in the foundation on your face).

Like Lucille, I apply concealer with a concealer brush -- the sponge just doesn't do a good job with concealer, in my opinion.

I also apply powder blush with a blush brush, and a matte finishing powder with a big fluffy brush, but I use the BeautyBlender sponge to smooth out the blush and the finishing powder, and it picks up any excess powder, which is nice.

For me, using the BeautyBlender sponge this way leaves a really nice finish to my makeup.