Pony effect pebble blender review

Pony has been on FIRE releasing so many new products.  I cannot catch up with all the releases!!!  I mean she already came out with two new products, some vibrant and fun eyeliners and matte liquid lipsticks.  GIRL!  Calm down.

This is what she reminds me of HAHA, Ponyta (for all my Pokemon lovers)! No seriously, calm down please…. I have 11 Pony effect products I still have to review LOL.

Anyways, this sponge was released along with her base make up (foundation, BB cushion, pressed powder) but I had to go on vacation in May so I didn’t get the chance to try it out for you guys.  I’ve finally came around to it so here is my review on her version of a “beauty blender sponge”.  This review, we will check out the shape and design of it, as well as a side by side comparison to the original beauty blender to see if this could possible be a dupe.  Let’s go! σ(≧ε≦ｏ)
Full name of product:
Pony effect Pebble blender

Limited edition/ Permanent?:
Permanent

Description of product:
“Translucent and natural skin finish is always in trend. Achieve flawless coverage with this versatile pebble blender. When used dry, the blender gives maximum coverage with smooth matte finish. If you want a more natural, dewy finish, wet the blender in lukewarm water and squeeze out excess water – it will expand by 30% to hold moisture throughout application.”

Price:
$12

Country of Manufacture:
Made in Korea
Manufacture by Memebox

Where to buy:
Unavailable

Shades available:
This sponge comes in light blue or a lilac color. The color honestly doesn’t really matter and it does not bleed at all when you wash it.

Ingredients:
Hydrophilc Polyurethane Antibacterial

How to use:
Like the beauty blender*, this sponge can be used either wet or dry.  I haven’t seen anyone enjoy beauty blenders dry as it is commonly used wet.  Place your sponge under the water, let the sponge soak up the H20 and then squeeze.  Repeat the soak and squeeze process about three to four times and you’ll notice the sponge puffs up to double it’s size.

To apply product, you can either dab your foundation/ BB cream onto your face first to avoid the sponge soaking up too much of the product and then blend away.  Of course you can also take your sponge and apply the product directly onto it and then onto your face but you’ll run the risk of using too much product.

How to clean:
If you haven’t seen my post on “how to clean your brushes” or “how to clean your BB cushion puff“, you might want to check those out.  What I usually do with sponges, I like to use a solid soap to rub and push out the product.  However, because this sponge is so much more dense the air puffs, I ended up using my cleansing oil, letting it soak and then squeeze the product out that way.  Worked great!  Both sponges take about two days to fully dry, so if you were planning on using these everyday, you might want to buy two or three to be sanitary and on the safe side.

Also both sponges took about two days to completely dry.  Please do note that when I went to wash the beauty blender, it was bleeding hot pink water even though I have washed it several times.  Pony effect’s pebble blender on the other hand did not bleed what so ever.  Makes me curious as to why they would have to dye the beauty blender so heavily.

Product packaging:
When you first get your sponge, it comes in a plastic cylinder container with a sturdy tin lid.  I would suggest you not to throw the container away as you can use it to store it and keep dust away.  I watched a video where a girl cut open her beauty blender to find a huge bug in it.  Ew………… keep it sanitary guys!  I’d say reuse the sponge maximum three times and then clean it thoroughly.

Of course the most obvious difference between the beauty blender and Pony effect one is the shape.  Instead of being an egg shape, Pony sliced the sides and also the tip so it is isn’t just the basic egg shape.  At first I thought “meh, might be just a gimmick”.  However after using it, I think it is an upgrade from the beauty blender.  There are a lot of egg shaped or hourglass shaped sponges in the market, both western and Korean, but none of them can get the texture right.  It is always too sift, too dense or just isn’t right. Not sure if this is the only one in the market with this shape but it works great!  Because the tip is sliced into a rectangle like shape, it works well underneath the eyes when you are blending out the concealer and you can also use it as a tool for cream contour.  The bottom of the sponge is slightly rounded with flat surface that mimics the stamping motion, a cut that is similar to using the beauty blender.

Texture/ Finish:
Like I said above, a lot of companies have tried to produce their own “beauty blender”, but none of them can get the texture right.  Not sure if it is because the Beauty blender patented their product or not, but seriously no company can get it right.

Pony effect’s sponge is no way an exact dupe of the beauty blender. When both products are dry, Pony’s seems to be slightly sifter in texture then the beauty blender.  When both are damped, they both expand to double their sizes. At this stage, both sponges seem to be quite similar.  There is one big difference, other then the shape, that sets each other apart.

If you look closely, you can see the beauty blender to be a lot more porous.  I used to think that this sponge was one of the softest products in the world (when dampened)…. until I tried Pony’s.

If you’ve been reading my blog for a while, you’ll know that I have pretty much ditched the beauty blender and have been using air puffs that come in BB cushions solely to blend out my products.  The memory foam like texture seems to apply my base make up seamlessly, effortlessly and flawlessly.  I’ve always wondered if there would ever be a full on sponge that would come out in the market.  I think I’ve found “the sponge”.  Pony effects seems to be very similar to air puff’s textures.  I wouldn’t be surprised if they were the same since they both have that memory foam like texture, both application and just to the touch.

Coverage:
You’ll be able to see the actual coverage both sponges give in my demo down below.  Overall, I think the Pony effect one gives a slightly more natural look while the beauty blender can make my skin have that make up look.  Can’t really explain it well, but sometimes you can tell when someone is wearing make up, or if the person applies it really well, you’d be questioning if they were born with it.  Pony effect’s sponge gives the “is she born with it” kinda finish.  Not saying that the beauty blender doesn’t give a flawless finish, but Pony’s give a slightly better effect.  I’m guessing it has something to do with the difference in texture.

Fragrance?:
Pony effect’s sponges do not have a scent.

Demo time!As always, we start off with a bare face.  My usual base make up concerns are to combat my dry, flaky skin, tackle those dark undereye circles and reduce the redness around my cheeks.  I never really got acne (knock on wood) and I don’t have much scaring, so that is pretty much the main concerns for me.

Now, let’s test these two side by side.

Since testing this sponge out with a BB cream, I’ll be testing these sponges with a foundation.  This is Bobbi Brown’s intensive skin serum foundation.  I actually only have tried this foundations two times, so this is my third time.  I love their serum concealers so when I saw this at the CCO (Cosmetic company outlet) for about $20 cheaper, I grabbed it.  It was also my shade too!

A closer look at my bare face.  

Let’s start off with Pony effect one first.

Why do I have so much close ups LOL.  Anyways, here it is again.  I personally don’t need a lot of coverage.  I just look for light to medium coverage to cover the redness around my cheeks and nose. Also, I need undereye concealer to cancel out the purple tone under my eyes.

Start off by dabbing some of the product onto the face to get a more even thin layer.  You can do this by either your  fingers, a spatula or even the plastic part of a Q-tip.  I’m lazy, so fingers it is!

Take your dampened sponge and dab away in a stamping or swiping motion.

Just to show you, the sponge after it is dampened, almost covers my whole cheek.  This makes things a lot quicker and more effective.  The beauty blender only covers about half my cheek if you are using the side of the egg shape.

I also really like the sliced tip.   It fits nicely underneath the lip area which is also nice if you were doing a sharp lip look and wanted to touch up precisely.  That is definitely something the beauty blender can’t do.  Now I’m curious to see if you could use the tip of this sponge as a guide when your doing your lip looks and don’t want to screw up! Oh la la… I have to try that down the road.

The tip also fits nicely underneath the eye, making it effortless to blend out concealer there. 

Of course the tip can also do precise spot concealing as well.  

Done!  Right side before, left side after with the Pony effect sponge.

Since the redness around my cheeks are showing still, I applied a bit more product in that area.  You can also use the bottom of the sponge and dab away.  I prefer the sides actually since it takes less time and effort.

Now for the beauty blender. 

Same thing, dab dab dab.

And then blend away!

Using the Pony effect one first and then back to the beauty blender, it feels so basic.  You only have about three choices with the beauty blender.  The tip that isn’t so precise, the side of the egg and the bottom rounded edge.  And when you press onto your skin, it squishes down so its not that much different.  The only main difference that makes the beauty blender kind of worth spending money on is the difference in the sponge material then let’s say the generic latex sponges you can get at the drugstore for couple bucks.

It works decent with the under eye but I do find myself sometimes accidently stabbing myself in the eye with the sponge.

Now that both sides are done, could you tell which sponge was used on which side?  They both look the same to me honestly, except my right cheek’s redness is peeking out a bit more then the left’s.  But I think it could be the lighting on the left blowing that side of the face out more.

Pony effect’s sponge..

Beauty blender’s sponge.

Closer look.  The pretty much look the same but it seems as though Pony’s sponge gives a bit more of a natural look since the sponge material retained the water a bit more then the beauty blender, which the water started to evaporate already.

Now to fix those under eyes, corrective concealer!

Now all the base make up is done!  Let’s finish it off with the point make up and fix up those brows so they are screaming BLACK!

I’m pretty sure we can all tell which sponge I like better at this point.

Beauty blender, you’re looking a little not so desirable now.  With your $28 CDN (tax not yet included…so pretty much $30. $20 USD) price tag, I ain’t about to spend money and buy you again. No bueno…

Okay, everything is done!  How do I look?

Pro:
-affordable (well at least compared to the beauty blender)
-easy to use
-texture creates flawless and effortless finish
-many different options all in one

Con:
-hard to get your hands on if you don’t live in USA, Korea or China

Repurchase?:
Most definitely!

Stars given out of 5:
⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

Overall thoughts:
So the final question is, do I think this product is a beauty blender dupe?  No, I don’t think this is a beauty blender dupe.  I actually think this product is better to my surprise!  The three cuts on the sides and top along with the flattened round bottom gives the user a lot of options to play with, all in one sponge.  The sponge is also a lot bigger then the beauty blender, making the blending process a lot easier and quicker. Heck, you can even use this sponge to do your body make up!  So no, this isn’t a dupe for the beauty blender, it’s an upgrade.  The texture is also a lot softer then the beauty blender and the pores are a lot finer, in which aids in retaining the moisture better and longer.  Overall I really fell in love with this sponge and would highly recommend it to everyone!  Doesn’t even matter if you are a huge make up lover or you are just starting out.  This is one product you can’t go wrong with.  I give you the thumbs up on getting it (here’s the link*, just in case your lazy like me haha) and I also award this product my seal of AWESOMNESS!

What do you guys think about this product?  Have you tried the beauty blender sponge or this Pebble blender by Pony effect?  Does this product interest you now that the secret is out about this product?  Let me know in the comments down below and tell me what you think!  Let’s chit chat.