Bold Metals: Miracle Diamond Sponge

6 Reviews

1. 

   cockySeahorse9

   Reply

   Why did I buy this? It’s so stiff and hard on my face. Soaks up SOO much product. The shape is cute but not practical.
   I’m returning to my beauty blender

2. 

   crushedJerky4

   Reply

   I was able to purchase this at TJ Maxx for half the price at Ulta. I really like Real Techniques orange sponge and was curious to try this diamond sponge. The pointy tip really is good to scoop out product like primers from a jar and then apply to cheeks and use flat end to really stamp in the product. When wet the sponge really expands, probably double the size of orange sponge. It takes some practice to use, but much more dense than orange sponge.

   What I do not like about this sponge, is that is soaks up so much product. You end up using twice the amount of foundation compared to orange sponge.

   I would recommend applying products with brush and then smooth over with this sponge. I prefer orange sponge over this and/or even the eco tools sponge for that matter.

3. 

   adoringWeaver7

   Reply

   When I used this sponge for the first time I was impressed that its shape is better than the BB. You can blend anything anywhere and the pointy end makes it easy to reach your inner eye corners. Thats it for the good stuff.

   The bad: This sponge sucks even more product than the BB. Product stains are hard to remove.
   When you squeeze out the excess water it turns to a strange wet condition: The material feels really weird.
   It will happen to you, too, that your Diamond Sponge will tear apart. Ok, it won’t have a big crack but some tiny ones.
   My first one happened on the flat side after the second use and after my third use it happened on the pointy end.
   This is a sign for me that this is a bad produced makeup sponge, or that the material is cheap.

   The only product I use with this sponge is powder. But even then it doesn’t pick up the product equally.

   IMO it’s worth max. 1€. Too bad, I really like the shape but seems like nothing can beat the BB overall. Not even RT Miracle Sponge.

4. 

   wornoutWildfowl0

   Reply

   So I originally bought this item specifically for the stand that it comes with. Big mistake because the “stand” is total flimsy, packaging material trash….but no problem because I actually fell in love with this sponge. I prefer it over the orange miracle complexion sponges (also by real technique) – it is softer with more give, and I love the pointed tip for under my eyes. It also blends just as well as beauty blender! I hope they keep this one around – will use as long as they do!

5. 

   offendedWidgeon7

   Reply

   It’s a pretty good make up sponge. Better than a lot of the beauty blender inspired sponges out there. When wet it has a good bounce and does not feel dense sort of similar to the beauty blender. It feels silkier than the beauty blender. It looks so pretty on the counter. The tip of the sponge is great for getting into all the crevices on the face and under the eyes. I just wished it wasn’t so big when wet. When wet it almost fills the entire palm of my hand (I do have smaller hands) making it harder to work with.

6. 

   cautiousBurritos2

   Reply

   If this were a real diamond, it would be 900 carats. But since it’s made of latex-free foam, it’s only $10.

   The foam has a velvety feel compared to the little orange Miracle Complexion Sponge, also made by Real Techniques. The pores of the Diamond appear smaller and it’s a little springier. Like the other makeup sponges on the market, it expands a bit when wet. It doesn’t feel exactly like the Beautyblender but it’s closer to duplicating the bounciness.

   As opposed to the Beautyblender’s smooth teardrop shape, the Diamond has thirteen facets, but when the sponge is damp and I stipple with it, I’m not really aware of the edges. It’s as comfortable as an egg-shaped sponge. It has a white and grey swirl pattern that is going to be different on each sponge. That’s neat, but to be completely honest I prefer the color of the “nude” Beautyblender, which nicely camouflages beige foundation marks. When I’m in a hurry and my cleaning is slapdash, that little nude egg still looks okay.

   I am glad that the foam of the Diamond is so soft because I’ve tried a few bad Beautyblender dupes that have hard, rigid foam. The generic one from Rite Aid was particularly unpleasant and felt like a rubber hammer. The Diamond is pliable and costs half as much as the Beautyblender but it’s a few dollars more than the orange Miracle Complexion Sponge.

   When you wash the Diamond thoroughly with soap and water, saturate it and wring it several times in a row, it may become temporarily warped and sad-looking, but as it dries it returns to its proper shape. When you merely dampen it for makeup application and squeeze excess water into a towel, the sponge swells in size but stays true to form.

   I tried doing one side of my face with the new Diamond and the other with the Real Techniques Miracle Complexion Sponge. It was easier and faster to squeeze excess water out of the Diamond than the orange sponge. However I like the Miracle Complexion Sponge, which I’ve bought a few times. It gave me more coverage and I’ve always liked the way it hugs the contours of my face. With the Diamond I had to adjust to the new shape, but that didn’t take long. I always liked the flat edge of the Miracle Complexion Sponge, and the Diamond Sponge has many flat edges.

   I like to use the Diamond’s big hexagonal table for my forehead and cheeks and I use the pavilion or tapered section for the sides of my nose, under the eyes, and small areas. The pointy end is great for detailed work (concealer over a zit for example). It’s plush and flexible. When I had finished applying my foundation, the side of my face where I had used the Diamond looked a little smoother, but there was less coverage. Hmm. From that observation it seemed that the Diamond had soaked up slightly more product, which is not a selling point. Yet it was easy to build up a second layer to make both sides of my face match. The good news is that the damp Diamond proved to be expert at sheering out foundations that were a bit too thick.

   On another morning I tried a different side-by-side comparison. This time I used the Diamond on one side of my face and the nude Beautyblender on the other. My foundation looked fairly uniform from one side of my face to the other, well-blended and natural-looking rather than mask-like. It seems that I got the most coverage from the orange Miracle Complexion Sponge, followed by the Beautyblender, with the Diamond giving me the lightest coverage. This was not a dramatic discrepancy. I stared at my skin at a magnification of 5x for this report. I doubt that the casual observer would have noticed that I’d used two sponges to apply my makeup. It was easier to achieve full coverage when I used the Diamond dry, but I much prefer the dewy finish I get when it’s damp.

   I don’t think Beautyblender devotees will rush out to buy the Real Techniques Miracle Diamond Sponge. The most loyal fans only want the real thing. Even though I have become very budget-conscious, I still enjoy using Beautyblenders and buy them from time to time. They are fun. The Diamond is a different shape and feel. But it blends foundation well and has nice soft foam that is somewhat springy, never rough or hard. For me it provides a similar experience and I would certainly buy this again. It’s not an exact dupe of the Beautyblender, but it doesn’t pretend to be. And those who felt the Beautyblender wasn’t precise enough around the eyes may appreciate the Diamond’s point.

   I still find the Real Techniques Miracle Complexion Sponge practical at $7 (or less on sale). However there are people who don’t want to pay Beautyblender’s steep prices yet disliked the orange Miracle Complexion Sponge. They might treasure this $10 gem.