So I was window shopping on the Ulta Beauty website not too long ago and was checking out the NYX brand when I realized…they sold two different sponges. And there’s a price different between the two NYX sponges. Which got me curious — is the pricier one better? Are one of these a good Beauty Blender dupe? What’s the difference between these sponges?? So I purchased them both to test out and share my results with you all!
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NYX Complete Control Blending Sponge vs NYX Flawless Finish Sponge
Like I did with my first comparison “Which Is Better?” post, I am going to break it down and share a bit about each sponge before we dive into my thoughts on which is best and if one is a Beauty Blender dupe.
Oh, also, please excuse the odd dent in the Flawless Finish NYX sponge — it was housed in a little box and wedged inside a plastic ring that was kinda tight. At the time of taking these pictures I had washed and used these sponges abound 3 or 4 times, and even now at the time of writing this post the dent is still there. So…yeah, I know it looks odd, but it doesn’t seem to want to leave, lol.
NYX Complete Control Blending Sponge
The Complete Control Blending Sponge is supposed to be ultra-versatile with many different sides and angles to give a smooth and even application for creams, liquids, or powders. It’s also supposed to be easier to get into those hard-to-reach areas.
The sponge is a bit larger than the wet Beauty Blender before I get it wet, but after I wet the NYX Sponge it’s about the same size as the wet Beauty Blender. So it’s a very dense sponge and I noticed that I had to really focus on squeezing the water out of my sponge and even spend a few extra moments trying to get a good squeeze on it. Even squeezing it out the best I could, it felt very wet on my face and when I would use it to blend in my foundation it would visibly water down the foundation as I was blending…resulting in a patchy and sheer coverage.
On top of that, it doesn’t feel soft on the face — as I said, it’s dense and pretty firm. So bouncing this on your face isn’t the softest experience and overall wasn’t my favorite sponge I’ve ever used on my face.
NYX Flawless Finish Sponge
The Flawless Finish sponge has a lot less information on the Ulta Beauty website than the Complete Control Blending Sponge, but this NYX sponge is supposed to be a multi-functional sponge that gives you a round bottom for blending in foundations and a flat edge to help blend and contour the different areas of the face for a smooth and flawless finish.
This NYX sponge (dry) is a good bit smaller than the previous sponge, but still larger than a dry Beauty Blender. Once wet it does get bigger, though it’s still shorter than the other sponge. Once again, this sponge is very dense and feels firmer when you squeeze it (in comparison to a Beauty Blender). On the skin, as I work my foundation in, it isn’t as soft on my face as the original Beauty Blender. But when it comes to blending in my foundation, it does a decent job — it gives an even coverage, but I felt like no matter what foundation I used, the coverage was always very light. I think the sponge just absorbs a lot of the product so that there wasn’t enough to blend over my face. But at least it wasn’t patchy.
Comparisons – So Which Is Best?
If you haven’t been able to tell already…I am honestly not a fan of either sponge! Yikes! That was not the results I was expecting. I will say that out of the two, I dislike the Complete Control Blending Sponge the most — it just holds too much water and is too hard to squeeze out properly, so the finish you get is sheer and patchy looking. The first time I used this I think I applied about 3 layers of foundation (2-3 pumps each time) to get a decent amount of coverage — which is just wasting a lot of foundation!
The angles to the Complete Control Blending Sponge are kind of nice, but I noticed I still had a hard time getting concealer blended out near the inner cover of my eye. So the only real benefit is that the hard edges make cleaning up under my eyes and getting a sharp wing and finish to my eyeshadow really easy. But with that said, it’s just as easy with the flat edge of the Flawless Finish Sponge.
While I liked the Flawless Finish Sponge a bit more (when only comparing it against the other NYX sponge)…I honestly didn’t really enjoy using it. It sucked up a lot of foundation and gave me a sheer finish — it wasn’t as patchy and difficult to build up as the Complete Control, but it still took a few layers.
So with all that said, if you simply MUST try a NYX sponge, my recommendation would be the Flawless Finish sponge. Just know that there are a LOT of sponges I would prefer and recommend a whole lot more than this sponge. In fact, THIS SPONGE is cheaper and SO much better than either of these NYX sponges.
Is Either NYX Sponge a Dupe for the Beauty Blender?
If it isn’t obvious already…nope! Both of the NYX sponges are too firm and dense in comparison to the light-weight and soft feel of the Beauty Blender. They also don’t blend in my foundation like the original Beauty Blender. So yeah, these are definitely NOT a dupe and don’t even come close, to be honest.
If you would like me to do a blog post comparing all the sponges I’ve tried and which ones I recommend and which ones I don’t…let me know! Leave me a comment and I can definitely put that post together! Also let me know if you’ve tried either of these NYX sponges before and what your experience was with them!
BONUS! Enter the Giveaway!
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To enter: complete the steps in the rafflecopter below. The more steps you complete,
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This giveaway runs until Tuesday, September 11th at 12am PST
Winner will be announced here. Good Luck!
*this giveaway is in no way sponsored by Sephora.
The products were purchased by me. Some of the links above are affiliate links, meaning I get a tiny payment if you purchase through my links. Any questions about my disclosure, read here. 
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Krystal E says
NYX really missed the mark here. I know that everyone wants to have their products but you can’t cheap out on the product just so you can put your name on it.
Kathryne says
I haven’t found a dupe for beauty blender
Jen Sky Walker says
Hmm, I vaguely thought I saw a recommendation for one of these, but maybe I should seriously reconsider it. I’ve been grabbing for brushes anyway lately over any sponge so I’ll have to think about it…
MarciaF says
These aren’t going in my shopping cart. If the sponge absorbs too much then it doesn’t blend the foundation well and we’re throwing away money.
Glamorable says
I honestly don’t think there’s a real dupe for beautyblender. I tried numerous sponges and none of them came close.
CosmetopiaDigest.com says
I’ve never met a sponge that did as perfect a job with blending foundation as the original Beautyblender. Some brushes have impressed me, but no other sponge has.
25 Sweetpeas says
Well thats a bummer, finding an alternative is always nice!
Polished Hippy says
To be honest I haven’t been able to get into sponges at all. I am leery of the waste and cleaning and tend to prefer using my finger – those get washed every time and don’t absorb much foundation!
Angela M DeSilva says
I love the pink Loreal sponge and the lavender Flower beauty sponge! In my opinion they are better than the BB!
Angela M DeSilva says
I’m sad I can’t enter giveaway cause I don’t have the money to buy an IPhone so I can’t downliad the app required on the entry form. Bummer!
Katie Marie says
You should be able to access the rafflecopter form without any app requirement!
Nina Kasper says
Thank you so much for your honest review!!! I’ll continue to stick with my beauty blender!
Katie Nystuen says
Sounds like it would be a good idea to avoid both of these.