Real Techniques Miracle Complexion sponge

Hello my lovelies! Today I'll be reviewing the Miracle Complexion sponge from Real Techniques. I have to say I'm very excited for this review. This little sponge truly is a miracle and it has changed my foundation routine forever. Not to be overly dramatic, but I very much doubt I'll be applying foundation with brushes ever again. :)

So, I've been applying my foundation with my Real Techniques Buffing brush until I've tried this sponge. I liked using that brush and I liked how it made my foundation look, but whenever I had a bit of a dry skin problem, my foundation would really cling to those dry patches and that would drive me crazy. Because of that I kind of stayed away from foundations, using only the mineral one from Lily Lolo. Recently though, I got some testers from high end foundations and decided to try them out. I used this sponge to apply all of them and the final results blew me away. Not only was the application a dream and so very pleasant, my foundation looked flawless. Yes, you could tell I was wearing foundation, but it looked great. Even my husband complimented me - he said my skin looked airbrushed. Now, that's never a bad thing in my mind... :)

As you might already know, these kind of makeup sponges are meant to be used damp - so you take the sponge under running water and wet it (it also gets a bit larger when it's wet). I squeeze it a couple of times so it really gets wet all over, then I squeeze as much water out of it as I can and squeeze it a couple of times with a clean towel so it ends up being damp, not wet. Because it's damp, I feel it makes the whole application that much more pleasant - it's kind of refreshing in a way. I don't feel like it 'drinks up' too much foundation. Though not all foundations are meant to be applied with a sponge (especially those really watery or water based). 

Cleaning also hasn't been a problem - I clean it with a solid soap, not liquid and it works great. After I clean it, I just let it to air dry (of course I make sure it's only damp, not wet prior to drying). 

This sponge has been said to be the best dupe for the famous Beauty Blender. Now, I don't know about that, but I can tell you it works great. I still might try out the Beauty Blender because I'm curious what all the fuss is about and if it's really that much superior to all other makeup sponges on the market. :) For now though, I'll be happily using this little 'miracle'. The price is excellent - only $5.99 (4.50 €) on iHerb.

So what are your thoughts? Have you tried this sponge or any other dupes for the famous Beauty Blender?