Buzzworthy: Sonia Kashuk Blending Sponge

I had been eyeing this Sonia Kashuk Blending Sponge for quite sometime and at my recent trip to Target, I finally convinced myself to buy it. It looks like the younger, smaller and blue little sister of it's original counterpart, the Beauty Blender... and for HALF the price! The SK Blending Sponge is good competition for the Beauty Blender. Its shape is a little friendlier to hold and the application goes on beautifully. If you own the Beauty Blender, you'll know that it's tiny pink shape swells about 2 times in size after being wet. Since the SK blending sponge is more dense, it does not swell in size. It is more firm in the hand than the Beauty Blender but it does give the skin a beautiful natural finish. The SK beauty sponge's biggest drawback is it's difficulty to get clean. After one or two uses, the sponge is stained with foundation that is almost impossible to get off. The pictures of my blending sponge are after cleaning with baby shampoo and water, and you'll notice- still stained! It makes me wonder about the overall longevity of this product. While the shape and application are above average, can this blender stand the test of time, wear and tear? If it only lasts a few weeks then $9.95 is certainly not worth it. My best advice to save time and to keep you from buying this product over and over again is to apply your foundation with a regular foundation brush and then go over and blend it with the blending sponge. Bottom line? This is a good tool to have in your arsenal, if you have the time to apply with it and the money to burn on it.