How Beautyblender turned ideas about makeup
margarita virova
This year, the famous sponge celebrates its fifteenth anniversary: it's hard to believe, because beautyblender won the love of the masses not so long ago. To present the modern world of beauty without it is simply impossible. We tell how the "pink egg" turned the ideas about make-up and became the most important tool for professionals and amateurs.
For most, the decisive argument in favor of the beauty blender was its convenience - it appeared, however, not only because its creator lacked a comfortable tool for applying tone. Makeup artist Rea Ann Silva worked on one of the first TV shows, which was filmed in HD, and the high definition of the image, as is well known, does not spare irregularities. Television make-up artists more than ever had the task of making the face absolutely smooth, while avoiding the mask effect. Today, professionals use expensive and difficult-to-use airbrushes - but the compact “blender” is not far behind in popularity, and is suitable for applying virtually any texture.
In the 90s and the beginning of zero, the customary one-time sponge of a triangular shape remained the most popular instrument, which Silva considered in all respects unsuccessful. Then she began to think over the design of an alternative tool, the result of which would be worthy of looking at the camera. So in 2002, the concept of a beautyblender sponge, a soft, pointed egg, of a pink color, appeared. The makeup artist says that she wanted to add a bit of humor to the process of applying makeup, so she saw her invention in this uncompromising neon shade. In 2003, the beautyblender brand was registered and the first sponge was born.
Beautyblender opened to non-professionals access to "complex" textures and techniques
In 2007, the instrument appeared on the shelves, and a year later he received the cosmetic Oscar - the Allure Best of Beauty Award. Since then, he won the award five more times, including last year. The more actively the beauty community became on the Internet, the more popular the sponge became: the "blender" became a regular participant in the training videos of most of the make-up artists and enthusiasts who did almost everything with its help. He allowed ideally to apply tonal foundations of any density, with its help it was at times easier to master contouring and strobing. This is the first large-scale case when the tool for professionals has become a must for everyone. Today, many people are trying to repeat his success, and going into the widespread sale of "home" versions of airbrushes is a vivid example. However, the success of the sponge worked many advantages that other products often can not boast.
Beautyblender successfully integrated into the emerging trend for versatility, on the way opening up to non-professionals access to "complex" textures and techniques that were previously used mainly in work on video and photography. Wet sponge easily spreads even the densest bases on the face, it has a large working surface, and it is convenient to work through the “hard-to-reach” places with a pointed tip. Of course, not many people need heavy stage makeup, however, he also copes with light textures like BB creams much better than his fingers. Blender threw a bridge between the highly specialized and everyday conception of make-up, showing that "professionally" does not necessarily mean "not available."
Although in 2017 there were a lot of products in the brand's assortment, none of them could repeat the success of the original pink sponge. The brand tried to expand the sphere of influence (not the most understandable things like a stencil for the shooter did not last long), but over time decided to rely on what he did best - variations of sponge. Now the creators are playing on the design: they build up excitement around the atypical black color of the “blender” under the name of Pro, produce mini-versions and options for rouge. Due to the slow expansion of the range of colors, each issue is served as an event: a beautyblender bubble, similar to a cotton candy cloud, was created for the anniversary.
Despite the fact that the name "beautyblender" has already become a household name, not only its inventors make universal sponge today - you can find worthy counterparts from Real Techniques or Manly Pro. The main drawbacks of the “eggs” are also still with him: yes, it is always ready to soak up the sea of the product and it is not always easy to clean - silicone sponge, the last Internet sensation, appeared exactly as an answer to them. Finally, we’ll leave a few boring reminders: he only demonstrates all his magical properties while wet, you need to wash the sponge after each use, and change it every three months for hygiene reasons. However, after the mentioned period, it may well serve as a tool for nail art - and this, most likely, is not the last facet of the universality of the sponge.