Selena Gomez’s makeup artist ditched his beauty blender for this wacky tool

Anyone partial to a natural-yet-flawless foundation finish is probably pretty well acquainted with their beloved beauty blender (FYI, if you’ve been waiting for a sign that it’s time to clean yours, this is it). That includes us, too – until today we were totally sold on its status as the best of the base blending bunch.

But yes, you read right; they have a challenger, and the fact that this new tool is being touted by celebrity makeup artist Hung Vanngo means a lot. His stellar tips have never led us astray before, so his word is pretty much gospel, even if his latest recommendation does look, er, a little unusual.

As it turns out, Vanngo doesn’t rely on just any blending sponge to ensure a beautiful base – in fact, the one he does use looks suspiciously like it could have been nicked from our kitchen or laundry sponge stashes… BRB, going to check under the sink just in case, because the resemblance is uncanny. But hey, the results speak for themselves – like, have you seen Selena Gomez’s face? Complexion perfection.

So, what's so special about it? “I apply foundation with this sponge – it’s really a body makeup sponge but I started using it for foundation and I love it,” Vanngo explains of his go-to tool. “It helps me to press and pat in [the product] any way I want, without feeling so hard on the face. It actually feels like a little massage on the face when I do the foundation and it blends seamlessly.” Perfect coverage combined with self-care? Ideal.

It may take a minute for the massage-like feeling to kick in, though – Vanngo says you definitely need to give the tool time to soften up. “Makeup sponges are [generally] better when the sponge has been used many times,” he explains. “Of course you wash the sponge after every time you use it but when it’s older you can mould it into every shape you like.” Noted – we’re going to need a big sponge and a little patience.

Keen to copy Vanngo’s kit and grab a jumbo base blender of your own? This Makeup Forever sponge is the exact one he uses, and we’re loving the new teal shade it comes in. Unfortunately for our faces, the brand is fresh out of them right now (see, we told you his recommendation was gold in the beauty biz), so while we wait for the ‘back in stock’ alert to hit our inboxes, we’ve found a few worthy alternatives for you to try instead…

Main image credit: @hungvanngo

After more foundation application tips? Here's how to prep for and seal your base like a pro...