The short answer is that the Kmart one is superior in almost every way. It only loses against the BB in terms of difficulty to remove stains, precision work, powder application and because it stunk of chlorine for the first ten washes. When it comes to applying liquid foundation the Kmart version uses less product, gives a smoother finish, provides more coverage and applies quicker then the BB. So I'm the kind of person who only considers something a dupe if it performs the same. I never ever talk something up if it's "good for the price" - I only talk it up if it performs well as a standalone product. I'm on my fourth authentic Beauty Blender and I have no plans to buy anymore now that I've found the Kmart one. I've bought lots of "dupes" in the past (Real Techniques, Manicare, that other shitty Kmart one and a bunch of other smaller brands I've forgotten) and none of them ever performed as well as the BB. With the exception of the Manicare, they were all too hard, rubbery, and did a piss poor job of blending. Some of them required so much bouncing that it actually made my arm tired, and none ever looked as smooth. The Manicare was the only one that performed equally, but it tore in only two weeks which meant that it was more expensive than the BB. NZ price and availability The Kmart marbled sponge is $3NZD and can only be bought instore. The BB is $34NZD and is only locally stocked at Sephora (online only) or BeautyBliss (online, but has a Wellington and Auckland store). Size and shape Both are tear drop shaped, but the BB is a narrower oval. The Kmart one is fatter which I strongly prefer as it means I cover more surface area and blend foundation out way faster. The BB has a narrower tip making it better for precision around the undereyes and nostrils, but the difference is small enough that it doesn't bother me. When dampened, the BB swells up more than the Kmart one does, but because the Kmart one was already bigger, the BB is still smaller than the Kmart one. Absorption and water retention Both sponges absorb water and swell up very well. It's a common issue for most BB "dupes" to be so rubbery that water doesn't make much difference, but the Kmart one gets noticeably larger and like I said, the Kmart one is still larger even though it doesn't swell as much as the BB does. I've noticed that the middle of my Kmart one sometimes feels a bit more dense - like there's a soft rubber bit in the middle. I think that's because it holds a lot of water there. It's not a bad thing either because it doesn't affect the softness when I'm bouncing it. When squeezed with a towel, the BB loses far more water than the Kmart one does. The Kmart one requires less foundation, presumably because of the retained water. Softness Both sponges are easily the softest beauty sponges I've ever tried. I loathe rubbery sponges, but the marbled Kmart one is definitely not one (the solid colour version is harder than a cat toy though). The BB is softer to squeeze and bounces back to its normal shape twice as quickly as the Kmart one does. However, the BB has a more porous surface so when stroking it, the Kmart one doesn't drag your skin as much. Interestingly, I find that the BB feels more annoying to bounce on the skin because it's narrower, making the impact point more obvious. So while the BB might technically win for being softer to squeeze, the Kmart one is actually softer when bouncing it on your face due to the larger size spreading out the impact. Application is a fucking dream, oh my god. I tend to get sick of applying with a BB because it wastes so much foundation but the Kmart one blends things out far better so I use less foundation (roughly 25% less compared to what I'd use for a BB). I used to have to work in sections on my face because it would take me so long to get a smooth finish with my BB that the other parts would dry unevenly, but the Kmart one being larger and easier to blend means I can just happily bounce away wherever and have a more uniform coverage in much less time. Crazily enough, the Kmart one still gives me more coverage while using less product, and it looks even more natural than the BB. The Kmart one also "blurs" out pores and scarring far, far better than the BB does. It doesn't disappear, but it looks noticeably smoother. Your Average Joe would never notice, but we're all makeup addicts here. For the record I have dehydrated combo skin with large pores and I prefer a satin matte medium coverage finish. I found the best way to achieve that is to use a damp sponge with a mattifying full coverage foundation that has been mixed with rosehip oil. Both sponges blend out (blush, bronzer etc) equally well. The BB is better for applying powder (setting or foundation) because it doesn't retain as much water. I just get around this by using a brush. I have not yet tried to use my Kmart one for applying blush but I have a Beauty Blusher which makes shimmer blushes glow beautifully. The BB makes blended cream highlighter look more vibrant and glowy (not in an obvious way though) than the Kmart one. The Kmart one gives a glow but it's not as precise or nice. I like subtle highlighter but still preferred the BBs finish for it. Cleaning and durability I can't speak for long term durability because I've only owned my Kmart sponge for 20 days. The BB stains more (presumably because the Kmart one retains more water) but the BB is also easier to remove stains from. I've tried the cult favourite cleaners like the Daiso Puff and Sponge, Johnson and Johnsons Baby Shampoo + Conditioner and the BB Solid Soap etc, and thought they all performed identically to hand soap (excluding the Solid Soap which was excellent quality). I find that washing beauty sponges when they're dry removes stains nearly as well as the Solid Soap, so I don't bother washing them after applying foundation because the existing dampness means they don't clean as well. I do wash them everyday though. For the purposes of this review I just tried the microwave method and I had to put the Kmart one through twice to get it nearly as clean as the BB. I've not yet had any damage occur to my Kmart sponge. Of my four BBs, I've had two that had small chunks come off (one of which occured only three weeks in). Miscellaneous The Kmart sponge stunk of chlorine for the first ten washes. I have very sensitive skin that's allergic to loads of stuff, but I didn't notice any break outs from it. I disliked the smell, but the ease of application made it more than worth it so I put up with it. I will come back and edit this if my Kmart sponge shits itself early and dies, but the low cost for twenty days of use means it's already around the same price (averaged out per day) as the BB I buy every eight months. I think I covered everything (sorry for the lack of photos, I just prefer my online privacy) but if you have any questions, ask away 3 MONTH UPDATE: I've just purchased my third one of the BB sponges - The other two didn't tear, they just developed black spots in about a month but that's my fault because I would leave it in my frequently condensed bathroom. Funnily enough, my last two sponges have been noticeably better quality than the original one I used for the review - neither of those two had any sort of smell, nor did they have any sort of dense middle. Another difference there was that my original sponge was a black marbled one, but the last two were marbled pink so maybe it's the black ones that smell? I tried switching back to using my BB last week and I hated it - the Kmart sponge honestly shits on it so hard. The BB just took ages to blend evenly, it wasted a lot of foundation, and the coverage was too sheer. I seriously just threw it in the bin after even though I could have gotten another few months use out of it. I find that bar soap works best for cleaning stains out of the sponge - it's more durable than the BB so the tugging is fine. I'm really stoked with this sponge and it's by far and away the best foundation applicator I have ever used. I'll be gutted if Kmart changes how they make them.
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