We all know the Beautyblender is a staple in most makeup bags, but you may not be aware of its origins.
Well, in a recent episode of Seasoned Sessions, we were discussing Girlfriends, and it turns out the iconic ‘00s sitcom was far more influential than we realised – it birthed the sponge that we all know and love.
The UPN sitcom the first TV show to be shot in high-definition, which posed a new challenge to the show’s makeup artist, Rea Ann Silva.
Before, actors would wear layers of makeup, but filming in HD meant that every single pore, bump, and flaw on the actors’ skin was visible.
Rea knew that airbrushing was the most efficient way to work around this, but pulling actors off set between takes for touch-ups definitely wasn’t the most practical.
So what did she do? Well, she cut triangular makeup sponges into the round shape we’re familiar with now, and it all took off from there.
Her new invention was light, portable, and perfect for quickly refreshing the cast’s faces between takes.
When Rea noticed the actors loved her new sponges so much they were pocketing them, she knew she was onto something, and that was the prototype for the Beautyblender.