This product was sent to me for review purposes.
Every now and then, a collaboration comes that is just so perfect, that it’s hard to understand why they didn’t do it sooner! And this level of perfection came together in the form of Juno & Co (super famous for their microfibre sponges) working together with Spongebob Square Pants!
This adorable Bikini Bottom Bundle is available on the Juno & Co website for USD$24. It is the perfect gift option for this Christmas with nostalgic appeal and a good variety of products – the price point is around the same compared to buying similar permanent products individually, but this special design is exclusive to this bundle.
Of course, if you’re not a Spongebob fan or want to try just a single version of their sponges first, you can still get a variety of the Microfibre Sponges on the official website for USD$6 – or AUD$10 at Mecca for Australians and New Zealanders.
Before you get into your shopping though, let’s get into this review!
Product Description
This Bikini Bottom Bundle contains four different products which are pre-existing in Juno & Co‘s permanent range, but with an adorable twist:
- Microfibre Spongebob Sponge: Similar to the original Juno Velvet Sponge, this has a microfibre finish that that gives an airbrushed look whilst also claiming to save up to 50% of your liquid products! It has a cute Spongebob face, as well as a flat bottom and slanted side for precise application.
- Microfibre Patrick Star Sponge: This is also made from that same Microfibre material and has a rounded, dewdrop shape for controlled stippling – as much as the cutest Patrick face! (This is my favourite one but I’m highly biased)
- Gary Mini Duo: These set of two mini sponges are really cute and are generally used for eyes (whether that’s your under eye concealer or if you’re bold enough to do your eyeshadow too)!
- Bikini Bottom Bubble Soap Bar: You should always remember to clean your sponges, so its great that this bundle comes with this solid cleanser (which, imo, is much easier than using liquid). It has quite a strong fragrance, but I’m not sure if this is the same as their usual one.
Personal Experiences
I honestly didn’t know what to expect when I went to use these sponges – they’ve gone viral online for being super full coverage, but there have honestly been some criticism too (where it has applied foundation too thick). However, I really enjoyed these and I think they absolutely live up to their claims!
I always use my sponges dampened and, while these actually take a bit of time to fully saturate], they expand quite nicely. I’ve been using the Patrick sponge and I love how soft and floofy it becomes – it applied foundation really easily and blends product out well.
It also delivered on the claim that it doesn’t absorb as much product: aside from being able to use less, I noticed that the actual sponge doesn’t retain as much foundation on its surface (so may also be easier to wash). Since I usually use medium coverage foundations anyway, I also didn’t experience any issues with the product caking. Using the sponge dampened definitely helped too.
All in all, I’m very happy with this product and it’s definitely become my new favourite beauty sponge. It delivers on all of its claims and I personally don’t see any downside to it at all (on contrary to some other reviews). Packaging wise, this Bikini Bottom Set is really cute and highly collectible too, as well as a perfect nostalgic gift.
However, if you are only buying this for yourself and are genuinely interested in trying out the product, I would recommend to buy the regular sponges instead. For example, you can check out the Microfibre Velvet Sponge in Original, Rose or Lavender – all of which have varying levels of softness. I’m assuming that the Patrick sponge, which is also pink, would be similar to the Rose with its claim of being “30% softer than the original”.
I personally don’t think that I would get much use out of the mini sponges from this set, which is just personal preference. The only downside of buying them individually is that you’d be missing out on the Spongebob character theme so… it’s up to you in the end!
Here’s the verdict!
SO WHAT IS IT?
A Spongebob Squarepants themed set featuring three different sponge types and a sponge cleaning bar soap
THE GOOD
- Design and packaging is absolutely on point
- Sponges expand nicely when dampened and have a soft touch
- Applies foundation smoothly and face – easy to blend out the product
- Retains less foundation on the sponge surface (i.e. does not absorb much)
THE BAD
- The cleansing soap has a strong fragrance
- You might not need all of the sponges in this set
RATINGS
- PACKAGING | 4/5
- PRICE POINT/VALUE | 3/5
- APPLICATION | 5/5
- VERSATILITY | 3/5
- QUALITY | 4/5
OVERALL RATING? 7.6/10
WOULD I RECOMMEND?
I would absolutely recommend the Juno & Co Sponges, but if you’re looking to buy the Bikini Bottom Set I would just advise to look into whether you would be getting enough use out of everything included because purchasing the regular sponges is still a good option.
This bundle actually costs USD$1 more than the regular products. In retrospect, it isn’t a lot given how much the licensing for Spongebob would have cost, but I do wish that the products were sold separately (where I wouldn’t mind a slightly larger mark up).
WHERE TO GET IT FROM
Get the Bikini Bottom Bundle direct from the Juno & Co website, where they are also doing free US shipping on all Spongebob orders. If you’re looking for the standard sponges though, Australians and New Zealanders can also check out Mecca for a local stockist.