kind of firm but good shapes [SEP] i am not a complete beauty sponge snob and i have tried lots of different brands both high end and budget friendly and i found sponges i liked at both price points these sponges are definitely on the farmer side so for that reason they are not my favorite they do expand when wet and i really do like the shape of the larger ones in this set they are very similar to the real techniques sponges but they are just not as soft and bouncy as some of the others that i prefer if you are looking for a good drugstore priced sponge i recommend the loreal ones