Great with--not instead--of a sponge [SEP] I mostly like these. I use them for liquid makeup, not lotion, and I find that I still also need a regular sponge to blend properly. But, the combination of the silicone and the sponge seems to work better than the sponge by itself. I bought them mostly to waste less, so this does save on foundation, and I get more use out of sponges, but the directions say the silicone applicators need to be replaced when they show wear, and I was thinking they'd be indefinitely reusable, so that's a bit disappointing.