I actually bought this as part of a gift for a friend, after I heard amazing things about it. She was skeptical and said she didn’t think anything was as good as an original beauty blender. But she used it and was amazed and said it was better than a beauty blender and so soft. And that the flat part was useful. She was skeptical it would get bigger but was impressed it doubled in size and felt it maintained softness after washing. She shared that she thought for ages it was her make-up making her look dry, but after she used this sponge, she realised that it was the beauty blender all along. I’m glad she loved it!