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December 30, 2019 – Suburban Style (OOTD #594)

Published on March 3, 2020 by lensembledujour2 Comments

Being home again makes me realize how difficult it is to find good locations for photos when you’re not in a city.

Think about it — for the last six months, I’ve been traveling around from one city to another. This blog has almost become more of a travel blog than a fashion one at this point. I’ve been to Europe, South America, and the Middle East, and I’ve lived in both Washington, DC and Rome, Italy. There were pros and cons to each location, and nowhere was perfect (except arguably New York, which will always have a special place in my heart), but one thing you could say consistently with confidence was that there were always great locations for fashion photography..

December 2019 was the first time I’d been home for more than two weeks in basically a year and a half. I think the last time I was home for this long was winter break my freshman year. I’d forgotten how hard it was to find places to take pictures for my blog at home; a small suburb in Kentucky doesn’t quite compare to an ancient European city.

I have to be more creative when I’m at home. I can’t just go out and find a random pretty building to stand next to — all the buildings around are cookie-cutter brick houses. They’re not really worth photographing, and besides, it’d be kind of creepy if I used my neighbor’s house as a backdrop for my blog!

In the spring and fall, I like to get foliage and plantlife to incorporate color and variety. In the winter, I can’t really rely on those though — half of the time, I can’t even rely on the sun to be out.

I’ve found that I like this sort of “street scene” shot — I’ve done it before, and each time, it makes for a really cool set of photos, or at least, as cool as they can get for being taken in suburbia. I do what I can with what I have.

That’s about it for today. Thanks for reading, and I’ll see you in the next one with more updates on my life this winter break in Kentucky. Don’t forget to check me out on Pinterest, Instagram, Facebook, Bloglovin, Twitter, and Tumblr! For business inquiries, shoot me an email at lensembledujour@gmail.com!

Jacket: Express

Sweater: Thrift (Goodwill)

Trousers: Express

December 21, 2019 – Antique Shop Culture (OOTD #592)

Published on February 27, 2020March 4, 2020 by lensembledujourLeave a comment

I used to hate antique shops as a kid.

For one, my parents seemed to want to go all the time. Every time we went to a new city, we had to go to the flea market or the antique mall. I didn’t get it — what was so cool about looking at old junk? And furthermore, why, when we were in a new city or vacation spot, would we bother spending our time at an antique store that sold the same 1970s furniture as all of the other antique stores across the country?

Somewhere along the way in the last 21 years, though, I changed my tune on antique shops. Now, as a piece of old junk myself, I understand the appeal of looking at other pieces of old junk. I am an antique. I relate to antiques now.

I almost never buy anything either! I could spend all day and all of my bank account on vintage clothing, but other antiques — furniture, knick knacks, etc. — I almost never actually purchase. I can’t remember the last “antique” I actually bought. Maybe an old Polaroid camera that I keep on my bookshelf as a decoration?

On this antique shop trip, I didn’t buy anything either. Nonetheless, I had a great time — we went to a few places in Louisville with my grandmother and two New Jersey uncles, including the famous Jo Ley Antiques (which is now closed, unfortunately) and a place called Architectural Salvage, which I’d never been to before.

Architectural Salvage was a great place to visit. I didn’t buy anything, and in fact, the things they sold weren’t really my style (lots of tools and furniture and furniture parts), but it was worth the visit just for the location. It’s this huge, three-building (maybe more?) complex full of staircases and courtyards and stained glass windows. It’s like a maze.

My favorite bit was the top floor of the main house, where the owners kept a bunch of plants — essentially, a makeshift greenhouse. With the stained glass windows that let in just enough sunlight on a cold winter day, it’d make for a great place to curl up with a book and a cup of coffee — if it weren’t a dirty old building full of dust and antiques. Clean it up a little bit, though, and it’d make a really cute café.

Sponsored link: Check out this one-button women’s office wear blazer on dresshead.com!

Jacket: Vintage (thrifted, Foxhouse Vintage)

Turtleneck: The LOFT (thrifted, Goodwill)

Skirt: Forever21

REVIEW: Influenster Let’s Chill VoxBox (eos, Gold Bond Ultimate, and Eva NYC)

Published on January 19, 2020January 19, 2020 by lensembledujour1 Comment

Disclaimer: I received these products complimentary from Influenster for testing purposes. All opinions are my own.

I’ve been on a roll with the Influenster VoxBoxes lately. I’ve gotten two in a row these last two months. I don’t think I’ve gotten that many back-to-back since I first signed up for the program.

This may be the last one for a while though. I’m not certain, but I think Influenster only ships to the US, UK, and Canada, and (spoiler alert) I’m going to be in Paris, France for the next fourth months as a part of a study abroad exchange program. In fact, I’m writing this from my Paris apartment in the 14e arrondissement, though the photos were taken while I was still in Kentucky.

I got two selection surveys for Influenster products the other day, but since I had to put my French address, I doubt I’ll be chosen for the campaigns. It’s a real shame — two of the campaigns I was eligible for were for Make Up For Ever and Laura Mercier products. Quel dommage.

But enough about products I may or may not get in the coming months — what about the products I did get last month?

In my “Let’s Chill” VoxBox were three products: eos Super Cashmere Tinted Shea Lip Balm, Gold Bond Ultimate Radiance Renewal Oil-Infused Cream, and Eva NYC Mane Magic 10-in-1 Styling Mousse.

Up first for review — the tinted lip balm. Oh, eos. I remember when every little girl in middle school absolutely had to have one of those round lip balms in her Vera Bradley purse. The very first one I saw was my fifth grade best friend, Kitty’s. She was always super trendy and fashionable, and she seemed to have everything just before it broke into the mainstream. She was the first one I knew to start wearing those elastic waistband floral skirts from Hollister, the first one to buy Uggs, the first one to experiment with Silly Bandz, and the first one to buy an eos lip balm. Hers was the classic pomegranate raspberry flavor, and I knew after I saw her pull it out of her backpack that I had to get one as well.

The first one I got was a pale pink color, I think it may have been strawberry lemonade-flavored. I’m pretty sure I begged my mother to buy it for me at the grocery store when I saw it on a special display on the endcap. Not wanting to copy Kitty exactly, I opted for a different flavor so as to demonstrate how unique and independent I was.

For as trendy and cute as those lip balms were, though, they weren’t all that great at actually moisturizing your lips. I remember they’d get dirty and stained if you had even a touch of lip color on, and they had a tendency to rub the delicate upper layer of your lips off if you weren’t gentle enough with application. Honestly, Chapstick was better.

And honestly, with this new 2020 iteration of eos, I still think Chapstick is better. Even now, ten years later, I still can’t resist the cute egg-shaped design and the way it rests in the palm of my had like a little round polished stone, but the lip product inside isn’t nearly as exciting. I still have the issue with it being too hard and just tearing up the upper layer of skin on my lips, and while I like the tinted variety, the color is barely noticeable. Lip balms should be soft and melt into your lips; this one is almost like an exfoliator.

Speaking of being moisturizing, the Gold Bond Ultimate Radiance Renewal Oil-Infused Cream is just that. It’s super thick, but for the winter when my skin is rather dry, that’s just what I like. Honestly, I don’t have any major complaints about this one. It’s a perfectly good lotion, but I’m not picky about lotion.

The bottle is a little weird, I’ll admit — it’s almost like a shampoo bottle, you have to shake it upside down in order for it to come out, and with how thick it is, that’s easier said than done. I think a pump would have been much better. Also, the scent is very strong. The moment I put it on, my parents both asked what smelled like tropical fruit. If you like tropical fruit, great — if not, you may want to stay away.

Lastly: the Eva NYC hair mousse. This product was something of an odd one for me to review. I honestly just don’t use hair mousse…ever. I had a phase there for a while (again, in middle school) where I’d wash and blow out my hair every morning in an attempt to create those texturized beach waves that were super popular in 2013, and I’d use it then, but I just don’t have time for that sort of thing anymore. Plus, with my bleach-damaged hair, I don’t really like to use heat styling products at all, and so doing a blow-out is out of the question.

How do you use mousse without using a blow dryer as well, though? That’s the question. I ended up running it through my hair after a shower and then putting it in a braid to dry.

Then I waited 36 hours for it to dry.

That’s not an exaggeration — it really takes my hair that long to dry properly when I try to braid it after it’s wet. I think it has to do with the bleach again — something about the pores becoming more receptive to holding water after it’s been chemically treated, and so it stays wet for longer.

One my hair finally dried, though, I liked the result. It gave me a nice, naturally wavy look, which is something I’ve never been able to achieve with an iron. The waves weren’t crunchy at all (though a little bit dry), and they lasted for the day. I’m not certain it was worth 36 hours of waiting for me, but if you have the kind of hair that you can braid at night, sleep in, and wake up with beautiful (not soaking wet) waves in the morning, maybe you could try this mousse for a little extra staying power and volume.

Have you tried these products? Or do you have any suggestions for your favorite hair, lip, or skincare products? Let me know your thoughts below!

That’s about it for today. Thanks for reading, and I’ll see you in the next one with more updates on my life. Don’t forget to check me out on Pinterest, Instagram, Facebook, Bloglovin, Twitter, and Tumblr! For business inquiries, shoot me an email at lensembledujour@gmail.com!

REVIEW: NYX Dazed and Diffused Blurring Lipstick in Roller Disco

Published on December 29, 2019December 30, 2019 by lensembledujour3 Comments

Influenster seems to love sending me products that are almost-but-not-quite right for me.

I mean, I love getting free stuff. I will never deny free stuff, especially when they’re makeup and beauty products. But sometimes, I just have to scratch my head: like, purple hair dye? Bar soap? I have nothing against purple hair dye and bar soap, but what about this blog makes you think ah, this girl could really use some purple hair dye and bar soap?

This time, Influenster decided to send me a purple lipstick from NYX’s Dazed and Diffused line. Everything else aside, I love that name — I kept calling it “dazed and confused” in my head because obviously, that’s the typical expression, and I love that it’s it goes an extra step to make a play a well-known phrase. It subverts expectations, or whatever.

In all other aspects, though, this product pretty much just meets basic expectations for a lipstick. It doesn’t subvert them in any way — good or bad. It’s an average lipstick.

The one part that attempts to be different from an average lipstick — the brush on the opposite end of the stick, which you’re meant to use to “diffuse” the lipstick to get a blurred look — is literally just a brush. I thought maybe it’d be one of those click-pen brushes that would dispense lipgloss or lip balm or something — something that would actually help to blur the lipstick — but no, it’s just a brush. I mean, I might as well just use my fingers to blend it out at that point, right?

As for the lippie itself, it’s okay. I don’t dislike this product. It’s got a nice, velvety texture and it lasts pretty well through a day. I don’t personally see the need for the brush attachment — seems a little gimmicky to me — but as a lipstick pencil, it’s decent.

My primary issue is with the color — it’s just too blue of a purple for me. I could see where someone with lighter or darker skin than mine (a light beige with cool undertones in the winter — not super pale but not particularly tan either) could pull it off, but I don’t feel like I can, especially for a product that’s meant to be blended until it’s faded. For me, I would need something much darker, like a dark purple or pink or red, in order for the diffused effect to actually be apparent. Otherwise, it just looks like a typical Barbie pink lipstick. And a somewhat dry one at that.

Have you tried this product? Or do you have any suggestions for your favorite lipsticks? Let me know your thoughts below!

July 31, 2019 – Off to the Races (OOTD #537)

Published on October 5, 2019October 5, 2019 by lensembledujourLeave a comment

Disclaimer: This post contains products that were received complimentary from DiscountGlasses.com. All opinions are my own.

Sometimes, I happen upon clothing in the strangest places.

Case in point: I came across these racing silks (the jacket jockeys wear when racing horses) in a bargain bin of a leather goods store’s going-out-of-business sale.

Apparently, they’d been used as a part of store decorations and promotional material during spring meets (aka, around the time of the Kentucky Derby). They also had various Christmas and Halloween decorations in the pile. With the store going out of business, there was no reason for them to keep their horse season decorations, and so they threw them in the bin to get rid of.

I of course wasn’t really in the hunt for racing silks when I entered the leather goods shop — I was looking for leather goods (specifically, for a wallet to replace the one I lost whilst in Rome). I found the wallet first, and as I was waiting for my dad to finish looking around, I came across their bargain bin holiday decorations.

I couldn’t resist the jacket, even though I admit I don’t really need more jackets. It’s just such a fun yet unobtrusive was to represent my Kentucky heritage in fashion. Who needs one of those t-shirts that says “y’all” inside the silhouette of Kentucky when you can have racing silks?

Side note: these are the exact same brand and model of glasses that I lost in France after a Tinder date gone-awry! Long story short, I had just gotten this new pair of glasses from DiscountGlasses.com as a part of a sponsorship, and so I brought them with me on my trip to Vichy, France right after Christmas. Unfortunately, I never had the chance to bring them back from my trip to Vichy, France, as I somehow lost them while I was on a walk in a park with a guy named Axel whom I’d met through Tinder.

I liked them so much that I decided to order a replacement pair. They’re the Westend Argyle Park design, and you can check them out here on DiscountGlasses.com’s website. Maybe you’d also like to bring them with you on your next trip to France.

That’s about it for today. Thanks for reading, and I’ll see you in the next one with more updates on my life back home this summer. Don’t forget to check me out on Pinterest, Instagram, Facebook, Bloglovin, Twitter, and Tumblr! For business inquiries, shoot me an email at lensembledujour@gmail.com!

Jacket: Thrifted (a local leather goods store)

Top: H&M

Shorts: American Eagle

Glasses: DiscountGlasses.com (Westend Argyle Park)

May 19, 2019 – Roaming Rome (OOTD #503)

Published on September 1, 2019September 5, 2019 by lensembledujour2 Comments

Packing for Rome was so hard.

I’ve never had to pack for such a long period of time before with only suitcases to put my things into. Packing for Notre Dame is different; I have storage boxes and suitcases and a whole car trunk to load them into. For Rome, as I had to fly, all I could bring were my suitcases.

I brought two suitcases to check, plus my backpack. Naturally, I didn’t start packing until the night before my flight left, so I didn’t really have the time to put together intricate plans for outfits.

And besides, I didn’t even know how to plan. I knew it would be hot since I was going to be there May-July, but I didn’t know how hot it would get. Do Romans wear shorts and t-shirts, or are they always stylishly conservative? What kind of dress would my supervisors at my internship require?

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wes anderson would approve

A post shared by Meilin || L'ensemble du jour (@lensembledujour) on Jul 13, 2019 at 9:22am PDT

As you probably could’ve guessed from the aforementioned fact that I didn’t start packing until the night before my flight, I never bothered to research the answers to these questions.

And so the packing strategy I ended up going with was something like this — clothes I knew I liked and that I knew would be versatile. For example, I packed this plaid Zara blouse, which I figured could be dressed down with ripped jeans (as you see here) or dressed up with a blazer for work.

And I think it worked! For the most part, I think my attire was appropriate for my European audience, who on the whole, dress a lot nicer than Americans (no offense). Does that make me feel like I fit in? Yes — but I’m not sure how I feel about that. One thing I like about the US is that dressing nicely helps you to stand out in a crowd of basketball shorts and hoodies — you can’t easily do that when everyone around you dresses up too.

The solution? I guess it’s time to start dressing more like the “lazy American.” The next OOTD on LEDJ — leggings, a Victoria’s Secret hoodie, and Birkenstocks.

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if you squint, you can see st. peter in the distance

A post shared by Meilin || L'ensemble du jour (@lensembledujour) on Jun 22, 2019 at 3:39am PDT

Sponsored link: Check out these extreme distressing black denim skinny jeans on Dresshead.com!

That’s about it for today. Thanks for reading, and I’ll see you in the next one with more updates on my life in Europe this summer. Don’t forget to check me out on Pinterest, Instagram, Facebook, Bloglovin, Twitter, and Tumblr! For business inquiries, shoot me an email at lensembledujour@gmail.com!

Top: Zara

Jeans: Hollister

REVIEW: BeautyBlender Bounce Kit: Part 4, The BeautyBlender Solid Cleanser and Final Thoughts

Published on August 31, 2019 by lensembledujourLeave a comment

Disclaimer: I received these products complimentary from Influenster for testing purposes. All opinions are my own.

This is part four of a four part review. For part one, on the BeautyBlender primer, click here. For part two, on the BeautyBlender sponge, click here. For part three, on the BeautyBlender foundation, click here.

And now, as a final mini-review: the soap.

I didn’t really like this. It’s a solid block, like a bar of soap, and it just doesn’t work well for cleaning the sponge. You kind of have to grind the sponge against the soap in order to get any lather going, which I’m not positive isn’t bad for the sponge in the long run.

With a sponge that’s meant to absorb and dispel liquids, you’d think a liquid cleanser would be the best option. In fact, I’m pretty sure BeautyBlender has their own liquid cleanser, and so I don’t really know why anyone would have use for the solid one. I can see a solid soap working great for a brush with bristles because you can rub the bristles into the surface of the soap, but there’s no easy way to do that with a sponge.

My favorite way to clean my sponges is simply to use a touch of hand soap, squeeze it into my palm, and then roll the sponge around with the soap in water until I get a later going. Then, I squeeze it out until the water runs clear. I may not wash my sponges (or brushes) as often as I should, but I can’t imagine that this solid soap bar is going to encourage me to do it more regularly. It doesn’t seem like it would make the process much easier.

In conclusion, I liked about half of the products I received. The foundation and sponge were great, if overpriced. The primer was hard to review with only a sample size, but I thought it was okay. I thought the soap was lame.

Thanks again to Influenster and BeautyBlender for sending me these products to review! I love switching up my fashion blog with reviews; it prevents things from going stale and gives me something new to write about. It also helps me to live out my lifelong dream of being a professional critic, à la the villain from Ratatouille.

Have you tried the any of these products? Or do you have any suggestions for your favorite sponges, primers, or foundations? Let me know your thoughts below!

REVIEW: BeautyBlender Bounce Kit: Part 3, The Bounce Liquid Whip Longwear Foundation

Published on August 30, 2019August 30, 2019 by lensembledujour3 Comments

This is part three of a four part review. For part one, on the BeautyBlender primer, click here. For part two, on the BeautyBlender sponge, click here. For part four, on the BeautyBlender cleanser and my final thoughts on the whole set, click here.

That leads us onto our next review, the foundation. Of the four products I received, this was the one that excited me most. I already owned a similar sponge to the BeautyBlender, I wasn’t thrilled with the little foil packet primer, and soap is kind of inherently boring (more on that later). The foundation was the most unique item I received, if you ask me.

And I like it. It’s got a thick consistency, almost like a BB cream, which makes it buildable. It can be a little heavy, which is why you need the BeautyBlender sponge or a buffing brush to help blend it out. It’s not really one I’d recommend applying with your fingers. The color is a little orange-leaning for me, but most foundations are.

The coverage is medium-to-full, the consistency is buildable, and its claims to longevity are valid, if not magical. It lasted through a regular 8-hour day for me, though it was definitely looking kind of patchy at the end of the day.

The finish is described as “velveteen matte,” which I would very much agree with. It’s no Revlon Colorstay, but it’s far from having a dewey finish either. It has a creamy texture and a semi-matte finish, if that makes sense. I definitely wouldn’t wear it without a powder; it didn’t set well enough on its own for that.

I both love and hate the packaging. I love that it’s sturdy and chic-looking, and I love that there’s a switch where you can lock the pump to stop product from accidentally coming out (seriously, why don’t more products with pumps have this?). I think the little tray that you’re supposed to pump the product out onto is silly and gimmicky; I tried it once and I honestly can’t imagine using it again. I prefer just to pump the product out onto my hand, dot it onto my face, and then use the sponge to blend. By using the tray, you create an extra mess for yourself to clean up, which seems unnecessary to me.

Speaking of messes, what about the last product I received — the solid BeautyBlender cleanser? Click to go onto the last part of this BeautyBlender review series, featuring the BeautyBlender Solid Cleanser.

Have you tried the any of these products? Or do you have any suggestions for your favorite sponges, primers, or foundations? Let me know your thoughts below!

REVIEW: BeautyBlender Bounce Kit: Part 2, The BeautyBlender Sponge

Published on August 29, 2019September 30, 2019 by lensembledujour3 Comments

Disclaimer: I received these products complimentary from Influenster for testing purposes. All opinions are my own.

This is part two of a four part review. For part one, on the BeautyBlender primer, click here. For part three, on the BeautyBlender foundation, click here. For part four, on the BeautyBlender cleanser and my final thoughts on the whole set, click here.

Now, onto the sponge and the foundation: I really like these, the sponge in particular. I remember back when the BeautyBlender first became trendy on online beauty circles back in 2011-ish. It was a funny shape, expensive as hell for a literal sponge, and unlike anything anyone had seen before, but all of the YouTube beauty gurus were raving about it.

Back then, I bought a little knockoff sponge from CVS, which I still have (not with me here in my DC apartment, unfortunately, or else I’d provide a comparison photo). It was squishy, bouncy, and held water like it was supposed to, and it was half the price of the BeautyBlender. It was my favorite way to apply makeup for a while, before I discovered the RealTechniques buffing brush which changed my life forever.

So now, in 2019, is the BeautyBlender sponge worth it?

Eh…it’s worth it to buy an egg-shaped sponge, absolutely. There’s really nothing better than a wet sponge for liquid foundation application, if you ask me, if you have the time in the morning to wet a sponge and spend a minute or two sitting there and bouncing it on your face. It’s not a part of my daily makeup routine because it takes too long and I’m usually in a rush (hence, the buffing brush), but I like one for special occasions where I want my makeup to look really flawless.

For size comparison, here’s the sponge dry…

…and wet.

As you can tell, it really swells up with water.

I appreciate the BeautyBlender for being the first of its kind and totally revolutionary, but the thing is, you can buy similar makeup sponges from other brands. There’s no reason in this case to buy name brand, if you ask me. Go buy a knockoff. Like I said, the CVS generic brand one is pretty good (or at least, it was when I was in 8th grade and I first bought it). As I hear, RealTechniques has a comparable makeup sponge too.

So how about the foundation itself, the product that this sponge is supposed to complement? Click here to go onto the next part of this BeautyBlender review series, featuring the Bounce Liquid Whip Longwear Foundation!

Have you tried the any of these products? Or do you have any suggestions for your favorite sponges, primers, or foundations? Let me know your thoughts below!

REVIEW: BeautyBlender Bounce Kit: Part 1, The Leveler Pore Minimizing Primer

Published on August 28, 2019August 30, 2019 by lensembledujour3 Comments

Disclaimer: I received these products complimentary from Influenster for testing purposes. All opinions are my own.

This is part one of a four part review. For part two, on the BeautyBlender sponge, click here. For part three, on the BeautyBlender foundation, click here. For part four, on the BeautyBlender cleanser and my final thoughts on the whole set, click here.

A half a year later, and I’m back with another Influenster VoxBox review!

My last one was way back in May 2019, back while I was still on Notre Dame’s campus. That literally feels like a lifetime ago now, at this point in August 2019. I’ve been all through Europe, a part of South America, a part of the Middle East, and moved into a new apartment in Washington DC in the span of time between those dates. I know only four months have gone by, but it seems so long ago!

I actually received another VoxBox in between the last one I wrote about and this one, but I never got around to posting a full review of it. The way Influenster programs work, you’re not actually required to write a review — all you have to do is take the brief survey in the end, and you’ll remain eligible to continue receiving boxes. I like to write the reviews, both for the sake of having content for this blog and because I think it helps me to get more boxes, but last time, I just wasn’t able to get to it in time. I mean, I was literally in Rome for most of the time the campaign went on; you’ll have to excuse me for not having a chance to write a review for a facial scrub.

But I’m back, with more time than ever (at least for now, until my internship in DC begins) and there’s nothing that would make me happier than to write a review for you. So let’s dive in to my latest Influenster package: a BeautyBlender package consisting of the classic BeautyBlender sponge, their Bounce Liquid Whip Longwear Foundation, The Leveler Pore Minimizing Primer, and BeautyBlender Solid Cleanser.

I’ll begin with the primer, as it’s the first product I put on my face. It came in this little foil sampler package which I was admittedly not impressed by. Look, I’m really appreciative that I was sent a full-size version of the foundation (a $40 value itself), the cleanser, and the sponge, but I’m really not a fan of receiving a foil sample that I could’ve received for free from a makeup counter and then being asked to review it, as if I could give a detailed, honest review for something I can only use two or three times.

But that’s beside the point — what do I think of the primer?

It’s nice. I’ve never used a tinted primer before, and part of me thinks it’s a nice thing (who says no to extra coverage?) and another part of me thinks it’s pretty unnecessary. The best primers, if you ask me, have correcting properties in addition to helping your makeup to go on smoother/last longer. And by correcting, I mean a correcting color — for example, using a green-toned primer to counteract redness. My normal go-to primer (Revlon Photoready) is pink-toned, to help with brightening. Your foundation is for matching your skin and concealing imperfections; you don’t need your primer to do that too.

I personally prefer a thicker, slicker primer than this one, but I know a lot of people don’t like the feeling of a heavy silicone-y product on their face. This one’s pretty thin and lightweight — good for avoiding heavy, cakey makeup, but bad for doing much to help your makeup glide on smoother. I didn’t really feel like my skin texture had changed much after application.

So how about the foundation itself, the product that this primer is supposed to complement? Click to go onto the next two parts of this BeautyBlender review series, featuring classic BeautyBlender sponge and the Bounce Liquid Whip Longwear Foundation!

Have you tried the any of these products? Or do you have any suggestions for your favorite sponges, primers, or foundations? Let me know your thoughts below!