The Product You Didn't Know You Needed
I’m a proponent of applying foundation with a tool (e.g. a brush or a sponge), as opposed to your fingers, because I find the finish smoother and the application more even. It’s also less wasteful since a not-insignificant-amount of product is usually absorbed by your fingers as you’re stippling. For years, I’ve toggled between two excellent tools: Giorgio Armani’s Maestro Brush and the original Beauty Blender sponge. But this week, I found something I may like even more.
A cross between gummy candy and those silicone inserts you find in pushup bras, the Nüyu Silisponge is a tear-shaped silicone-based makeup “sponge.” (It’s also embossed with an emoji-like "face" that makes it look like something a tween would collect.)
But when I used the Silisponge to apply my Bare Minerals Made-2-Fit Foundation, the results were decidedly grownup. My foundation went on easily, quickly and really smoothly. The sponge also absorbed almost no product. When I was finished blending, the Silisponge looked…clean. I can’t say that about my Beauty Blender, which does absorb some makeup during application and which is, despite careful cleaning after every use, permanently stained.
Despite no obvious product on the Silisponge, I still washed it with a drop of hand soap and water and patted it with a towel. Then I put the Silisponge away immediately because it was dry—no need to let it air out like you do a brush or traditional sponge. For neat freaks like me, this is a plus.
The packaging indicates the Silisponge can be used with any cream or liquid foundation, concealer, cream blush or highlighter. The pointy end of the tear shape also makes it easy to blend around the nose and in the corners of the eyes. At a mere $15 (less expensive than either of my other favorites) and with a seemingly indefinite life span, this is a tool I think you won’t regret trying.
