Product Review: Estée Lauder Double Wear foundation

I’m not entirely sure how long I’ve been looking for a "perfect" foundation, but I know it’s taken me two BB creams and two liquid efforts to find it. Until I was about eighteen, I didn’t wear much make-up (or at least I can’t remember doing so!). I can recall using a lot of cheap Seventeen pressed powder compacts, and then making do with just a basic concealer dabbed on the most offensive spots. For special occasions, my sister usually made me up, so I wore whatever she had in her make-up bag! Then there came the big ‘Beauty Balm’ (BB) explosion, and - off the back of several rave reviews I read in magazines and the like - I bought Smashbox’s ‘Camera Ready’ version. This worked for quite a while, as it boasted SPF 35 and was a lightweight, low-coverage option for my low-maintenance needs. However, as those needs developed into more complex (some may say borderline obsessive…) demands on my make-up, I started casting around for alternatives. This was whilst I was living in Washington D.C., and when I heard that Benefit had launched their "bigger than BB" Big Easy "liquid-to-powder" product, I popped down to the Sephora in Georgetown to pick it up for (slightly) less than I’d be able to in the U.K. Unfortunately, all that did was convince me that I was definitely a liquid, and not a powder (or liquid-to-powder!) kind of girl. It also made me aware of how annoying it is that you can’t really test products before you purchase them. Sure, lots of beauty counters offer mini-makeovers these days, but if they really know what they’re doing they’ll use an abundance of things (clever lighting, mirrors, sales people etc.) to convince you to buy. 

So I was pretty pleased when I found an "invitation" (read: coupon) from Estée Lauder to get a "10-day sample of your perfect foundation" - Double Wear Stay-in-Place Makeup - in a recent copy of Elle. My knowledge on the brand had somewhat increased in the recent months due to my outrageous obsession with all things Kardashian (no judgement, please); Kendall Jenner is their newest spokeswoman (read: stupidly high-paid model). I started looking for opportunities to visit a counter and take advantage of the offer, but it wasn’t until the New Year that I managed to get to one. The process was quick and easy: a friendly Estée Lauder consultant matched my shade by working with me to narrow it down from her three original picks to the one I felt would work the best with my skin and its needs. This was 1N1, or "ivory nude", and I got a 4ml pot to take away with me, tucked inside a little leaflet with details of the shade written down. 

Now, I don’t know who decided that 4ml is ten days worth of foundation, but I have only just managed to finish off that pot! I got it on January 2nd and I finished it maybe a week/two weeks ago, so that’s actually more like 30-40 days worth?! In fact, I’ve even been tempted to decant from the full-size bottle I purchased into the tester pot, as it’s easier to control how much product comes out.

Anyway, the point is: I liked the foundation enough to buy the full-sized bottle! In fact, I absolutely love it. I’ve been putting it on with my BeautyBlender (although more recently my budget has had me swap to RealTechniques miracle sponge as a cheaper alternative), and I can honestly say it’s reached can’t-live-without status; I’ll be wearing this stuff until they stop making it! You don’t need a lot, but if you do want to look a little more made-up, it’s completely buildable. And even when I put on more than I mean to (one of the only downsides: it’s easy to do this as the bottle has a completely open top under its screw-lid), I don’t ever feel like I look cakey or over-done. There is also a new "Makeup To Go" compact that "keeps liquid makeup spill-free. Press the button for your custom look—once for a light touch, twice for more coverage but not only is this ridiculously more expensive (£27.50/10ml instead of £10/10ml!), it also says it gives 8 - not 15 - hour wear... Anyway, it seems to blend right into my skin perfectly, so I just become this incredibly well-blessed person with naturally amazing skin! The more water I run my sponge under, the dewier I look, but it generally dries into a matte finish, which is great for me as my skin type is combination/oily. But I’ve also read a fair few reviews on Estée Lauder’s website that rave about how good it is for dry skin too, so it seems to be a good all-rounder!

They’re also not lying when they say it’s got "15-hour staying power". Loads of products claim this kind of status, but very few that actually live up to it (I’m looking at you, drugstore brands!). Before I had the money to look into higher-end options, I was using Maxfactor’s Ageless Elixir 2-in-1 Foundation + Serum, which is definitely something I’d recommend to anyone on a budget (I’ve recently found full-time work and thought I’d treat myself to something a bit dearer!). So one of the first tests I did when I got my sample pot of Double Wear was to wear the Maxfactor foundation one day, and then the Double Wear the next; I was doing similar things on both days so it was as fair a test as I could make it. While I still like the Maxfactor product, Double Wear definitely beat it at durability! I was still fresh-faced and matte after twelve hours on my feet, whilst the Maxfactor one started to wear off after a while, and my face was back to looking shiny when I went to take it off. With Double Wear, sometimes I glance in the mirror during the day and am amazed at how it looks like I’ve just applied my make-up! I’ve included a "before and after application" photo here but apologies for the bad (aka iPhone) quality of the pictures*; I’m still learning to use my dad’s DSLR properly! 

I’ve also just purchased Smashbox’s Primer Water to use as a primer and make-up setting spray, so that will probably be my next review! I’m excited to do more product reviews as I build up my beauty collection.  

Product: Double Wear Stay-in-Place Makeup SPF 10  (30ml)

Ingredients: water, cyclopentasiloxane, trimethylsiloxysilicate, butylene glycol, PEG/PPG-18/18 dimethilcone, polyglyceryl-3 diisostearate, magnesium sulphate, tribehenin, titanium dioxide, tocopherol acetate, methicone, polymethylsilsesquioxane, laureth-7, disteardimonium hectorite, cellulose gum, propylene carbonate, xanthan gum, pentaerythrityl tetra-di-t-butyl hydroxyhydrocinnamate, alumina, phenoxyethanol, sodium dehydroacetate, [+/- titanium dioxide (CI 77891), mica, iron oxides (CI 77491, CI 77492, CI 77499)]
Price: £30.00 (£10.00 per 10ml)
Colour(s): 29! From 'Shell' to 'Rich Cocoa'
Sold at: most department and beauty stores
Buy online: the official site; or I bought it at feelunique.com with a discount code - you can get 15% off your order by following this link  

*I’m so aware that I need to wax my ‘stache! The appointment is booked!