As predominantly a "beauty blogger", I'm embarrassed to admit that this is my first properly high end foundation. I'd been umm-ing and ahh-ing about whether to purchase Double Wear foundation for years now. I mean, it costs an arm and a leg and my drugstore foundations were doing just fine, but I just could not scratch that itch, so I finally caved and picked up a sample pot from Myer; something that I'd been putting off doing in fear of falling in love with such a costly product. I was matched with the shade 'Ecru' and went on my merry way, and you know what? I did instantly fall in love with said costly product. I had used up my sample in no time and immediately went out to buy the full sized bottle without a second thought. I've been using it pretty consistently for about three months now, and I think that I'm ready to express my thoughts.
To preface this post, my skin is so difficult to deal with. Desert dry, flaky lower face, oily forehead, big ol' pores.. This makes finding a foundation that works for me hard. The fact that I absolutely LOVE a matte finish doesn't make it any easier, either because of course, a penchant for matte does not typically go hand-in-hand with dry skin types, which is why I always recommend asking for samples before you commit to buying any high-end make-up. It's a darn big price to pay, so you want to be sure that the shade and/or formula work for you.
After being scared off by the "extremely mattifying" reviews that are associated with Estée Lauder's Double Wear Foundation, I am ecstatic to report that this looks absolutely gorgeous on me! The oil-free formula means that it's your best friend if you have oilier skin, but that does not mean that it doesn't work on dry skin types too, trust me. They've somehow found a magical medium, wherein it controls oil for those with oily skin, but doesn't further dry out those with dry skin. I don't know what kind of sorcery is used, but I sure ain't complaining.
I'd describe this foundation as medium-full, if not full, coverage. The Double Wear line has a massive shade range, and I've found that the colour does not oxidize noticeably, if at all, on me. It dries down very quickly and is transfer-proof within minutes, which is something that I highly appreciate as a secretary who uses a handheld phone all throughout the day. It has a lovely, silky texture and doesn't feel heavy whatsoever on the skin, which is surprising for a high coverage formula. It is also worth noting that a little bit goes a long way. I honestly feel that one light layer is more than enough for even and flawless coverage, but it is definitely buildable if desired and even then, still does not look heavy or cakey if you do like to use more than one layer.
I get very flaky skin around my mouth and nose and this foundation doesn't accentuate or cling on to that at all, which is a comment that I cannot make about any other foundation that I've ever tried. It does, however, settle in to the larger pores a little, but I've experienced this with every single product that I've ever used in my life, so I've accepted it as a way of big-pored life, patted on some primer, and moved on.
On the opposite side of the whack-o spectrum that is Christie's face, I've almost always needed to powder and blot my forehead, being the one area on my whole face that does get a little oily, by midday, no matter what foundation/primer/powder I do or do not use. With Double Wear, however, there was no need to blot all damn day. Not even a little bit! It keeps those oils at bay without me even needing to use a powder to begin with, which eliminates that dry, cakey look that I tend to get if do I layer powder upon foundation.
In terms of the wear-time, I can 100% concur that this stuff does not budge! I was surprised by just how long-lasting this formula is. After staying put for a 10 hour day at the office, followed by another hour or so of exercise at the gym, wherein I obviously sweat and towel off my face, I still have a lovely finish to my skin (that I still need to really cleanse to remove) by the time I get home. For this reason I definitely do not feel as though a primer is necessary to make this foundation last but, as I briefly touched on earlier, I have large pores on my cheeks, next to my nose, so I do still like to wear one, but only in these areas, and only to smooth out my base and stop the foundation from settling in to the pores as much as I can.
I always appreciate a foundation with SPF in it, but I appreciate a foundation with SPF in it that doesn't produce flashback more. This does only have a SPF rating of 10, which may be what makes it so photo friendly in comparison, but I always use a high-factor facial sunscreen during the day (and you should too!), so the low SPF rating doesn't bother me if zero flashback is going to be the trade-off.
Of course, as with anything in this world, with the good, comes the bad. I've found that there are a couple of downsides to this foundation, but I don't feel as though they're anything to be overly concerned about. Just my picky self being.. well, picky. The first thing being the packaging. The frosted glass bottle does look all kinds of fancy (not good for travel, mind you), but I just cannot get past the fact that there is no pump. I don't want to think about how much product I've wasted as a result of dribbling or spillage and that's not including all the times that I've poured out much more than needed. The second point being the smell. Boy does this foundation have a chemically smell. It's almost paint-like. The smell does dissipate very quickly, however, but is worth noting in my opinion.
All in all, I would definitely say that the quality of Estée Lauder's Double Wear Foundation is worth the $54 price tag, no matter your skin type. A good base is an investment, and this is an investment that I highly recommend.
Have you tried Estée Lauder's Double Wear Foundation before? What are your thoughts?
As always, this post has not been sponsored in any way, meaning that none of the items mentioned have been sent to me, endorsed or paid for by anyone other than me, myself and I.
