It sounds simple enough: a foundation that lasts all day, doesn’t break you out, doesn’t oxidise and doesn’t smudge/transfer/crease. But hands up if you’ve had trouble finding even one product that checks all the boxes.
OK you can put your hands down now because I’ve just found THE ONE. I don’t know what took me so long to blog about the Estee Lauder Double Wear Stay-in-Place Makeup foundation, but here I am, finally sharing this nugget of gold with the rest of the world that no longer trusts influencer-backed advertising campaigns.
Here’s why you can trust this review:
- I’ve actually used this product for long enough that I can write an accurate review of it.
- I wore this foundation on my own wedding day, from 5am in the morning till 7pm at night.
- I’m not paid or endorsed by Estee Lauder in any way (i.e. I bought this foundation).
- I’ve been beauty blogging since 2010 so I know what to look out for.
Now that we’ve got that out of the way, here’s why I am never living without my Estee Lauder Double Wear Stay-in-Place Makeup ever again.
It stays in place and “controls” my oil production.
As the bottle says, the foundation doesn’t smudge or come off once it dries on the skin. You can blot your oily face with a tissue at midday, you won’t get a tint (unless you’ve got other products layered on top).
My skin gets super oily now that I’m pregnant, and this foundation deals greatly with that. I can feel confident when I meet others at 2pm after leaving the house at 7am. When I do get shiny, it makes my face glow, as if I did it intentionally.
It doesn’t break me out.
My skin is sensitive to all forms of alcohol, whether good or bad alcohol. This foundation does not have alcohol at all, which makes up 90% of why I even tried it in the first place, and 95% of why I still use it today.
It doesn’t oxidise.
I think that’s pretty straight forward. It doesn’t oxidise so you don’t have to touch up, nor get a lighter shade.
It doesn’t settle in creases.
Why would anyone wear a foundation that shows off all their tiny lines? This one does nothing of the sort. It gives, instead, a smooth finish that lasts all day.
It has good coverage.
It covers my blemishes well, and has at least a medium to high coverage when layered. It doesn’t dry the skin/zits and neither does it make them worse. All that redness and uneven skin tone – gone! Also, where did my pores go?
My skin still breathes.
Just because a foundation has high staying power and good coverage doesn’t mean it’s got to be heavy. My skin still feels like my skin when I have this on. It can breathe and doesn’t feel tight or cake-y in any way.
It blends easily.
I apply this with a wet beauty sponge, and when I blend it, it’s seamless. Of course, blend it before it dries!
(Pro tip: When applying liquid foundation, always give it ample time to dry completely before applying anything else on top. Applying makeup on top of semi-damp foundation is going to screw everything up.)
A little goes a long way.
Because this foundation doesn’t come cheap, it’s a great thing that you just need a little bit each time. I use about a 20¢ coin-sized drop for my face, and I apply only sparingly on the perimeter of my face, focusing mostly on the T-zone and any other areas that need more coverage.
Because it blends and covers so well, it’s easy to control how much product goes in specific areas of the skin. My tip is to add more in places that need more evening out (start with these areas), and add less where you don’t need that extra coverage.
I truly hope Estee Lauder never discontinues nor reformulates this product. If Estee Lauder came up with a compact powder version of this, I would buy it and use that as my finishing powder.
The shade I wear is 2W2 Rattan. Not sure how relevant that is because you’re probably going to get another shade that suits you best anyway. I set this foundation with a compact powder and only need to reapply the powder once throughout a 10-hr day. If you have yet to try this foundation, you need to. This really is one product I personally swear by and will repurchase till the day rainbows no longer exist.