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A little over a year ago now I was recommended to try Estee Lauder's Double Wear Stay In Place Liquid Foundation with SPF 10. I was looking for a medium to full coverage foundation that wouldn't cause me to breakout, would last all day, wouldn't transfer and would help to combat some of the oiliness of my skin. That's certainly a high standard as most foundations aren't transfer resistant let alone alright for acne-prone skin. However, Estee Lauder Double Wear meets all of these criteria amazingly enough.
With Mac's foundation pump (an extra purchase unfortunately), the use of this is perfectly hygienic and allows you to control the amount on your brush, which is good because you don't need a lot to get full coverage with this foundation. I find I need a primer with this though as a primer helps it spread better as the formula is kind of thick. A primer also helps minimizes brush strokes on my face during application. When applied it dries down after a bit to a semi-matte finish. Usually however, I speed up the dry-down process and apply a finishing powder over top so I don't have an intermediate sticky feeling. Some people have complained this feels like a mask on but I don't feel that way with this foundation, I don't really feel it on my face at all. Plus I love how well it covers all my acne scars and redness. Or if you want even more coverage you can layer it easily with an additional coat of foundation, which I always like the option of. It comes in a sturdy and sophisticated frosted glass bottle with a gold twist cap that really closes well which is a nice touch.
My shade is Shell or 1C1 the coolest (pinkest) lightest shade they carry in the range. Estee Lauder has divided their shade selections into three categories, C- for cool or pinker based shades, N- for neutral or not yellow but not pink shades and W- for yellow undertones. From there, each darker skin shade can choose which of the three options provide the best match. If possible I recommend getting matched in person because the online swatches give you no idea of what you're actually dealing with. There are twenty shades in total and I was quite lucky to find a match. Though it is the smallest touch too pink for me the shade Shell does match, a huge worry of mine after I fell in love with Ecru (the neutral lightest shade) and it was too yellow for my skin.
As a side note though you could apply this with your fingers I really feel that it needs a brush as the formula is quite thick and you'll want as even a layer as possible.
The formula of it is great too, it's oil-free, low silicone (Silicone normally bothers my skin but this foundation doesn't cause acne flair ups! Yay!), fragrance-free, non-comedogenic and Dermatologist tested. That said, with it being fragrance free when wet it has the tendency to smell like paint. You'll get a whiff of this every so often but it doesn't stick around, thank goodness. It's not as strong as paint smell either but the smell is definitely there. It doesn't linger so for me it's not too much of an issue. For me, a girl that is highly allergic to the smell of paint (migraines!) to say that I think you can tell it's not too bad. And of course the small bonus of 10 SPF is nice too, though as you really need a stronger sun protection everyday I tend to add one underneath. I've had no issues layering it over top of other products.
Warning: Removal is going to be a pain in the ass. This comes with the territory really as it is such a long wearing foundation (Estee Lauder states 15- hours and that is pretty darn close I'd say). I love my Clarisonic for removal but I recommend a make-up remover all over your face before cleansing to ensure that it all comes off!
This foundation has won a bunch of awards and I have to completely agree, it's the best of all of the foundations I've tried. It does pack a punch though price-wise at $34 USD for 1.0 oz or (when you include tax) here in Canada $50 CND.
Sprite Rating: 8/10- lost one point for slight paint smell and one point for sheer expensiveness.
Would I buy this again? Yes! This is my second bottle, though first in my correct shade and I'll repurchase when I eventually run out, though that will likely take over a year. :D
