Double Wear Stay-in-Place Liquid Makeup Foundation

Seriously, this is hands down one of my favorite foundations. I probably own at least 15 different foundation brands. (No judgment, please.) I have high end foundations that are upwards of $80 plus, to the lower to mid range foundations. I have a tricky complexion to match. Not anymore!!! Thank you, Estee Lauder for such a shade trajectory! In the attached pic, I am wearing 5W1.5 in Cinnamon. I also have 5W2.0 in Rich Caramel. I am keeping them both. I am not wearing concealer or setting powder. This pic is of foundation, unset. I have mature, dry skin. I was concerned that a matte foundation, that stays in place, would be too much; not at all. It is not settling into any fine lines. It actually looks radiant. I will no longer be on the "hunt" for the perfect foundation. I have found it.

Pros: First off, I LOVE the DW line because of the shade range. It was so easy to narrow down my perfect match. I am medium with strong yellow undertones and have found that 3w2 Cashew is my perfect summer color. For the winter, I lean towards 2w2 Rattan. I have super oily, large pores, and uneven skin texture (lucky me, right?) and this foundation held up all throughout a 90 degree humid outdoor wedding reception, walks through downtown, and a bike ride by the beach. Oh, and I live in the south where humidity always seems to be above 50%. As long as you have a primer you trust and set your foundation with powder, your makeup should be bulletproof. Coverage is fantastic. It's not going to hide the huge blemishes, but completely covers redness and slight imperfections. I don't like my foundations to be too mask-like anyways. If I want more coverage, I'll spot conceal. This way, you don't end up with "cakeface". The picture I'm including shows me with a full face of makeup on, but no concealer (except correcting the under eye area). Cons: This foundation DOES give a noticeable white cast in flash photos. The way I prevent this is use a thin layer of foundation and minimal powder to set. Also, bronze/contour your face so your features aren't so flattened, which can happen in flash photos. NO PUMP. I hate when products don't have a pump. Over time, so much air and bacteria can get into your product, making it lose its efficacy. Also, I like pumps because it's less mess and you get consistent measure of product every time you use it. Luckily, I anticipated this and found a pump that works perfectly for this bottle. It's by a popular mid-range makeup brand with only three letters to its name ;) And finally, the bottle itself. While I LOVE the look of frosted glass, I'm always so paranoid when traveling with this foundation. Or even just using it at home! I have hard wood floors in the room I do my makeup in so I have to be very careful with how I handle my bottle. Don't let these cons deter you from trying out this product, though. The ladies at the counter were very welcoming and eager to give me a sample to take home and try. Do this and you will DEFINITELY want to go back and buy the full product.

I'm VERY disappointed in Estee Lauder for changing the shades and formula of this formally wonderful makeup. I had worn "Shell" for years and had gotten numerous compliments on my complexion. For some reason EL decided that needed to overhaul their 5 star foundation and discontinue most of their vital colors and introduce new ones and replace it with a watered down version. I was told that the "Cool Bone" was the replacement for my color. Nothing could be further from the truth. This color is practically orange! I am a very pale redhead with cool undertones and "Shell" matched perfectly. I can't imagine this even coming close to matching anyones skin tone. Nordstrom, of course, was wonderful with their quick delivery and service, but I am now on the search for a new makeup. :-(

Like everyone else, I heard major hype about this foundation. As far as price goes, its middle-range for a designer foundation. And it gives you a full to medium coverage with a satin finish. Personally, I like the dewy look. But I thought I'd give this a try. Pros: It does give a good, buildable coverage and It stays on long. Apply with a brush, my beauty blender soaked it right up. Cons: My skin type is pretty normal, and after wearing this for a few hours I felt like it looks pretty matte and powdery on me (I don't apply powder). The opening doesn't have a pump, so I always end up using too much and it gets messy.

There are some misconceptions about this foundation. A lot of people find this heavy, which I have never found to be true. I put on two layers of this foundation, both thin, even on my bad skin days when I put on more I never feel like I am wearing it. A lot of how DW looks on you will have to do with your moisturizer and application tool. I don't know much about moisturizers, b/c I haven't tried many. For me Vanicream makes this foundation blend amazingly. Better than the Estee Lauder products or many of the primers on the market. Only when I use a non-compatible lotion or primer does the foundation enhance my pores. Otherwise my pores are 99% invisible. You don't want your skin to be dry feeling when you put this on b/c it dries fast and wont move. For application, fingers are okay, a stripling brush is a little streaky, a dry cosmetic sponge isn't great, a wet cosmetic sponge offers lighter coverage and is okay. I found a mineral brush to work best, it really buffs the foundation into my skin and I can work quickly with it and use less. I go through a bottle in about 7 months. I have been wearing DW for probably seven years. I did not notice a change in the formula when they changed it, if anything my shade matches my skin better than before. I don't like the DW concealer. I found it to be too pink for me and using more DW foundation works fine. For example under my eyes I put on two thicker layers of the foundation and on bad days I use the powder, which surprisingly does not crease on me. I have tried other foundation, b/c you never know what is better but I always love DW. Lancome, MAC, Smashbox, MUFE, Revlon all make longwearing transfer proof foundation, but none compare to DW. The only time I would recommend those other brands is if you can't find a color match. I never look oily with this foundation, in fact it looks better as the day goes on and lasts until your ready to take it off. I like to use an oil cleanser to remove the foundation. B/c this foundation covers so well your face can look a little flat after you apply it. I would really recommend at least a light dusting of bronzer on the cheeks, nose, chin, and brow bone, plus some blush. I guess I could write a book about EL DW, I love it and with the right lotion/maybe primer for some and application this foundation can look natural, feel light weight, while covering anything that needs to be hidden.

Very happy with product - great coverage & moisturizing but, not oily. It’s my go-to for going out, dressing up, or anytime I’d like flawless skin for photos.