I had heard about Double Wear Maximum Cover from a friend of mine who is a makeup artist and likes it to cover scarring and tattoos. Since I have a lot of scarring and rosacea, I wanted to check it out. I read all the reviews here on Makeup Alley and followed the directions of using a tiny amount, working in sections, using a stippling brush, and making sure I was moisturized. Like many others, the coverage of this foundation for the discolorations on my skin was flawless. Unfortunately, after a week I found it was too drying and actually started creating more wrinkles in my skin. YIKES! If I used more moisturizer it would just turn into an oily mess. YUCK! I then tried the Double Wear Regular. I had to layer it on to get even a little coverage and the color was a little off. It also had no staying power. About half way through the day it was wearing off and I had to start layering concealer all over my face. I ended up with two foundations I couldn't use, so I decided to mix them together and WOW IT WORKED!!!! I got the full coverage of the Maximum Cover and the smoothness of the Regular. It did not budge all day and I still looked flawless when I got home from work. This also solved my slightly off color match. When I mixed them together I got the perfect shade. I recommend that you go to the counter and ask for some samples in colors close to yours. I got samples of the Maximum Cover in creamy vanilla and very light, and the Double Wear Regular in Ivory Nude. After applying wait for it to set, because the Maximum Cover makes the foundation dry a little lighter than it looks right away, and then check the color in various lights (indoor, sunlight, fluorescent). The perfect combo for me was Maximum Cover Very Light and Double Wear Regular in Ivory Nude, followed with a touch of Double Wear Ivory Nude powder. After years of searching I have finally found my Holy Grail makeup!!

I want to start by saying that I have terrible skin - acne, blotchiness etc. This product was recommended to me by a friend, and I'm so very glad she did! It has changed my life (I know this sounds extremely overdramatic but for anyone who has acne you will know what I mean!). It covers up EVERYTHING. Granted, it is somewhat mask like in that it is very thick, but if you have really bad skin this is the only foundation which will guarantee to cover it up completely.

Pros - *Lasts all day *You only need to apply a small amount so the product is very long lasting *Coverage is fantastic *Despite its thickness, it looks very natural and airbrushed-esque *Lovely packaging

Cons - *I am very pale, but the lightest colour is slightly too light and the shade above is slightly too dark - possibly need to buy the two and blend which is a bit of a nuisance *It is not cheap (but you get what you pay for) *Must be carefully applied so as not to look "cake faced" - I guess you could blend with a nice moisturizer if need be.

Every girl with problem skin needs this bad boy in their make up bag! ;)

I think this is the best foundation for covering blemishes and scars [if you accidentally picked!!]. It didn't break me out. I had first tried Mac foundation which completely broke me out. Then I switched to Laura Mercier which looked too cakey and wiped off so fast! This foundation does not wipe off, at least not for 12 hours at least ! It does look cakey if you don't blend it in. Just a little bit is needed! This foundation gives me exactly what I've been looking for!

I have been using this foundation for about two years. However i wouldnt dare to put it on my face without mixing it with another, lighter foundation as it makes my face look like im wearing a mask. It is cakey, the colour range is just horrible, none of the colours suit me therefore i use it in the lightest shade and mix it with a darker shade light foundation to balance it out. I dont agree with some reviewers saying it hasnt got coverage, because it does, i have bad acnee scarring and afer my foundation routine you cant tell that i do amd i dont use any concealer, so i do think it does have maximum coverage, but i highly recommend mixing a pea size amount of it with another foundation to not end up looking ill and caked on.

I purchased this foundation after coming across it in my search for a natural, yet full coverage, water resistant foundation for an upcoming vacation. I was a little wary of the "maximum coverage" label because I hate the "mask face" look and heavy feel that full coverage makeup usually presents. I am so happy I relied on the good reviews, and ignored the bad, and took a chance on this product. It takes a lot to impress me when it comes to makeup and I have to be either really impressed or really disappointed to be prompted to write a review. In this case, I was very impressed.
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I use loose, mineral powder foundation daily and I love the finish and coverage it offers me but I wanted to find something with water resistant properties for an upcoming vacation that was quick to apply, provided spf, offered me great coverage and that still looked natural. I have yet to test the "waterproof" claims of this product but I plan to update once I have. I have light/medium, sensitive, acne prone skin riddled with acne scars, and hyper pigmentation left over from recently healed blemishes and I am very self conscious of my skin without makeup. This product gave me the illusion of perfect skin I can only dream of having.
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I have read reviews that say this product is heavy or cakey and I didn't find that in my experience. I think the key is to make sure you prime and that you don't apply it too heavily. I used an amount about the size of a small, un-shelled peanut, slightly larger than a pea, for my whole face. My skin has a tendency to get oily so I generally don't moisturize before I apply my regular foundation so I didn't with this either. What I did instead was put some moisturizer on the pads of my fingers and rubbed them together to distribute the moisture between them, then I picked up a little bit of foundation and applied it to my primed face with my fingertips. I found that putting moisturizer on my fingers helped apply the foundation smoothly and easily without greasing my face up. To me, this foundation sort of has a powdery feel as it dries which is velvety and soft on my skin. For me, using this method, it doesn't feel heavy and doesn't look like I have caked my face on which is something that is VERY important to me. It does dry really fast so you have to work quickly and in sections to avoid building up too much product in one area. I did find that the foundation did want to stick to a few dry patches on my skin and it wanted to crease in my under eye area but I have yet to find a product that doesn't. Those are really my only complaints with it at this point, though. My t-zone did get a little shiny about halfway through the day but I have yet to find anything that resists that completely so a touch with oil blotting sheets and some spot correction were all I needed to refresh. It lasted all day and still looked good when I went to take it off.
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It covers my skin flawlessly and makes my acne scars virtually disappear with just one thin layer, it gives me the skin I wish I had without makeup. It even looks good in day light which is a true test for me with all my makeup, it's not obvious and it looks like my skin but better. I cannot express enough in words how much better it made me feel about my skin, I am so impressed with the natural, yet full coverage it offers. I don't like how it wanted to stick to my dry patches but that's something I can deal with as they are only temporary from healing blemish spots. I can see myself using this foundation on days when I want a "no makeup" look but still want to cover my skin's imperfections. My mom complimented how nice my skin was looking at the end of the day and she didn't know I was wearing makeup! I am interested to see how it performs against the sun and Florida humidity when I go on vacation but I hope for the best because I am pleased so far. If you want full coverage and a natural look, I would give this a try.
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I probably wouldn't recommend it for very dry skin but if you have combination skin, like me, it could be a good fit for you. I have light/medium skin and I got this in Cream Ivory Light which is the slightest bit yellow for my complexion but it's a pretty close match. My apologies for the long winded review but I always like reading reviews with a lot of details before I shell out money for a product so hopefully this is helpful to someone!

I wanted to write to address some of the negative reviews, especially those that complain of a heavy/mask-like effect. I've found that applying *very little* of this immediately after applying EL Idealist provides just perfect coverage with no cakey look at all. It's a wonderful look. I'm stashing this for fear it might one day be discontinued.

I don't know how all the reviews are so good, May be there is something wrong with me.
I am so sorry to write this down,but I need to....I am so disappointed!
But I don't like this foundation. I have been using Clinique Continuous Coverage for about a year,but I saw so many good reviews on Estee lauder maximum Cover that I decided to give it a try..... Such a mistake and such a waste of money!
The coverage is not as good as the Clinique one's,neither is the staying power,not the finish.
It does NOT look like skin,like Clinique does. I also noticed that my T-zone get very oily with it in about a hour,which doesn't happen with Clinique.
I know my review sounds like I get paid by Clinique,but that's not the deal. I don't like Clinique products,except this foundation and the anti aging one (repairwear).
I just share my experiense . I will never buy this foundation again!

I use this on my cheeks and jaw line to cover up old acne scars from cystic acne...this stuff really covers.

I do agree it's thick and can look like a mask if you're not careful, so I wanted to share a technique I figured out (not really a new idea)!: just mix your regular day moisturizer with a small amount of this foundation on your finger, blend together and then apply with your fingertips...it looks natural and provides flawless coverage! I love this look and for days I want all-over full coverage, I use this technique. This technique still covers my acne scars but looks more natural. It blends onto your skin like silk and doesn't settle or look like a mask.


I hope that helps those of you think this is too heavy or mask like!

Coverage is great but looks like you're wearing a mask. Not natural looking at all.

OMG this stuff covers like nobody's business! I really like this foundation. It covers absolutely everything without drying my skin or make me greasy and cakey. You have to use just a tiny bit (a pea size is more than enough) to cover all your face. It blends so easily! First I was scared because this product has a very thick consistency, but I have feeling like applying Armani Maestro Foundation on my skin (because of this dry-oily consistency which is liquid by Armani and thick by EL, but it blends similar). The finish is matte, but in my opinion this foundation is almost invisible on skin. It feels very very light on the skin and last all day long. It didn't break me out which is very important for me. I have very pale skin and shade 11 VERY LIGHT is very good match for me (it's just a little bit more pink than I would like, because I have a yellow undertones... but it's nothing terrible, the foundation adapts to the skin after a while). The formula is not perfumed, non-comedogenic and contains anti-inflammators.
I use it with EL Translucent Loose Powder in 01 LIGHT and for me this two products works very well.
The only thing that make me angry is that this foundation doesn't control my oil very well... I have to do touch-ups during the day, but anyway for my acne prone skin is things like good coverage and no-breakouts on the first place.