Estée Lauder Double Wear Stay-In-Place Liquid Makeup

Not for dry skin. No matter how much i moisturized and primed, or applied so lighlty with a damp beauty blender, it didn't do well on my super dry skin. Looked cakey and messy. I wore this years back for my brother's wedding and it looked amazing in pictures (with a ton of other products on I might add) but up close it was overly obvious I was wearing this foundation.

This has been my everyday foundation for the past five years. It’s amazing applied with Mario Badescu facial spray on top.it takes away from the heaviness. This is a full coverage foundation but one of the best on the market.

Probably the most perfect foundation ever formulated if you want superior coverage, incredible tenacity, and an absolutely beautiful finish.Right now, in winter with no color from sun at all in my skin, I’m using 3W1 Tawny. Even if I miss a spot near my ears or something like that, this is imperceptible! It does not fall into lines or pores. I think it makes me look 15 years younger! I love my skin when this is on it. I need it for my whole body! I like being able to put on makeup and not think about it again till it’s time to wash my face. If you want foundation that stays put and looks beautiful, this is the best of the best.

I had this sitting in my cupboard ignoring it for ages then was hearing some great things about it and realised that I had been putting it on all wrong - as in too much. It looked and felt cakey until I halved the amount I was using and then it was fabulous. It does exactly what it says on the bottle - it stays in place even in brutal humidity. It covers redness really well, seems to go on better without primer and no setting powder required either. Its just great on its own. Only downside is the lack of a pump thing.

Amazing coverage, amazing colour (majority of other foundations are too muddy for me, because I have a pale skin with yellow undertone) and one bottle lasts me for about 6 months, because little goes a long way. Only think I'd change is the packaging that's lacking some pump, but I bought some random pump of of Ebay, so I'm reusing that :-)

A super-helpful SA at Estee Lauder counter in Selfridges, London - UK told me this is the UK's best-selling foundation and it was precisely at that point I decided I just had to try it for myself! She tried a few different shades on me and in the end settled on giving me a sample of this in 3W1.5 (Fawn). I applied it eagerly the next morning in place of my CC cream. Well...it stayed put throughout the day. By the time I got back in that evening it was 9pm and other than a touch of shine on my t-zone (nothing that a few blotting papers couldn't sort out) I was happy to see the foundation hadn't settled into my pores or accentuated any fine lines. 

The coverage is buildable and somewhere in the 'medium' category. It didn't transfer onto any of the many clothes I tried on whilst out shopping and if it had an SPF higher than 10 this would be amongst one of my favorite foundations. I did find the tone slightly light for my skin tone with a noticeable beige undertone, however it wasn't too far off and if given more time I'm sure the SA would have been able to find a precise match for me. 

To put it to the test I kept what was left in my sample tube and tried it for a day in the real deal (Miami in mid-summer). Again it did not budge or transfer. The shine did increase - and not just nose, but the rest of my face too. But to be fair it wasn't a huge issue and I've yet to find a foundation that isn't gong to do that when the heat and humidity is turned up to full blast! So far I'm impressed!


Selena x


~ My HG list ~

(As I've sampled 100s of skin, hair and m/u products over the last decade and a half, I thought it might be useful to share my top 10 must-have products, subject to change if and when I come across something more effective. I love constantly trying out new stuff - usually sample sizes via e-bay, also plenty courtesy of a friend who works at Sephora) 


1. Hair Loss Treatment: ‘Divine Herbal’ - Hair Oil
2. Lip Balm: 'Nuxe' - Reve De Miel Lip Balm
3. Pigmentation + Anti-Ageing Treatment: ‘Divine Herbal’ - Facial Treatment Serum
4. Cleanser: 'Paula's Choice' - Skin Balancing Cleanser
5. Concealer: ‘Mac’ - Studio Finish Concealer
6. Lash Growth Serum: ‘Divine Herbal’ - Divinelash
7. Foundation/SPF: ‘Juice Beauty’ - Stem Cellular Repair (warm glow)
8. Foot File/Callus/Heel Treatment - 'Microplane' - Colossal Pedicure Rasp Foot File
9. Moisturizer: ‘Antipodes' - Rejoice Light Day Cream
10. Hand Cream: 'Origins' - Make A Difference Rejuvenating Hand Treatment

This product does exactly what it is advertised to do, it wears beautifully all day long, provides full coverage, and keeps your skin looking matte. I’ve used it for 6 months and loved the texture and how it made my overall skin look. HOWEVER, I have sensitive acne prone skin, I found that none of my cleansers (Philosophy, Clinique, Dermalogica) would completely remove it even with double washing. You pretty much have to scrub it off and my sensitive skin cannot exfoliate that much. This led to more breakouts over time with blackheads, little bumps everywhere, and some cystic acne. On a whim I switched to a drug store makeup made for sensitive skin and I cleared up completely. This product is great as far as durability goes, and looks stunning on even for oily skin people, but it’s long lasting properties were just too strong for what my skin needs.

Good buildable coverage. Definitely great for covering acne or blemishes. Very heavy on the skin though and a bit expensive.

My HG foundation, and it's been like this for many years. Surprisingly enough, I like the reformulation even more than the original, which is unheard of for me.
I did take a break from wearing it for a couple of years, because the original had started looking not-so-great on me, so I replaced it with ELDWL and tried a few others. But luckily this summer I decided to try the reformulated version, and I fell in love once again.

I wear the shade Ecru, same as before, but this time it seems to match me much better (NW15).
I only apply with a BB, I haven't tried this one with a brush because I feel like it would be too thick. But with a damp BB and without a primer, my skin looks very smooth and healthy. I prefer using it without a primer, I feel it lasts longer this way.
It is not too matte on me, but it does control oil while looking very skin-like.

I don't have much to cover, just redness and some old acne scars, and the coverage is medium-high and buildable. It lasts until I remove, which sometimes is after 24+ hours (I know it's bad, but sometimes I sleep in it if I don't spend the night at home). It hasn't broken me out.

The only con I can think of is the pump-less bottle, but I use a pump I had from a Smashbox foundation and it fits well. I also heard MAC sells pumps that fit this bottle, but I haven't tried it myself. And of course the price is not all that budget-friendly, but at least to me it's worth it.

Despite thorough moisturising and priming, I don't like the way this foundation feels or looks. I figure its probably best for younger skin. I realise everyone's skin's different, and hats off to you if it does work for you. But for me, its probably one of most difficult to blend, tacky, heavy foundations I've ever had the misfortune to spend money on. On the days I do wear it my face feels tight and uncomfortable. Makes me feel very unglamorous all day.