I recently heard on the beauty grapevine that Estee Lauder’s Double Wear Foundation has become the nation’s best-selling base product, and whilst I wasn’t surprised given its legion of loyal fans, I was somewhat dismayed – mainly, I think, that the majority of the population feel the need to almost entirely mask their natural skin tone.
Granted, there are many daily makeup-wearers who face an ongoing battle with acne, redness and other frustrating skin concerns. But is our skin that bad, as a nation, that we invariably need to cover it up without giving a thought to the endearing quirks that make us so individual?
No sooner had I begun to ponder this thought than I got wind of Estee Lauder’s latest addition to the Double Wear family: the Double Wear Light Stay in Place Foundation. Providing an alternative sheer to medium level of coverage along with the usual dose of SPF10, this lightweight new formula manages to control oil and resist smudging throughout the day while feeling comfortably natural and staying put for an impressive fifteen hours. It’s Double Wear, but with a difference.
For a look that stays vibrant and fresh whether it’s a workday, a workout or a weekend, you can smooth it on once and not give it a second thought until it’s time to take it off that evening. Too good to be true? I felt compelled to find out.
Suffice it to say, it was love at first application – and believe me, it’s rare that I’m so quick to give a foundation my stamp of approval these days.
Now, I’m not the sort of person who feels comfortable going completely bare-faced, so let’s just clear that up before we go delving in. While I might not be an advocate of the ‘mask effect’, I’m the first to admit that I rarely go a day without at least some makeup unless I’m at the beach. I would love to think that a tinted moisturiser or really sheer foundation could satisfy me, and nowadays, I’m pretty lucky with my skin. But bring dark circles and a tired, lacklustre complexion into the equation and I usually find myself in need of something a little more forgiving. Medium tends to be the lowest I will go.
The Estee Lauder Double Wear Light Stay in Place Foundation is, with this in mind, still slightly more full coverage that I’d usually go for, but it’s easily built up from a sheer finish depending on how much you use. A really tiny amount is all it takes when applied with a good buffing brush, to give you a healthy all-over glow that should do you for a general, 9-5 day at the office – but for a fuller-coverage, a pea-size amount and then you’ll get a fuller coverage, flawless finish, amp it up with a pea-sized amount and you’re good to go.
The real winning streak in this foundation has got to be the finish. It looks incredibly natural and skin-like, and feels light as a feather once on – but it also leaves me looking presentable come 5pm, which if I’m honest, is the best I ever seem to get with any formula. Fifteen hours? Probably not, but then it’s incredibly rare that I keep makeup on my face long enough to make that call anyway. There was a little bit of creasing around my eyes after the first few hours of wear, but when you have the glorious fine lines that are part and parcel of ageing to contend with, it’s unlikely for this ever not to be the case.
So go on, you full-coverage foundation wearers, show us some skin. Whoever told you that freckles are not cute was probably jealous.
The Estee Lauder Double Wear Light Stay in Place Foundation is available from John Lewis priced at £30.
