For as long as I can remember wearing makeup, I was always a full-coverage foundation girl. Though currently I possess more than a few light weight, light coverage foundations, BB creams, tinted moisturizers and similar products mostly sent to me by PR staff from various cosmetics brands, my preference has always been and remains being to this day medium to mostly full coverage foundation.
While I'm not a fan of thick, pore clogging, goopy, sticky, cakey, shiny melting consistency, I am very much a fan of matte, light weight, seamless, full coverage long lasting, shine/melt proof formulas. I'm the type of a person who would rather have a one holly grail full coverage foundation that I can thin out with a moisturizer during summer months or when I just feel like wearing very little......than someone who has numerous light to medium coverage foundations, BB creams and tinted moisturizers that just don't give you enough coverage. I hate sitting there forever trying to blend and mix various products to just end up with a semi-satisfactory result. It's frustrating to say the least. Foundation is called a foundation for a reason, therefore if it's not doing what it's suppose to the rest of your makeup will not look as good either. Well, at least that has been my personal opinion all these years and you of course are free to disagree :).
Now I'm aware that not everyone enjoys a matte finish. Some people prefer dewy or semi-matte, glowy types of finishes when it comes to foundation or foundation-type face makeup products. However, I'm certain that most of us will agree that good coverage is important.....well unless you have a perfect skin, which to be very realistic most of us don't. Sure, some of us need more coverage than others hence the differences in preference. Things such are skin type and skin issues will also play a huge role apart from our finish and coverage preferences when it comes to choosing a perfect foundation for you.....therefore the choice is very personal which is why of course there are so many out there to choose from. As if it's not confusing enough ....and I'm not even referring to to those of us out there who are very new to makeup.
So let me start by describing my own skin to begin with. My skin is quite fair and more on a warm neutral side. I'm a NC15 shade in MAC foundations, Ecru shade in Estée Lauder Double Wear Stay In Place Foundation, and Light 48 in Kat Von D Lock-it Tattoo foundation.....just to give you some perspective. My skin type is combination, which basically means that I get oily on my forehead and nose area as the day goes on .....though during colder months I lean more towards a normal skin type because my skin doesn't seem to produce as much oil during those times. Combination skin also means that I usually use face primer more often than not ....and that I struggle with black heads and pimples and dark spots from blemish scars which are even more noticeable on me because of my
very light/fair skin color. Exfoliating and moisturizing have become a part of my regular skin care routine long ago however, most foundations don't cover enough in those areas that need covering .....even some that claim to be full coverage of build-able coverage leave you with a very thick caked on heavy layer that still shows most of the imperfections leaving you trying to take care of those with additional concealer..... ultimately resulting in a hot mess.
From experience I can tell you I love all of the foundations I casually mentioned above (MAC Pro-Longwear, Estée Lauder Double WearStay in Place and Kat Von D's Lock-It Tattoo Foundation), I have tried them all and enjoy using them all very much. Couple that I heard so much about and I still am planing to try are MAKE UP FOREVER Matte Velvet + and Hourglass Immaculate .....so if you are looking for a good long lasting full coverage type foundation you should probably ask for a few samples of these in your skin shade and test them out to see which work best for you....or you can check out the foundation I'm about to review today that is very new to me though it is not new on the market at all and actually has been available for quite some time. I just can't believe I have never noticed it before. It's the Estée Lauder Double Wear
Maximum Cover Camouflage Makeup for Face and Body SPF 15 that I accidentally noticed/came across few weeks ago reading a blog someplace about something completely unrelated. I have been using Estée Lauder's Double Wear Stay in Place foundation on and off for a few years now, so imagine my surprise when I discovered that during all those times spent at the Estée Lauder counter, or even recently in Sephora since they started carrying Estée Lauder line playing around with makeup I have never noticed it while it was sitting right in front of my nose all along :).
Recently, I was running out of my much loved Double Wear Stay in Place foundation and before I went ahead and purchased a new backup, I decided to take a sample of the foundation I read so many positive reviews about since I first discovered it in my matching shade which for Double Wear Maximum Cover Camouflage Makeup for Face and Body SPF 15 was in Creamy Vanilla (currently the lightest shade available). The next day as I was getting ready I decided to test it out and see how it goes. The very first thing that completely surprised me was how light weight this was.....no matter how many layers I applied to my face it felt like air .....like I was wearing nothing. I first applied a very thin layer all over thinking I would need a second one and a bit more here and there where I had some acne scars and similar stuff I needed more coverage for, but the thin layer almost covered all my imperfections right off the bat and it felt like absolutely nothing was on my face at all. I have to say I was extremely impressed. And I must admit that I don't get impressed very easily, especially when it comes to foundation being that I tested a lot of full coverage, long wearing, high end foundations during the last few years or so.... Admittedly, I tend to be very picky. I added a tiny more just to a few areas/spots without touching the rest of my face .....AND I WAS DONE! I had no need to conceal anything. I added a bit of under eye brighter, usually layered on top of my under eye concealer for which I had no need for using this particular foundation. I used a tiny bit of hourglass ambient lighting powder just to set the foundation and add a bit of subtle glow ....though I think I would of been just fine without the powder .....and that was it. I used this foundation with and without the primer in the last week or so and both ways it stayed put, matte/shine free and flawless all day until I took it off without budging, rubbing off or melting. It's so lightweight I forget I'm even wearing anything. It gives me very natural flawless even skin look.....that looks very natural. It gives you such flawless finish that people around you will question if you're even wearing anything and comment on your beautiful skin/completion. This happened to me few times this week....which was very pleasant
I'm still using the sample given to me after a whole week or so has gone by of exclusively using this foundation everyday .....and I still have a tiny bit left. That tells you that very little goes a very long way. I ordered a full size last night so it's probably on its way as I'm writing this.
On Estée Lauder's website this products is described as "12-hour wear. Natural-looking. Long-wearing. This soothing liquid-creme makeup is designed to camouflage all skin imperfections, including surgical and acne scars, tattoos, birthmarks, sun spots and varicose veins. Helps protect with SPF 15." and I must admit, I whole heartedly agree with everything used to describe it.
The consistency is liquid-creme. It's neither thin and runny nor thick and goopy. It is easily worked with. You can apply it with a brush, cosmetic sponge or hands. Either way, application is fast and easy and finish is beautiful without any fuss. The foundation has a pleasant light floral scent, though barely noticeable that completely disappeared upon application.
The packaging is a squeeze tube as oppose to glass or plastic bottle which is very convenient due to the lack of the need of a pump while also being travel friendly due to the fact that it cannot break or shatter. It also saves space because the packaging is not bulky at all which is a very welcome change. The squeeze tube makes the use more sanitary and it's easier to use only the amount you actually need.
When compared to Estée Lauder's Double Wear Stay In Place Foundation that I have been using, coming back to time and time again and loving for the last few years now. I have to say that this foundation is much more light weight but also has a much fuller coverage. The packaging is hands down much more practical while both are pretty much long lasting without budging thru-out the day until I take them off myself. I did notice that this foundation while fuller coverage is surprisingly easier to take off though, I'm not entirely certain but I suspect it might have something to do with its light weight. Double Wear Stay In Place Foundation feels heavier on and requires deeper cleansing at the end of the day just to make sure it's all gone while Double WearMaximum Cover Camouflage Foundation washes off with ease without much effort. I have also noticed that while Double Wear Stay In Place Foundation doesn't break me out ....or I should say that while I use it I don't break out any more than I would with any other foundation I loved and used, however while using Double Wear Maximum Cover Camouflage Foundation during the last week I seemed to break out much less than usual....so that was completely unexpected. Actually I was anticipating a possible increase in breakouts as I usually do when testing a new foundation which didn't happened here. I do plan to compare the ingredients in the two foundations and with the other foundations mentioned previously in here to see if there might be a common ingredient that breaks me out .....that perhaps this foundation doesn't have.
As far as the amount of the products ....it seems to contain the standard amount of 1 fl oz as do many foundations in today's market. It might seem less due to the lack of really bulky packaging most foundations have, though I'm not really missing that part at all.
Finally, I think Double Wear Maximum Cover Camouflage might become my new holly Grail foundation as I seem to enjoy it more than all the foundations I mentioned here so far including the Estée Lauder's Double Wear Stay In Place Foundation ....that in my book was very hard to replace.
