Product Review: Estée Lauder Double Wear Foundation

Last Saturday, Chelcey and I headed to the mall for some shopping and girl time.  I knew going in that I wanted to find a new foundation to try, and I was really curious about the Estée Lauder Double Wear formula.  I had been having trouble with my current foundation breaking down and separating on my face by the end of the day, and that wasn't going to cut it any longer.  Lately I've been having a lot going on after work where I have to get somewhere without going home first, so I really needed a foundation that would last all day without any touch-ups.  Plus, I'm not really one for touching up my face makeup during the day anyway.

After hitting up Anthropologie and Von Maur, we meandered into Macy's and over to the Estée Lauder counter where I actually ran into a relative who works there - perfect!  Insert thumbs up emoji here.  I was always hesitant about going to makeup counters because I didn't want to feel pressured to buy a bunch of products that I didn't want or need, but I knew Hayette (my dad's cousin's wife from France - love her!) would take great care of me.  She promptly set me down in her chair and proceeded to remove my makeup and find my perfect shade match for the Double Wear foundation, all while multitasking and helping other customers who came up to the counter at the same time.  Seriously, she's awesome.

After about an hour of learning about new products, problems with my skin and how to correct them, and finding the perfect match I was all set to go (with my Lily Pulitzer tote and freebies, too).  She even threw in an extra lipstick and gave Chelcey one too because we were so patient with her.  This was hands down the best experience I have ever had at a makeup counter, so I really hoped the foundation would live up to its potential.

I wore the foundation for a full work day on Monday, plus after work errands and grocery shopping.  Basically, I had it on from 7:30 AM to 7:30 PM (the 12 hours it claims to last) when I got home and could look in a mirror up close and see how it was holding up.   I was actually very pleasantly surprised to see that aside from a bit of shininess in my t-zone, the foundation itself hadn't separated on my skin that I could see.  Also, I hadn't used any kind of primer or setting spray to help in the lasting power, because I wanted to see how it performed on its own.  I'm sure that if I had used those the products, the shininess would be at a minimum.  Not to jump the gun, but this stuff has real holy grail potential!

Some of the other things I love about this product are:

• Wide range of shades and perfect match for my complexion (I was matched to Ecru for reference)
• The consistency of the foundation is thin enough that it offers the perfect full coverage without looking thick and cakey
• A little really goes a long way
•  It is easy to blend and build the coverage to how you want it
• There is no SPF (which is good for the purpose of photography and not wanting flashback or a white cast on your face)

And the cons:

• There's no pump, which makes it tougher to control the amount of product you use.  I try and get around this by dotting the foundation all over my face and blending it out with my Beauty Blender.
• The price is a little high, but I've definitely purchased ones that were more expensive

I think this product will definitely be on my vanity from now on, because so far I absolutely love it!  If you've tried this foundation, what did you think about it?  And if not, what's your holy grail foundation?