Sunday 12 February 2012

Estee Lauder Double Wear - Desert Beige 12



When it comes to foundations I can be a little fickle to say the least. What might be my favourite one week won't necessarily be the next. Due to this my foundation collection has grown somewhat over the past year. 
With so many types available ranging from light to full coverage, sheer to matte finish, its hard to find the perfect type whilst meeting all your skin needs . Having combo skin, with an oily T-zone its hard to find the perfect match. Oil free ones tend to dry my skin out and moisturising ones leave me looking very oily to say the least. Whilst I love the whole ‘dewy’ look, its not for me. I guess you have to have near perfect skin to pull it off. And although my skin isn’t awful, its not as even as I would like and I am prone to the odd break out during that time of the month. 
The main things you need to know when choosing a perfect foundation is your skin type, and the type of coverage that you want i.e. light, medium full etc. For those that have near perfect skin (oh how I envy you) can probably get away with a tinted moisturiser and concealer tops but for me I like a fuller coverage which is the reason behind my current favourite foundation - Estee Lauders Double Wear in Desert Beige 12. 
Firstly, I want to talk about the packaging. Its not personally my cup of tea but I can understand others love for it. It is a glass, heavy duty bottle with a gold screw top lid. I dislike the fact that it does not have a pump, nor are they readily available to purchase. This was a little bug bear of mine with the MAC studio fluids, you pay 20 odd pounds for the product only to have to buy a pump. Whilst you don’t need a pump as such, I find it would be easier in terms of controlling the amount of product. I am sure I have wasted a lot through pouring too much out at a time.
This product doesn’t come cheap, priced at around the £26 at most department stores, but this is quite average for a high end product. Given the price and the coverage I have only been using this for nights out when I want a completely flawless complexion. It does have SPF10 in it, and although this is relatively low in comparison to others, it does mean that in photo’s you can get a slight white cast. 


It definitely gives a full coverage, without being thick and uncomfortable to wear. You do get transfer with this, so if you are considering wearing this on Valentines and smooching with your man then you may want to re-think as this will transfer :). I also found that I needed to touch this up when worn throughout the day as it did have a habit of slipping into creases but nothing that a little touch up couldn't sort!
I am a NC20 in MAC so this colour could be used in comparison to an extent yet as the summer months come and I am a tad darker then I would need to up the shade. 


All in all though, this has been by far the easiest foundation to apply, and does what it is meant to do by covering my flaws rather than highlighting them :)


Would I purchase this again? Yes definitely! Do I think it is worth the price? Yes and no, I think if you are willing to shop around then there are plenty of drugstore comparisons at more affordable prices however in terms of colour match and application this one ticks all the right boxes.