Review: Estee Lauder Double Wear & Revlon Colour Stay

I have been trying out yet another foundation, I don't really know what goes through my head. But I always want to find the best foundation. I believe that if your makeup base is good, all the other makeup you apply will look better. It all starts with the base. I have found a high end foundation and a drugstore foundation that is very similar.

Stop Rambling Helen and get on with it...

Let's start with the high end foundation, Estee Lauder Double Wear!
Before I purchased this, I read lots of reviews, watched lots of youtube videos and found information out from the Estee Lauder consultants. I would say if you aren't sure on this foundation, go to the counter and ask to be colour matched and get a sample to try. This foundation does retail at £30, so you don't want to waste your money. However, with Estee Lauder you can return a product if you aren't happy with it. It is a company policy of theres.

Double Wear is a very full coverage foundation, it doesn't transfer, so it won't smudge and go on your clothes. It does also last a very long time on the skin. The foundation doesn't have a pump at all, which is annoying because every time you use the product you have to tip the product out. I am not 100% sure but I don't think there are pumps available to purchase either.

I am the shade Ivory Nude 1N1. I can't stress enough though, get a colour match. I always used to think I was being a pain asking for a colour match but at the end of the day, it's the consultants job and they should enjoy doing it as it is their job! Also, if they apply a colour to your face, and you don't think it is right, please say! Some consultants will just apply any colour to your face, because they might not have your shade in stock or they just simply can't be bothered. They are trying to get a sale at the end of the day. There is 29 shades to pick from, so there is a shade for everybody! 

Double Wear is a very popular foundation, and is Estee Lauders most popular foundation. It is a matte finish, and for me it did look very flat on my skin. I do like a matte finish because I get shinny throughout the day from having oily skin. But I did find the foundation very flat. Applying this foundation is quite hard also, I'm not sure why I found it so hard to apply, but it just left lots of brush marks in my skin, however once I went over and dapped my skin with my beauty blender it was fine. I think it also was a bit of a faf trying to apply because it took quite a bit of time with applying with a brush, blending with the beauty blender and getting it all buffed into the skin. It's an extra few minutes to the makeup routine. 

Now onto the Drugstore alternative, Revlon Colour Stay!

There is two different types of versions of this foundation, which I think is very good. There is an oily/normal and a normal/dry version for the different skintypes. Mine is a oily/normal. It is the most full coverage foundation from the drugstore that I have tried and is also a matte finish, this is why I am comparing it to the double wear. 

It says it lasts 24 hours on the skin, which firstly I don't believe is true. I don't really know who is going to need a foundation on for 1 day! But anywho, it does last a good 8 hours on the skin. Which is all I need really, but the Estee Lauder one I would say lasts longer and would be the one I would wear if I was going on a night out or wanted the foundation to look flawless all day. 

The application of this foundation, is quite similar to double wear but I don't think it is as difficult to apply as double wear. I will say with the Colour stay once you apply it on your face you haven't got much time to play with because it sets into place and doesn't budge.

I am the shade 'buff' which for me is the perfect shade, but because it is a drugstore foundation, there isn't a consultant colour matching you. So it is very difficult. The only advise I can give is to use the testers (if there isn't a tester ask for one) and apply a bit on your face, then go and stand outside or away from the cosmetic lights to see the true shade. There is 9 shades available, so not a large amount of colours but enough to find a shade for your skin-tone and colour. 

This foundation doesn't have a pump either, and you cannot buy a pump for this foundation. But it is a lot cheaper than double wear. Colourstay retails at £12.99, so it's not as bad as a £30 foundation not having a pump. 

To conclude, I believe that they both are amazing foundations, and if you are on a budget the Colourstay is a very good foundation that will give you a good full coverage finish and will last for the day. Whereas double wear is a very full coverage foundation, lasts all day and doesn't budge. It also is a premium foundation, so it's a bit more luxury. The bottle is a frosted glass so it will look gorgeous on your dressing table. I love both foundations, and I use both foundations! 

♥

M.A.C Studio Fix Fluid SPF 15: Review

Recently there has been some very strange things going on... I don't know what is happening to me really, I really don't. But let me take you back about 2/3 months ago. When I decided to purchase the M.A.C Studio Fix Fluid. To me this is the foundation that everyone goes on about, it's always the one people talk about, rant or rave, either you love it or hate it. So I took the plunge and I wanted to try it out for myself, therefore here I am today writing this post.

The reason I say it's odd because M.A.C foundations just aren't one of things I really get excited about when I walk into M.A.C, it's always the colours of things, eg; eyeshadows and lipsticks. But I think I have branched onto this foundation and the purchase of this foundation because I have a slight addiction to M.A.C. But for years and years I always thought it was just way too expensive (not saying I don't think that now) but I seem to have more money now from working and what not. Whereas 15 year old Helen, was extremely poor and just spent any money she had on sweeties.

On paper it seems the perfect foundation for me, and I have no idea why I was so apprehensive about buying it. If you don't know what I like in a foundation, click here to find out!

Studio Fix is very full coverage, has a matte finish like most foundations that are full coverage. I have oily/combination and some what normal skin so I like matte finishes because I hate all my natural oils coming through my foundation. Also I do like a full coverage, just because I hate the reddness and veins on my cheeks and another plus is it covers any imperfections that I probably have on my face, bonus. So on paper it really is the best foundation for me.

However, I really didn't like this foundation when I got it, I thought it smelt awful and I still think it smells disgusting. But I had read so many reviews and heard so many people say the smell wasn't very nice, and M.A.C foundations in general don't smell that good. I really cannot explain the smell, I just really don't like it. But once the foundation is actually applied to the skin, you can't smell it, so that isn't really a big problem. It didn't come with a pump which I find ridiculous, you spend £22 on a foundation and it doesn't come with a pump, outrageous. Finally, the most important reason why I didn't like it was I think I got colour matched wrong, so therefore when I got it I didn't wear it because I didn't want the wrong colour foundation on my face... obviously, I don't think anyone would. I got the shade NC15.

Oh how times have changed, I still stand by all of those comments I made in the previous paragraph. Apart from the last one, I don't why but one day I just applied it again, and I changed my mind over the foundation. It really is one of the nicest foundations, and for some reason it is the correct colour now, I don't know how it wasn't before. I haven't really got anymore tanned or less tanned since I tried it the first time. But the main thing is that it is the correct colour now. It leaves my skin looking the best it ever does when I wear this, and I believe that is the main reason for wearing foundation. You want to look as flawless as you possibly can. It really does last me all day as well, I have tested this foundation out also with a primer underneath and without one. The primer I used underneath the foundation was the Estee Lauder Matte Perfecting Primer which for the record is an excellent primer. Back to the foundation, it really did stay on my face and didn't crease (which most foundations do on my skin - around the nose area). The foundation does have an SPF of 15, which is a pretty average SPF in a foundation, but at least it does have an SPF, protect your skin people!

This is picture of me wearing the foundation. 

Obviously if you don't like matte finishes or full coverages with foundations, you won't like this at all. Also, if you were like me and your M.A.C Studio Fix Fluid is sitting in a pile of foundations not being used, please go and get it after you've finished reading this and give it another shot.

Thanks for reading, speak soon my lovers

♥