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?

May Favorites

I can't believe May is over!  That means I get to go shopping again.  I'm going to be honest, I placed an order on BaubleBar on June 1st as soon as I woke up.  Now, if only it would hurry up and get here!  Otherwise I haven't really gone hog wild with the splurges, so be proud.  To cap off a successful no-buy month, I wanted to share my favorite products for the month. 

Bite Beauty Lipstick in Fig

I hauled this new lippie back in April as part of the Chic Week sale at Sephora, and I've worn it practically every day since then.  It's the perfect everyday pink.

Maybelline The Rocket Mascara

I'm a total "wet mascara" type of girl, and this stuff takes the cake.  I'm also a lash perfectionist and this gives me volume, separation and length in just a couple of coats.

  The only downside is that it is a little bit difficult to remove.

Hourglass Ambient Lighting Powder in Radiant Light

Have I mentioned that I'm fair skinned?  As in, I burn within 10 minutes of being outside.  This powder gives a gorgeous glow all over without looking fake against my complexion.

Urban Decay De-slick Makeup Setting Spray

With winter long gone, my oily skin has resurfaced.  Just a few mists of this to set my foundation and I'm good to go for the day.

St. Ive's Apricot Scrub

I've tried several higher end exfoliating scrubs, but I keep going back to this.  It smells wonderful, it leaves my skin soft and smooth, and is gentle enough to use multiple times a week.  Plus it's from the drugstore.  I can hear the glorious sound of money-saving cha-chings now!

It's a 10 Leave in Conditioner Plus Keratin

This product is great for those of us with thick, frizzy, or coarse hair.  It's also very easy to use, with the spray pump feature, which is a huge bonus.  I like to spray this onto my towel-dried hair before blow drying.

Revenge - TV Show

Ok, this isn't a product, but I seriously love this show!  The current season ended in May, and boy is it getting juicy.  Emily has

the best

style and I love how

there's always a new twist (spoiler alert - David is alive??!)  If you have Netflix or Hulu, I highly recommend you binge-watch this show.

 And now, we're on to June and a new list of favorites.  Someone please explain to me how this year is almost halfway over?  What are some of your favorites for May?  

My Ombré Hair Experience

Memorial Day weekend is upon us, and it couldn't be more perfect.  While everyone is off to the lake or hitting the pool, I am happily dog-sitting for my parents and sitting out in their backyard, soaking up the sun and embracing the unofficial start to summer.  As much as I love traveling, I so needed this weekend to just relax.  I've got some crafty ideas floating around in my head that I want to try out as well.  Anyway, the real reason I am writing today is to share my experience with adding ombré highlights to my hair.  It's been about a month since I did, so I have had time to get used to it and know that I absolutely love the look!

Earlier this year, as soon as we had the first glimpse of warm weather, I got this itch to change up my hair and do something different.  I hadn't been to a salon since before Christmas, so my bangs were grown out and my color was pretty faded (I had been in a ritual of coloring my hair every couple of months). 

Chelcey

made the jump and went ombré, and seeing hers in person sealed the deal for me.  I'll be honest, I was pretty nervous to have any kind of blonde in my hair, seeing as the one and only time I had highlights in 8th grade was

awful

.  For that reason, I didn't want to commit to full blonde at the bottom, but instead some subtle highlights to start.

This is the picture I brought with me...

And this is what I ended up with...

I actually really love the way it turned out, and I am ready to have more blonde added in as soon as possible.  I think starting off subtle helped so that I didn't go into complete shock when the stylist turned me around to face the mirror for the first time.  The ombré look has really grown on me - get it,

grown

on me - and I love it!  And even though I totally felt like I was being prepped for the Hunger Games at the salon I went to (probably because it was my first experience at a true, full service salon - total organized chaos), they did a fantastic job with it!  They really listened to me and what I wanted and knew the right questions to ask, because obviously my inspiration picture really looks nothing like what I walked out of there with.

So, the moral of the story is, if you're considering going ombré or making a change to your hair color, just know exactly what you want so that the stylist can do it for you.  Don't be afraid to ask questions, even if you have a picture of inspiration to show them.  And if you are weary of a huge change at once, start off subtle like I did.  It's probably easier to add more later than to strip it and start over.

No-Buy Month Update - My Top 5 Wish List

Hey there blog-land, long time no speak.  Things have been a bit crazy on my side of the world, but in a good way.  My Etsy shop has been booming, things with The Brunch Club have been progressing at an amazing rate, and I'm still managing to squeeze in a bit of a social life as well.  Unfortunately that meant no blog posts this week, but I have some great ones coming up, so stay tuned (thank you three-day weekend)!

As of today, we will be down to single digits with the whole no-buy thing -

single digits, people

!  I'm going to be honest, this has been so much easier than I anticipated.  The thought of shopping really hasn't even crossed my mind, even with a couple of trips to Target for necessities.  We are even missing out on Memorial Day weekend sales - such a tragedy.  So, to be sure that we don't completely undo all of our saving in May, Chelcey and I have decided to share our top five wish lists of things we want to buy on June 1.

These are some of the things I have had my eye on throughout the month:

BaubleBar Statement Necklace

Just look at this gorgeousness.  Statement necklaces have been my obsession this month, and while I love the ones I have, I am looking forward to expanding my collection.  Also, following BaubleBar on Instagram and seeing all of their pretty new jewelry daily has been my biggest temptation with no-buy month.  Don't worry though, I stayed strong.

Paradise Persimmon Collar

, $44

Express Portifino Shirt

These shirts are my absolute favorite.  I have seven different colors and I

want

need more.  You can pretty much pair them with anything - shorts, skirts, skinnies - and it'll look fabulous.  My favorite effortless look for a summer night out is one of these babies, a cute pair of shorts, and wedges.  Throw on Mr. BaubleBar necklace above and you're set.  I think I smell a blog post coming ;)

Express Convertible Sleeve Portifino

, $49.90

Capri Blue Volcano Candle

If you could bottle up the smell of Anthropologie, this candle would be it.  Thanks to Chelcey, I am in love with this scent.  I purchased a small version back in April, and now that I've burned through it, I think it's time to upgrade to the monster version.  

Capri Blue Volcano Candle

, $28

Hot Tools 1 1/2 Inch Curling Iron

Since I went ombre with my hair about a month ago, I've really liked curling it more often than straightening it.  I've been making do with the 2 inch Revlon iron that I currently have, but I want to try a slightly smaller barrel and see if it helps my curls to stay longer.  PS - another upcoming blog post may or may not involve curling my hair.

Hot Tools Ceramic TI Tourmaline Curling Iron

, $52.99

Lush Jasmine & Henna Fluff Eaze

That smooth and silky hair that some girls are blessed with...yeah that's not my hair at all.  I have very thick and naturally dry hair.  On the plus side, I can get away with washing it less often.  On the other hand, I have to work with it a lot to keep it pretty and shiny.  Enter this hair hair mask treatment from Lush that I've been wanting to try for a while now.  Here's to hoping it can tame even my frizzy, unruly hair.

Lush Cosmetics Jasmin & Henna Fluff Eaze

, $22.95

I think that's enough for now.  It was actually a bit of a struggle to just come up with five things I wanted to purchase.  I suppose that's what happens when you avoid online browsing and promotional e-mails at all costs for a month!  If you participated in no-buy month, what's on your wish list for June?  And if not, what are you looking forward to buying during all of the Memorial Day sales?  You know I'll secretly be jealous.