Estée Lauder Double Wear Deep Dive: Double Wear Stay-in-Place Makeup

What is Deep Dive? I’m glad you asked! It’s a new series in which I’m reviewing a bunch of Estée Lauder Double Wear products from their permanent collection. Let’s find out what’s good! 😁

Double Wear Fan Girl Badge 🕹️👾💛 unlocked!

The original Double Wear Stay-in Place liquid foundation is an O.G. cult classic, and it’s gotten mad love in gazillions of reviews. Basically, you can’t turn a corner without someone practically warbling a ’90s love song about it.

All my life, I’ve waited for someone like you a foundation like Double Wear

That’s why I waited a hot second to put it through its paces and make sure I wasn’t just falling for the hype.

Now that I’ve been using it a few times per week for a couple months…ya know what?

I totally get it now. It’s really THAT good.

Estée Lauder Double Wear Stay-in-Place Makeup ($42 for a 0.1-oz. glass bottle)

But before we even get into how perfectly it sits on different skin types (mine is a HELLA fussy combo of oily, dry and normal areas with a sprinkle of acne-prone spots along my jawline, and my skin loves it), this foundation is already a winner-winner-chicken-dinner for me. It’s oil-free, truly transfer-proof (so no makeup on your favorite Price tee, hooray!), fragrance-free, and — get this — available in a staggering 56 shades.

By comparison, Fenty has only 40.

“Only,” she says, ha! Remember when the biggest department store lines had maybe 14 at the most? How things have changed!

From the Sephora website…

What it is
A 24-hour-wear liquid makeup with a flawless, natural, matte finish that unifies uneven skin tone and covers imperfections with buildable medium to full coverage.

What it does
Double Wear makeup gives you 24-hour staying power for a flawless, natural matte finish. This foundation unifies uneven skin tone and covers imperfections with buildable medium-to-full coverage. The makeup feels lightweight and so comfortable, you won’t believe it is super long wear. The non-acnegenic formula won’t clog pores, which may help avert breakouts, and helps control shine. It’s waterproof, won’t run, rub off, or smudge and lasts in hot and humid weather.

Double Wear comes in Cool, Neutral and Warm undertones with shades that have been blended so they won’t look grey on deeper skintones.

What else you need to know
This product is fragrance-free and has been dermatologist tested. It is oil-free, mattifying, transfer-resistant, dermatologist-tested, non-acnegenic, and fragrance-free.

My shade is Honey Bronze, which is a smidgen warm for my (MAC NC42) skin at the moment, but it’s darn close, and even though it isn’t spot on, I’m OK with that because it doesn’t oxidize, which has always been my biggest issue with this type of base. It’s really hard for me to find a matte liquid foundation that doesn’t darken as the day goes on, and this one stays true to the original color.

Ingredients:
Water\Aqua\Eau , Cyclopentasiloxane , Trimethylsiloxysilicate , Peg/Ppg-18/18 Dimethicone , Butylene Glycol , Tribehenin , Polyglyceryl-3 Diisostearate , Magnesium Sulfate , Tocopheryl Acetate , Polymethylsilsesquioxane , Methicone , Laureth-7 , Xanthan Gum , Alumina , Sodium Dehydroacetate , Disteardimonium Hectorite , Cellulose Gum , Propylene Carbonate , Pentaerythrityl Tetra-Di-T-Butyl Hydroxyhydrocinnamate , Phenoxyethanol , [+/- Iron Oxides (Ci 77491, Ci 77492, Ci 77499) , Mica , Titanium Dioxide (Ci 77891)]

But here’s the best part! Not only is Double Wear Stay-in-Place flexible enough to wear at medium coverage, you can also ramp it up to full-coverage “Beyoncé backup dancer/Kabuki performer” levels to cover up EVERYTHING. It completely disguises hyperpigmentation, acne scars and uneven tone. And then on top of that even-toned goodness, you can still pile on the fixings (powder, bronzer, blush, highlighter), and your foundation will still look flawless. Not fake, thick or caked-on.

How does Double Wear Stay-in-Place compare to the other Double Wear Foundations?

I’m still working my way through the collection, but here’s what I can say so far…

• Double Wear Nude Water Fresh Makeup SPF 30 — Stay-in-Place is medium-to-full coverage with a matte finish, while Nude Water Fresh has light-to-medium coverage and a satin finish. I think Nude Water Fresh is a better fit for straight-up oily skin, but Stay-in-Place should work well for all skin types.
• Double Wear Nude Cushion Stick — Stay-in-Place’s matte finish looks more formal than Cushion Stick’s casual, sheer coverage and glowing finish.
• Estée Lauder Double Wear Light — Of all the Double Wear foundations I’ve tried so far, Stay-in-Place is closest to Double Wear Light. They both feel like nothing on my skin and should work for all skin types, but Double Wear Light has a little less coverage (it’s sheer to medium) and a satiny finish, while Double Stay-in-Place covers EVERYTHING and has a matte finish. Both are top notch, though.

There are lots of great bases in the Double Wear line, but Stay-in-Place is a standout if you’re looking for a flexible, comfortable, long-lasting foundation you can wear on just about any occasion.

The hype is real.

Your friendly neighborhood beauty addict,

Karen