Well, this is a biggie. After hearing
so much about these foundations from other beauty gurus and being fortunate enough to try out the two, I’ve decided to make life a lot easier for my readers and write a review!
Here are the basics you need to know - all information was found on either the Estée Lauder or MAC website.
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Double Wear
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MAC
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Price
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£28.50
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£21.50
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Size
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30ml (£9.50/10ml)
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30ml (£7.17/10ml)
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Finish
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Semi Matte (Oil Free)
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Matte (Oil Free)
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Coverage
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Medium-Buildable
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Medium-Buildable
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Lasting Promise
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15 Hours
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8 Hours
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Colour Range
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31 Shades (Cool, Warm, Neutral)
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40 Shades (Cool and Warm)
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SPF
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SPF 10
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SPF 15
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Smell
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“Fragrance Free” although still smells a bit medicinal/chemical.
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Reviews online describe it to smell of wet paint.
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Extras
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N/A (Unbranded pumps available to fit found elsewhere online)
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Pump Available for £4
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Promises to
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“Be lightweight and comfortable. Stay fresh and natural through heat, humidity and nonstop activity. Won’t change colour, smudge or come off on clothes.”
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“Be comfortable and long-wearing. Minimise appearance of pores. Absorbs and disperses oil.”
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I first began using more high end foundations when I watched beauty guru Fafinettex3 use MAC Studio Fix Fluid on Youtube and thought, “I need that foundation”. That was in 2009 when I was just 16 according to my previous MAC orders, and once it came along there was no going back! It was only last year I picked up Estée Lauder’s Double Wear after watching Pixiwoo use it in a makeup tutorial. I find that cheaper foundations don’t sit as well on my skin, don’t come in a vast range of colours and have considerably less staying power. In my opinion I’d rather spend a little more on foundation and use cheaper eyeshadows etc. to ensure a good base – a good canvas can improve the application and look of other products on your skin.
Although both foundations are 30ml in size, Estée Lauder is a little bit more expensive at £28.50 compared to MAC’s price of £21.50. 30ml doesn’t sound like much but it lasts me a long time, I’ll wear it on a daily basis and I’ll not have to order another for about 3 to 4 months. Buying a pump for your foundation can mean less mess and wastage. I bought a pump for £4 from the MAC website which works wonders but unfortunately Estée Lauder doesn’t stock any. There are however different unbranded pumps available on eBay that promise to fit Estée Lauder I’m just not sure of their reliability.
I’d recommend firstly getting a consultant to match your foundation colour in store or even apply samples yourself to find the closest colour to your jaw, and then you can order online in future if it’s more convenient. I’ll wear MAC’s NC30 which matches me when I wear fake tan, and Estée Lauder’s Dawn shade which is a little lighter. Although both foundations are a somewhat darker than my natural skin tone I’ll regularly wear fake tan and just bronze my neck when I’m paler. MAC have 40 different foundation colours in cool and warm shades, where as Estée Lauder have 31 in cool, warm and neutral colours. I wore MAC’s cool yellow based foundation because I found their warm shades to be a little too pink for me and very unflattering; Estée Lauder’s warm shades on the other hand look a lot more natural and suit me better.
Both foundations are oil free and promise a somewhat matte finish. Although Estée Lauder states a semi-matte finish I found it to be more matte than MAC, a lot of the reviews online are similar and are from disappointed customers with oily skin! MAC’s staying power is also considerably less than Estée Lauder and in my opinion doesn’t even live up to its 8 hour expectation – throughout the day I’ll get extremely oily and any slight contact with my face means bye bye foundation. Estée Lauder lasts much longer and I’ll never have to touch up with powder when I’m out, it also doesn’t smudge easily or come off on clothes. I think the true test of foundation is to wear it to work, with MAC I find by the end of my shift I’m left with super shiny skin but Estée Lauder remains matte.
If you have oily skin I’d recommended Estée Lauder Double Wear; MAC just doesn’t have the power to stay matte. I have mostly dry skin with a somewhat oily nose but I make sure to moisturise before applying my primer and Estée Lauder foundation, I’ll also only apply pressed powder to my t-zone. Estée Lauder is also more forgiving on your skin, I’ve found from personal experience and online reviews that MAC can appear slightly cakey and its consistency is slightly thicker.
Each offers a medium-buildable coverage which I won’t argue with. They can take you from day to night depending on how much coverage you need and applied correctly they minimise imperfections and pores. I had previously used the ELF Studio Stipple Brush but now I’m in love with the Real Techniques Buffing Brush because it gives such a flawless finish. Estée Lauder can feel slightly heavier on your skin but because I wear it on a daily basis I’m used to it. Both have a sort of chemical, medicinal smell that you expect from a foundation but I found MAC to be incredibly stronger.
If you can’t already tell I’m a bit biased towards Estée Lauder. I had switched to it last year from MAC and haven’t gone back since. I find that overall it just suits my skin better and lasts all day. Although it’s a little bit more expensive I’m happy enough to pay for something that looks good on my skin and stays matte. I’d recommend Estée Lauder Double Wear to someone looking for a medium-full coverage that lasts all day and who has an oily t-zone. Overall it really comes down to your skin type and what type of coverage or finish you’re looking for, I know other people would disagree and opt for MAC or a different foundation entirely. It’s all about experimenting and finding the foundation best for you!
Thanks for reading. If you have any questions about either foundation that I haven’t covered in this post, don’t hesitate to ask!
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