Estee Lauder Double Wear Maximum Cover

I've wanted this foundation for ages, but it wasn't available in Slovenia. The shop assistant told me it was because it was repackaged and also renamed. I found mine in Müller in BTC Ljubljana and I shelled out some serious cash for it. 

This is some major heavy duty stuff. I much prefer lighter coverage foundations and my skin is far from being in need of full coverage, however I wanted a high coverage foundation for several reasons. I mainly wanted it as a concealer. Also high coverage foundations can be sheered out with a moisturiser, therefore one tube lasts you ages. I've never owned anything with a high level of coverage. When some nasty spot appeared in need of heavy duty covering I just used my under eye concealer, which of course didn't do the job very well. I also have some redness under my eyes and I wanted something that would really cover it (I've had it since I was a child).

I picked the shade called 11 very light, which is quite neutral toned. It matches me very well, in fact better than Healthy Mix foundation which is a tiny bit too yellow and dark for me at the moment. It's quite a strange foundation when it comes to shade, namely it oxidizes really fast when I put it on my hand, but this doesn't translate on my face. See the difference in these two images. The first was taken moments after I squeezed it out of the tube and the second was taken a few minutes later. It turns darker than Healthy Mix, but still looks light on the face. You can see that on later pictures how it matches my neck.

The texture is very thick and quite difficult to blend, especially without anything underneath. I tried several moisturisers and came to a conclusion that Nuxe Huile Prodigieuse works best for me. Other nice options are La Roche Posay Cicaplast and the original Nivea. It is very, very pigmented. Seriously. That dot of product in the upper picture is enough for the entire face, you literally need the smallest amount. It also sets very fast, so I apply it in segments. I do a small dot on my cheek and blend fast, then continue with the other cheek, forehead, nose and chin. Of course, I rarely wear it all over the face, I tend to use it as a concealer for spots and under the eyes.

I like it best applied with fingers, however I have tried several brushes for application. I like the Real Techniques Expert brush the most, but again you have to work fast and in segments. For under the eyes I like to use E.l.f. Flawless concealer brush and for pinpoint concealing the Real Techniques detailer brush. It's a heavy foundation with a matte finish, so you need to use blush and bronzer to get some more dimension in the face. I also like to use L'Oreal's Lumi Magique primer under it to keep it from looking too matte and flat. It's also quite dry and does settle in lines and emphasises them without a heavy moisturiser underneath. It is smudgeproof and waterproof, it stays put all day. I find that it starts to look odd and uneven on my cheeks, which are the driest part on my face.

Packaging is a dark dark blue tube with a gold lid. It has a small opening which enables you to squeeze out the precise amount needed. It's a very expensive foundation. I paid 40.96€ for it in Müller. I've had mine since November and I can already see it will last me forever.

As you can see here it covers very well. It covers my circles, redness, imperfections and most of my freckles.

Here is a close up where you can see how well it covers under the eyes. You can also see that it looks odd on the sides of my nose. I kept he images quite big, click on them to see them larger if you wish to.

I think this is best suited for someone with oily skin, however it's a good investment for those who want a high coverage concealer. Just make sure you use a heavy moisturiser before application. For a cheaper alternative try Vichy's Dermablend. It's the only high coverage foundation I know of that is available in Slovenia. Unfortunately, the shade range is limited and the lightest one is too dark for me. 

Thanks for reading.