When I think of the stand out makeup products and brands I have been fortunate enough to get to know over the years, the name ‘Estée Lauder’ doesn’t immediately spring to mind. To my surprise, however, not one, but three Estée Lauder products have made it into my Top 25 Beauty Buys this year. Five if you count the MAC brush I wrote about yesterday
and the Aveda Volumizing Tonic (MAC and Aveda are both owned by Estée Lauder Companies).
As a working makeup artist, to be gifted makeup for use in your kit is always such a blessing and several years ago Estée Lauder were kind enough to send me a whole bag of Estée Lauder goodies, including this superb foundation.
There isn’t much to say about it other than it is REALLY good. Surprisingly good.
I judge a foundation based on three things:
- how easy it is to apply
- the finish it gives my skin
- how it lasts (does it start to move after a few hours, settle into fine lines, leave my skin dry or shiny etc)
This foundation:
- goes on like a dream (a cinch with fingertips or buffed into the skin using a buffing or stippling brush)
- leaves my skin looking radiant but not shiny
- lasts brilliantly all day
The above swatch does not do this foundation justice, not least because my hands are horrendously dry at the moment (how many more months of winter do we have to go?!). I can assure you, on moisturised, well prepped skin, this foundation is sublime.
There are two things I do not like about it. One is the name. I do not mind ‘Perfectionist’ at all (quite like it in fact!) but ‘Youth Infusing’? Really? Caroline Hirons’ recently wrote two fantastic pieces on the blatant use of ageism in the beauty industry (you can read Part One here and her follow up here). When I speak to clients about products I think perform brilliantly on 35+ year old skin, I refer solely to their ability to impart a healthy glow or imbue vitality in the wearer, than their ability to turn back the clock. It is not about looking younger. It is about looking more awake, more vital, more energised. The fact we tend to look more awake, vital and energised when we are younger is neither here nor there. I want to look like the healthiest version of my 39 year old self, not try to look the way I did in my twenties.
The second thing I dislike about this product is its smell. It reminds me a little of self-tanning products (biscuity?). It isn’t enough to make me not want to wear it (no, no), but I wish it was either unscented or smelt more like their wonderfully fresh Daywear range. Interestingly the Estée Lauder website says it is unscented so either I have had the foundation too long and it has started to perish, or I got an earlier batch?
Estée Lauder Perfectionist Youth Infusing Makeup SPF 25
THE FACTS
How much is it:
£40.00 and comes in 16 shades.
Where can I buy it:
Online or at your nearest Estée Lauder counter (be sure to check out my post on EL’s Sheer Tint Release before you buy it).
Who is it for:
Personally, I would say anyone over the age of 35. You must get a colour match before you buy. Ask the assistant to swipe the shade they think is in the ballpark along the jawline and down the neck. The shade which more or less disappears (or breaches the gap between face and neck) is the optimum shade. If you tan significantly in the summer you may find you need to buy a warmer shade for the summer months.
How to wear it:
It is medium to full coverage so I recommend applying one light veil all over and then applying an extra (thin) layer down the t-zone (forehead, nose, cheeks, chin).
Coming up tomorrow…
The nail varnish which is like a tint for your natural nails.
A bit more about my Advent Cal:
My advent-themed calendar is designed to give you, lovely reader, some ideas for presents this gifting season. The list is based on my Top 25 Beauty Buys of recent years. Of the 25 products which made the cut, some I have used for the first time this year and others I have been using for several years. The selection criteria for each product was as follows:
1. It is a product I have repurchased or know I will definitely repurchase at some point
2. It is an item I believe will genuinely make an awesome gift for someone this Christmas
This series is not sponsored and you should know that, like many makeup artists, I am one of the fussiest people I know when it comes to selecting and using beauty products. They have to blow me away. Hope you enjoy!