Coffee and Beauty

Since our work schedule has been pretty hectic lately, we decided to take a short break from the heat, traffic and deadlines to have an ice-cold Latte at our favourite café – the Kenny Hills Bakers. Of course, we agreed on just Iced Latte and no pastries! Ain’t nobody got time for sugar 😉

When we walked in, my husband and I were overtaken by the delicious smells of freshly baked bread and brewed coffee. It smelled heavenly! There are display cases filled with beautiful cakes and all kinds of treats. However, we kept to our word and did not succumb to the lovely smells. Super proud of ourselves!

Just Iced Latte to beat the KL heat!

My Coffee date

On another note, I wanted to see what all that hype was about the new Estee Lauder Double Wear Stay-in-Place Foundation, so I got my hands on this cult beauty item to give it a try myself. So here I have on my face the foundation in the colour 2W2 RATTAN (warm / golden undertone). To date, I have tried this glorious foundation for about 3 times and so far, I am absolutely loving it! Here is my brief review of the product:

Claims

• 24-hour staying power
• Flawless. Matte. Covers imperfections with buildable medium to full coverage
• Feels lightweight and comfortable
• Oil-free. Controls shine
• Non-acnegenic: won’t clog pores
• Waterproof. Won’t run, rub off or smudge
• Lasts in hot and humid weather
• Won’t look grey on deeper skintones

Coverage
This product is described as a medium “buildable” foundation but personally, I think it is a full coverage foundation.  I used the foundation the first time with my beauty blender and the second time with my Zoeva Buffer Brush, and I preferred the end look using the beauty blender as my face looked more sheer and natural compared to the chalky look created by the buffer brush (below):

Buffer brush end look. Didn’t quite like the end look 😦

Finish
This foundation is described as a matte product and this is a true fact – it actually dries down to a clean matte finish. In my opinion, I’d say this foundation is best for oily skin although all skin types could probably benefit from using it. As i am “blessed” with combination skin/oily T-zone, this foundation helps to keep all that grease from purging at bay even after a full day of humid air!

Humid wind in my hair

Texture

When I first put the foundation on my hand before using my foundation tools, I noticed that the texture of this product is quite runny, so I had to be quick in applying it before it trickled down my hand. However, don’t let the texture discourage you as this product does not set quickly so you have some time to blend away. More importantly, with just one layer, I noticed my minor acne scars and red spots were well hidden.

“24 hours staying power” – yay or nay?

Estee Lauder claims it has a “24 hour staying power”. To be fair, KL is a humid place and I have oily skin, so I am going to weigh all those factors and review the product. The few times I used this product, I did notice a tiny bit of oil build-up at my nose and forehead area, but with just a tissue wipe, my face was as good as new.  Last weekend, I used this foundation on a (heavy) night out in town and to my pleasant surprise, my face did NOT look like a dead racoon when I got home at 5.30am (which usually happens with my other foundations – Fenty Beauty Pro Filt’r, Laura Mercier Flawless Fluide & Bobbi Brown Skin Foundation SPF15).
YAY!

Staying matte – after 6 hours

Overall rating: 
Short and sweet – I am impressed! A good 8.5/10 from me!