Here in the Boston area, fall weather can be all over the place, and this year has been no exception. Monday morning, when I checked the weather, it was 27 degrees. On the other hand, we’ve had days in the 70s and 80s. So, on one of those glorious warm and sunny days, I decided to dust off my Estee Lauder Double Wear Foundation and concealer. My 41-year-old, dry, eczema-prone skin can no longer tolerate this matte formula when temperatures are low. The last time I wore it was in the winter, and it was no surprise, but it was uncomfortable to wear. So, I took full advantage of the warm weather to wear it again and see if I could even still use it. I’ll give you a rundown of the makeup look and other favorite products I used and link to full reviews in the headings if I have one. I’ll also mention if these items are still favorites. Let’s get into it. 🙂

IMPORTANT NOTE: I just want to quickly point out that the Estee Lauder Double Wear Foundation is very matte in person, but the pictures below were taken in front of a large window on a sunny day. The light coming from the window makes it look like a natural finish, but I can assure you it is matte.

FAVORITES

Estee Lauder Double Wear Stay in Place Foundation – 4W4 Hazel ($52)

While this was more comfortable to wear when it is warmer, I still prefer how other formulas look in my smile line area after a full day of wear. I do still value the longevity and how much smoother my skin looks in this foundation over others. However, eventually, the area around my mouth starts to look drier than I think is flattering. So, while this is no longer a personal favorite if you aren’t as dry and don’t over-apply this foundation, I still think it is excellent. As a side note, I use a heavy oil-based moisturizer, and I apply it heavier than usual if I know I’m going to wear Estee Lauder Double Wear that day.

Estee Lauder Double Wear Concealer – 4W medium Deep ($32)

Update, 2025: Estee Lauder released a new formula of this concealer. You can see my review of that by clicking here.

The performance of this concealer is outstanding. But I do have issues with it. The first is that it dries my skin out, and the second is that I do not think it is full coverage, as claimed. Wear time is excellent, with very minimal creasing. And despite feeling dry, it never looks dry. Since it is drying for me and I’d like more coverage, I tried using it with the Bobbi Brown Corrector Stick to see if I could work something out. I have paired the two together before. However, I used my fingers with the corrector this time, which seemed to prevent the patchy issues I’ve had. I do still want more coverage to consider this a favorite, but the performance makes it hard to let it go.

NYX Line Loud Lip Pencil – Make a Statement ($8)

This lip liner has a smooth application, is long lasting, and the shade is beautiful. It also blends very easily with several different lipstick formulas. It is creamier than I usually prefer for lip liner, but it still lasts well despite that. It is a favorite, for sure.

Estee Lauder Pure Color Creme Lipstick – 561 Intense Nude and 818 Covetable ($40)

Intense Nude was a little too cool-toned for the rest of my look, so I ended up layering Covetable on top. Although I was disappointed when this line of lipsticks was reformulated, it is still one of my favorite formulas. It has good pigment, wears comfortably, and leaves my lips in good condition. It is more of a satin bordering on matte finish, so I would like it more if it had a little more shine. Considering what other lipsticks are favorites, I would rank Charlotte Tilbury’s K.I.S.S.I.N.G/Hot Lips 2 Lipstick and Maybelline Color Sensational Lipstick (has lanolin) above this one.

MUFE Artist Bronzer – 40 Warm Pecan ($36)

This is a great bronzer option from Make Up For Ever (MUFE). It is nothing groundbreaking; it is just a smooth pigmented powder that is easy to blend and provides a little blurring due to the matte finish. The shade 40 Warm Pecan has been working well for me, but I am worried it will look a little dark in the winter once I lose the rest of my summer color. Unfortunately, for me to try a lighter shade, I’d have to order from the company. Sephora doesn’t have the entire shade range, which is inconvenient, but at least there are more shades on the MUFE website. This is my favorite bronzer right now, which says a lot because I tend to prefer satin bronzers. My other favorite that hasn’t been discontinued is the Armani Luminous Silk Creamy Bronzing Powder.

NARS Liberte Blush (discontinued shade)

Unfortunately, NARS did not bring this shade back when they released their new range of talc-free blushes. The NARS powder blush formula is not my favorite. Liberte is, however, my favorite shade of blush, and I’ll miss it when it’s done or expired. I’m not clear on my favorite blush formulas at the moment since I’ve tried a lot of new formulas lately, but MAC Desert Rose and Pat McGrath Divine Rose III are still likely at the top.

NOT FAVORITES (but they are part of the look)

Bobbi Brown Skin Corrector Stick – Dark Peach ($35)

I don’t use corrector as much these days as I once did, I just can’t usually be bothered. However, the Double Wear Concealer that I mentioned above is drying on me, so I wanted to see if the Bobbi Brown Corrector Stick could help it out. In my experience, this corrector typically pairs better with more hydrating concealers, but I applied it with my fingers, and I didn’t have an issue this time. I still think this is a good formula but I do prefer the MAC Conceal and Correct Palette.

Pat McGrath Celestial Jade Duo ($25)

I have a full review of this duo and the Petallic Passion Duo from the Pat McGrath Luminous Legends Collection. When it comes to shimmer shades, I’m a fan of smooth metallic eyeshadows. These are pretty, but they are just not my favorite type of formula to work with.

Pat McGrath Sienna Sunrise (from Dawn Divinity 5-pan, $38)

You can find my review for the Dawn Divinity 5-pan from Pat McGrath’s Luminous Legends Holiday Collection by clicking here. While I like this matte eyeshadow formula and the Dawn Divinity palette, I don’t feel like I’ve used this enough to rank it as a favorite.

Chanel Ombre Essentielle 240 Brun Fauve ($40)

Update July 31, 2025: I have an updated post with swatches and a review of the Chanel Ombre Essentielle formula in shades 248 Latte Frappe, 240 Brun Fauve, 252 Peche Glacee, and 224 Ble D’or Antique. If you’d like more info and to see the additional shades, click here. It does blend more easily than the old Chanel single eyeshadow formula, and the pigment is stronger, but it is still a buildable formula. You aren’t going to get intense pigment from this. In fact, I wish that this shade could go a little darker than it does. It does still provide some depth in the outer-v, but only for more subtle looks or if I’m pairing it with a very light shade. When paired with mid-tone shades, it doesn’t go as dark as I want. That isn’t necessarily a deal breaker, just something to keep in mind if you are looking for a deepening shade and are around my skin tone (NARS Tahoe/Estee Lauder 4W4) or darker. There is a significant downside to this shade, however, and that is that it does fade on me. I can still see it after 8 to 10 hours, but again, I wanted this shade for depth. So the fact that I have to build it up so much to get that depth, but then it doesn’t last all day, is annoying for $40.

The Ombre Essentielle Multi-Use Longwearing Eyeshadow is a newer formula from Chanel. I do think the blend is more effortless, and the pigment is stronger than the Ombre Premiere version of single eyeshadow that they had previously. However, like with the Pat McGrath Dawn Divinity Palette, I haven’t used it enough to call it a favorite.

Over the last year, I have been trying foundation and concealer formulas better suited to dry skin (e.g. NARS Light Reflecting, Patrick Ta Luminous), and it has been a roller coaster. Revisiting the Estee Lauder Double Wear formulas was fun, and it reconfirmed that I do prefer a satin-bordering-on-matte finish regardless of my skin type. If the formula is glowy, I have to set it with powder to make it matte or satin.

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Thanks for reading!

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If you’d like to check out more of my content, here are some places to start. 

• Blush Index
• Brands A-Z
• Bronzer & Highlighter Index
• Brush Index
• Concealer Ranking
• Eyeshadow Index
• Foundation Round-Up
• Lipstick Index
• Makeup Storage and Organization Ideas
• My Favorite Makeup
• Powder Round-Up

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