 Hey Everyone,
Welcome back to Nia Imani. You guys have been on a roll! So many emails, in person requests, and direct messages. I hear you; you want more reviews like the Advanced Night Repair serum. (If you haven’t read it yet, I will link it below.) I am ready to give you guys more of those reviews. In fact, we are going to start today. I want to share my holy grail foundation with you guys. If you follow me on social media, you may already know it is none other than Estee Lauder’s Double Wear Stay-in-Place Liquid Makeup. This iconic foundation was the third foundation I ever purchased, and it has been a constant in my collection since I was a teenager. It is my fail-safe, my put-it-on and forget it product, it is my holiest of holy grail foundations. Nothing compares for me. Today, I want to share all the reasons I love it, somethings I wish were different, historic facts about the product’s production/conception and the general specs. Per the usual, all the links will be below. With all that said, let’s jump straight into it! This History of Double Wear Stay-In-Place In the late 1990s, Estee Lauder and her team were on the hunt for an innovative makeup formula. They were dreaming of a flawless foundation that could stand the test of time; they wanted every woman to experience the ultimate foundation. For the team long wear was the goal for Estee Lauder the goal was perfection. Rumor has it, that in 1996 or 1997 during a meeting, they team was going over their findings and claims for the new foundation. The team reported to Estee Lauder that the foundation was in fact long wearing and Estee famously replied, “double it.” (Thus, coining the name Double Wear.) Per her instruction, the team continued to perfect the foundation’s iconic formula and in 1997 they finally did it. They finally created the world’s first long wearing, buildable coverage foundation and just as they had imagined, the product was a hit. So much so, women were coming out of the wood work raving about this product. In fact, famous news anchors contacted Estee personally and thanked her for this innovative product. After Double Wear’s release the industry exploded. Every company under the sun was racing to create a similar formula. At the turn of the 2000s every major makeup brand had released a double wear competitive foundation, but Double Wear continues to reign supreme. Over the last 20 years this foundation has been rated number 1 cross the global and has won numerous beauty awards. Frankly, I see no end in sight. What does Double Wear claim to do? According to Estee Lauder, Double Wear “our #1 bestselling makeup that guarantees all day staying power—stays flawless through heat, humidity and non-stop days.” They have proven their foundation to last up to 24 hours of consecutive wear. Additionally, they claim that it does not oxidize, controls oil, is semi matte, and is smudge proof. General Specs... This foundation retails for $42 USD. It comes in a double walled, 1 fluid ounce frosted glass bottle. It does not feature an attached pump; you can purchase the pump for $10 USD. It is available at all major high-end retailers as well as esteelauder.com. The shade range is amazing! 55 global shades. The range is level 0 to level 8 (8 being the darkest.) and they do have foundations for all undertones. Pro and Cons of Double Wear Pros: · Oil Free · Oil Controlling · Lightweight · Comfortable · Medium to Full buildable coverage · Long Wearing · Transfer Resistant Cons: · The bottle; it is a little messy without a pump. I know it is purchasable, but I wish it came with it. My Personal Thoughts I absolutely love this foundation. Everything about this product is great! It’s reliable, long lasting, and flawless. This is for me a fool proof, holy grail product for me. I prefer to use it with a beauty blender or sponge. I highly recommend it to any and everyone. Two thumbs way up. Amazing work Estee Lauder! That's all folks! Thanks for stopping by Nia Imani! I hope this post wasn't too long for you all. If you enjoyed it, please let me know. Also, make sure to share this post with your loved ones. If you are new here and liked today's post, please follow me on all social media platforms for updates on latest content. Thank you again for your support! Links 1. Double Wear Stay-in-Place Makeup 2. Advanced Night Repair Review  Hey Everyone, If you follow me on my Instagram, then you know I received the Kat Von D Lock- It foundation for review purposes from Influenster a month or so ago. And if you know me then you know I am a sucker for trying new foundations. Needless to say, I was super excited about this review! Now for transparency sake, I want you guys to know that posting this full review on Nia Imani is my choice. I was not paid to review this product. I have just spent tons of time recently with it and I wanted to share my findings with you all. With all that said, let's jump straight into it!  I want to start with Kat Von D's claims. As we all know, brands will say their products will do a laundry list of miracles and occasionally the product doesn't live up to their fantastic claims. I want to get their claims down on the table and then examine how true those claims really are. Kat Von D claims their entire line is cruelty-free and vegan. They also claim that their line is free of phthalates and parabens. For anyone who may not know what phthalates and parabens are, phthalates are esters of phthalic acid; they are typically used as plasticizers. Phthalates make products more flexible and durable. Parabens are preservatives; they make products last longer. Kat Von D ‘s claims for this foundation specifically are as follows: * Full Coverage (can be worn as a medium coverage foundation as well) * Long Wearing * Flexible Matte Finish * Suitable for all skin types Moving right along to a topic that has become increasingly more important in the beauty industry— shade range. This foundation has 30 shades in its range. 10 light shades, 14 medium shades, and 6 deep shades. I am a little disappointed it the number of deep shades. There is truly no excuse for the lack of options there. Especially because they have extended the color range within the last few years. I hope they will soon add a few more shades. Inclusivity is no longer a request in the beauty industry, all brands need to give all skin tones a color. For anyone who is interested, my shade in this foundation range is Deep 76 Warm. That is the second to last shade.  Onto product specs; let's quickly take a look at the price, packaging, and availability! This foundation is $35 (USD). There is 1 full fluid ounce of product in a clear, cylinder container. The container is double walled but lightweight. The double wall makes the packaging durable. The foundation also comes equipped with a pump. The foundation is available for purchase on Kat Von D's website and in-store and online at Sephora. All 30 shades are available in all three places.
This foundation is a part of a collection Kat Von D recommends using their primer, foundation, foundation brush, concealer, powder and/ or setting spray with this product for best results. Now that we know all the companies claims, the shade range, and the product specs it's time for my personal opinion on this foundation. I'm going to start with the pros and cons (like I always do). Pros: * Long Wearing * Comfortable * Buildable Coverage * Comparable with a foundation brush and a beauty blender * Satin Natural Matte Finish Cons: * Shade Range As I am sure you have already gathered, this is an amazing foundation. It performs beautifully; Kat Von D and her team did an amazing job. I first used it years ago when it made its original debut. It was a holy grail back then and now I remember why. The foundation is true to its claims; its long-wearing, full coverage and extremely comfortable. A positive that they don't claim is how well if photographs. My skin looks airbrushed and pore less. The two issues I have with the product are the shade range and the finish. I don't find the finish to be Matte. It is more of a satin. Which I am fine with, I like natural finishes as long as they last on my skin. I just think saying Matte is a little misleading. Once again, it isn't a problem for me, but I do think it is worth noting. All in all, I give this product two thumbs way up. Totally recommend it to anyone who prefers full coverage liquid foundations. That's all folks! Thank you for stopping by Nia Imani. I really hope you enjoyed today's post. If so, make sure to share it with your loved ones. If you have any requests, questions or comments feel free to leave them below or send me an email. Also, check out the other posts on Nia Imani. If you like what you see head over to my social media for more content. Oh, and subscribe to Nia Imani emails do you never miss a post! Thank you again for stopping by!  Hey Everyone! Welcome back to Nia Imani! Today I want to talk about some newness that has hit the net… ColourPop’s No Filter Foundation! I have used it a few times and I am ready to give my two cents. Per the usual, the review will be mostly in bullet point format and it will be straight to the point. This way, we can cut through all the noise and really see if this product is worth the hype! So with that said, let’s jump straight into it! Let's begin with what ColourPop claims the foundation will do:
Pros:
I am going to rate this foundation a 2/5; this wasn't a very pleasant experience for me. I was truly disappointed in the performance of this foundation, but that wasn't even my first problem. My first issue with this foundation is ColourPop’s shade finder tool. They matched me to the shade 180 which they described as "cool foundation with reddish pink undertones." They also say they are aware this shade is "slightly lighter" than my current foundation which is the Estee Lauder Double Wear in 6W1 Sandalwood. Which I am okay with being that my foundation is currently not fitting me perfectly due to chemical peels. The thing is, the shade they sent me is so pink it almost looks like a nude lipstick on my skin! The other issue, that I kind of touched on earlier, is the longevity of this foundation. It wore off easy on my skin. I noticed it even applied a little patchy. I applied it with a brush, so I am wondering if maybe a sponge would have been better. All in all, I am not impressed with this foundation. I am willing to purchase another shade and try again, but as of this moment, I don't like this product. That’s all folks! Thank you for stopping by Nia Imani today. Your support means the absolute world. If you enjoyed today’s post please remember to share the post, subscribe to the blog’s newsletter, and follow us on any/all social media platforms! Thank you again! |
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