Flawless Foundation Never Felt So Good | Estée Lauder Double Wear Water Fresh Foundation Review

17 April 2019


When it comes to make-up, I have three simple requests: it works on my pale skin, it’s hardly there and it doesn’t cause breakouts. 

When I first started wearing make-up, I used to slap it on, and all would be dandy. Then as I got older, my skin decided she didn’t want to participate in this activity anymore and I would breakout whenever I wore it. This issue was fixed by using a great primer. I wrote a review on my current primer which you can check out here. 

With the first step handled, I required a base that gave something back to my skin and let it breathe. I carry the opinion that spending a little more on things are worth it and are much better overall. And this is how I came to stand at the Estée Lauder counter in John Lewis. 

The lady introduced the Double Wear water fresh finish to me based on the fact I preferred lighter coverage and I didn’t like anything that would sit too heavy on my face. Ever since I picked it up, it’s become my new favourite go-to foundation.


The Water Fresh version gives a lighter coverage compared to the original Double Wear and is also buildable. The foundation has a water base and so will sit nicely on the skin. 

The foundation comes in a frosted glass bottle, has SPF 30 and is sold as 30ml. It’s a mid-range luxury foundation at £33.50 a bottle. However, I did get a student discount with my foundation which made it considerably cheaper. It’s quite runny so you have to be careful when you pour it. I wear the shade 1C2 Petal and is the perfect match for my skin tone.

I pour a pea-sized amount on the back of my hand and use my fingers to apply it. As I mentioned earlier, I prefer light coverage so I am only looking to cover my face with a thin layer. However, let the first layer dry a little to apply another for move coverage. With this foundation, you have to build it to get a better, smoother finish than putting it all on at once.


The only issue I have with the foundation is that you need a moist base. It doesn’t work that great with dry skin, and it can start to separate after the water dries. This can easily be corrected with setting spray; spray it all over to prevent it from drying out. With that said, I do need to make sure my base is as hydrated as possible. Which there is no harm in doing because your skin could probably do with the extra nutrients.

The foundation lasts all day giving me a flawless finish. It feels like a second skin and sits comfortably not sinking into my pores. I hardly ever break out anymore and my skin feels a lot better after as well.


Love, Aoife xo