In all the years I’ve been playing Carnival, I’ve had numerous opportunities to try different foundations to see which ones gracefully withstand the heat. Some have failed miserably (base that looks like your face is sliding off is NEVER a good look). Some have made a respectable showing at first only to break down in the stretch. The majority have been okay at best. While primer has helped in some cases, there was always the eventual creasing or caking to contend with …That was, until, a Sephora sales representative put me on to Estée Lauder Double Wear Makeup. I first had the chance to put Estée Lauder Double Wear Makeup to the test when I went to St. Vincent for Carnival (Vincy Mas).
Applying the Foundation
Before applying the foundation, I prepped my skin with a light layer of Smashbox Primer. I smoothed the primer on with my fingers. That’s when I discovered I had forgotten to bring my Beauty Blender in my Carnival cosmetics bag. I kept myself from going into full on panic mode. What if this comes out wrong? The retail specialist at Sephora told me to apply with a sponge for the best results! What if spreading the formula across my face with my fingers caused me to literally apply the makeup too heavy-handedly?
Even though Estée Lauder Double Wear Makeup is designed to stay put once it goes on, it blended so much easier with my fingertips than I initially thought it would. In fact, despite putting on more than I meant to on my forehead, it did not come out looking too crepey—a huge plus! I applied HD Forever concealer with a makeup brush to my undereye bags (a massive travel fiasco getting from Trinidad to St. Vincent on LIAT caused me to lose sleep, not to mention a lot of stress but more on that in a separate post). And I tried to brighten up the area a bit more with the lighter shades in the Kat Von D contouring kit. Blending was easy enough, and I found the results pleasing.
The Results
But now for the real test! I left my hotel at about 8:15 am in my Carnival regalia—my face painted in a dramatic display of colors to match. The day started off pretty warm and got progressively hotter as the sun climbed in the sky. I love the heat, but I can always tell my makeup is about to be in jeopardy when my nose starts sweating (apparently, I’m part canine). I turned to my friend Jessica and asked her if my face was starting to slide South. To my surprise, she responded, “No, not at all. Your makeup looks good!”
Perplexed, I wondered to myself how could this be? My snout is sweating! Yet when I dabbed away the little beads of water on my nose, I noticed there was no makeup transfer to my hands. Not. One. Bit. I’ll admit, I was hoping when they told me the makeup was waterproof it also meant sweat-proof. While that miracle never happened, that my makeup stayed in place from 8 am until well beyond 8 pm felt magical. It even lasted through all of my dancing on the road and “wukkin’ up” in the tropical heat of St. Vincent.
And while I confess to committing one of the cardinal sins of makeup and skincare by not washing my face before I went to sleep that night, I didn’t get one single blemish from hitting the sheets with a face full of makeup. On the contrary, the mascara really was the dead giveaway. Otherwise, the foundation was more or less in place and looked fresh.
Needless to say, I highly recommend Estée Lauder Double Wear Makeup for anyone who still hasn’t found a long-lasting foundation to wear for Carnival (or any special event!).
What are some foundations you have tried that have stood the test of time?
