Estee Lauder Double Wear vs Urban Decay All Nighter Foundation

My all time favourite foundation for a long lasting, full coverage finish has always been Estee Lauder Double Wear, nothing has ever compared for me. I heard people say that the Urban Decay All Nighter Foundation was even better but supposedly pretty similar – that’s where my interest was peaked, a direct comparison to my beloved Estee Lauder Double Wear!?

For reference my skin is combination, I’m prone to oiliness in the t-zone but get quite de-hydrated in other areas, so for me a foundation always has to balance those two things whilst being long lasting at the same time. I also have quite congested skin too so it doesn’t take lot for a full coverage foundation to cling and enhance my pores.

Does the Urban Decay All Nighter Foundation oxidise? 

There’s been so much talk about the All Nighter oxidising on the skin, which makes it pretty difficult to colour match instore. This really put me off ordering online and trying to guess my shade without trying it first. I finally managed to track down a counter willing to give me a sample of the shade 2.0 – A fairly pale shade with a yellow undertone. I thought this would suit me best when I’m wearing a little fake tan. I have the Estee Lauder Double Wear in the shade Desert Beige, in the bottle and on the skin this is slightly darker than the UD foundation, but taking into account the oxsidisation, they end up both looking very similar once applied.

I did notice the All Nighter became darker but only slightly, with all the talk of how bad it was I did expect it to oxsidise more than it did. I think from the swatches below you can see how when it dries it does become slightly darker.

Formula and coverage comparison 

The first thing I noticed with the UD offering is how flawless it left my skin looking. As I buffed this in I couldn’t believe how much it masked, especially with the thinner consistency compared to that of Double Wear. Both are liquid foundations but DW is much thicker and takes a little more work to buff and blend, the All Nighter has a thinner, and has almost a creamy/ whipped consistency which doesn’t take quite as much work for a flawless finish. In terms of coverage the All Nighter is more pigmented, covering everything from acne scaring to tired eyes.

So in terms of coverage and formula it is similar to Double Wear, but I would say the All Nighter is easier to blend (works well with a beauty blender) and doesn’t dry down as quickly as double wear either.

The finish

The finish of these foundations is slightly different. After around 10 minutes of wear the Urban Decay foundation definitely has more of a  matte/satin finish, where as the Double Wear foundation really is just completely matte letting absolutely no shine come through.. That’s not to say that the Double Wear looks really unnatural, it’s just a completely matte finish that does make the skin look a little more flat at first.

How they hold up throughout the day

So many foundations don’t last even 4 hours on me, so longevity is one of the main things I look for when on the hunt for a new base. The first time I tried the All Nighter I was having a good skin day, and that’s when I loved it. When I used it on a not so good skin day, it didn’t last as well as I had hoped. If your skin is dry or dehydrated I would stay clear of the both of these foundations, but especially the Urban Decay All Nighter. On days where my skin wasn’t behaving it started to cling to patches around my nose and did sink into my pores slightly showing up texture on my skin only after a couple of hours. This is something I rarely experience with Double Wear and one of the many reasons it’s my favourite foundation.

Value for money and packaging

Both foundations are expensive, they’re from premium brands. I have to say I think the Estee Lauder packaging is nicer to look at, but it’s no where near as practical as the All Nighter packaging and pump!

My overall thoughts

Ok I’m coming straight out with it, Double wear is still my favourite foundation. I don’t think the All Nighter is bad by any means, and if you are already a Double Wear fan it’s definitely worth picking up a sample atleast. For me longevity is key, if a foundation doesn’t sit well on my skin it’s just not going to work out…  For now I’m sticking with my old favourite.

Have you tried either of these foundations?

Never miss a post and follow my blog on Bloglovin’ 

Youtube / Twitter / Instagram / Facebook