Estee Lauder Idealist Even Skintone Illuminator Review & Swatches
Estee Lauder Idealist Even Skintone Illuminator is a product that completely baffles me. It gets some serious raves and I, of course, eagerly wanted to try it out since it promises to act as a fast acting serum to improve dark spots, sun spots, discolorations, etc….so basically a dark spot corrector of a sort.
But…
Technically speaking it’s more of a makeup in some aspects than a dark spot corrector?
Yeah, so I’m completely confuddled.
Here’s the thing…
They are saying this acts to reduce the appearance of redness, acne marks, dark spots, sun spots, discolorations, etc…they have clinical testing claims that say women show a significant improvement in skintone over a two week period…
But…
I felt like this was more of a highlighter than an actual skincare product?
Outside of having the thinner, watery texture of a serum I didn’t really feel I was treating my skin but more along the lines of highlighting or illuminating it due to the yellow gold shimmer of the product. It basically resembles a liquid highlighter of sorts. I was actually very wary of applying it all over my face for fear of looking too “glowy” and indeed that’s exactly what happens when I apply it.
Add to the fact that I typically reserve serums for nightly use and again, I’m confused. Estee Lauder says to use it daily and in the evening….so why throw around “serum” in the marketing of the product? And why create it in an “illuminating” shade/color? Is it skincare? Is it makeup? Someone throw me a bone here.
I will say I don’t particularly like the looks of it on my skin. It feels hydrating, absorbs easily, and has an oil-free formula so it isn’t greasy nor does it leave behind an oily finish. However, the lovely white gold shade of the product is actually too much for me…it makes my skin look overly glow-y and odd when I apply this all over.
They use a stabilized form of Vitamin C for the lightening results here but sadly, I always find this method of lightening a very long term project. You’ll probably have to go through a bottle or two to see any change and when you do notice the change it’ll be incredibly subtle. Or at least that’s been the case for me.
Overall, I didn’t technically give it time to do the job with my own dark spot issues. I only used it for two weeks before ditching it. I just didn’t like the illuminating factor of the product. If I want to use a dark spot treatment I’d like one that acts as a serum or moisturizer, etc…not one that tries to combine the benefits of a makeup or highlighter and a dark spot treatment in one. It just seems pointless to add a golden sheen to a product that’s treating your skin….what’s the point?
Estee Lauder Idealist Even Skintone Illuminator is on counters now.
Tried it?
Loved?
Left?
Do share!