Thinking back to the first foundation I ever bought still makes me cringe. Thinking of how runny and uncontrolable it was (and not to mention how ill matched to my skin tone) and how inexperienced with handling this substance I so well and truly was it isn't any wonder that the majority of my selfies from around 2008 are all in black and white, or contrasted so highly you can see nothing but a pair of well lined eyes! Of course taking the next step in make up mistakes, like every other girl I moved on to the much coveted Dream Matte Mousse, until of course waking up one day to realise just how bad it looked, felt and generally awful it made my face feel. It was time to move on to bigger and better things and after much deliberation, countless forumlas, lots of ho humming and ha-ing I took the plunge and invested in a MAC foundation.
The sales people in my local MAC (in Union Square - shock) are so helpful, they know their stuff and judging by the way they always look flawless, no matter the time of day, I would quite happily put my make up decisions and face in their hands. So when I went in looking for a new foundation that offered maximum coverage that didn't mattify my face too heavily and wouldn't appear to crack or break up through the day, they knew just what I was looking for. The MAC Studio Sculpt Foundation (Shade NW15) is a creamy gel based foundation that is quite thick and feels substantial, the sales assistant said that the forumla of the foundation is quite hydrating to the skin and as it has spf 15 I had little worries about the potential sun damage I may get while wearing it (very little given we are in Aberdeen after all) To boot I was informed that it is pretty sturdy against water, so the Aberdeen rain ought not to worry me either! So that was that, love at first sight, and off I merrily skipped with my brand new foundation pleased as punch.
I remember the first time I used this product, it was a month before my wedding when the girls and I were heading off the Edinburgh for the hen weekend formalities and needless to say as I wasn't quite used to the thick consistency of a cream foundation, I was over zealous and ended up with quite a wet looking face (no I don't mean dewy, I mean wet) so rule number one of a cream / gel based MAC foundation, a little goes a long way and given that I have had it for around 8 months I think that's pretty great going for such a deceptively thin tube! The foundation itself, once you've got to grips with it that is, is lovely to put on, I personally used to apply mine with the Real Techniques Buffing Brush, but have recently swapped to the Real Techniques Foundation brush, which has worked wonders for streaky lines and even application. The real test for me was the wear ability and durability of the forumla as we were shopping, lunching, dining and drinking in the evening this really had to last at least 12 hours - surely that isn't asking too much right? No it was not and I am pleased to report that if you're searching for durability then your search is over! My face was able to last through Edinburgh in the rain, heat and humidity of the shopping centres' of the day and still look fab in the evening!
Now even though this sounds like a match made in heaven I must assure you that our tale does not necessarily end here or have a particularly happy ending to say the least (here comes our story arc!) as much as I loved and got on with the appearance of this foundation it wrecked my skin no end, and the most horrific part was it took about 2 - 3 weeks to repair said damage. As you guys probably know by now I have combination/dry skin but I'm relatively careful with what I put on my face so as not to flare up a bad bout of dry skin and as careful as I thought I was being, when it comes to make up sometimes I'm just not sensible enough. This foundation is difficult to remove at the best of times, it takes quite a few pads and a deal of scrubbing to remove it, and even then a cleanser is recommended to completely remove it, so after a solid week or so of using the foundation my skin began to suffer. My face came out in red dry patchy areas all over and no amount of moisturiser was helping and after a couple of weeks of these patches I began to panic my face would never be the same. I swore off all make up for 2 - 3 weeks, moisturised every hour and slowly my face began to heal and return to normal. Needless to say I stopped wearing the foundation altogether for a little while, but when I did return I made sure to take precautions. Today I use a pea sized amount of foundation and even then I have lathered primer all over my face to protect my skin (Smashbox is a life saver!) Now I have happily finished the tube I don't think I will be repurchasing this product, just because I feel I can find something that does offer the coverage I'm looking for that perhaps is a bit kinder to my skin. Alas the search continues to find that foundation that isn't too thin, or too thick but is just right.
I hope you have found this review helpful, buying one of your first high end foundations can be daunting especially when you're shelling out £25 - £30 at a time on something you don't feel fully informed about, so I hope this has helped weigh out the pros and cons of one of your options at least. If you have a solution to pull me from the Goldilocks foundation complex I am facing right now I am of course all ears and would love to hear you recommendations in the comments below, or you can come share them with me on Twitter. Of course if you'd like to keep up with my latest reviews, recommendations and rants you can follow me on Bloglovin.
I remember the first time I used this product, it was a month before my wedding when the girls and I were heading off the Edinburgh for the hen weekend formalities and needless to say as I wasn't quite used to the thick consistency of a cream foundation, I was over zealous and ended up with quite a wet looking face (no I don't mean dewy, I mean wet) so rule number one of a cream / gel based MAC foundation, a little goes a long way and given that I have had it for around 8 months I think that's pretty great going for such a deceptively thin tube! The foundation itself, once you've got to grips with it that is, is lovely to put on, I personally used to apply mine with the Real Techniques Buffing Brush, but have recently swapped to the Real Techniques Foundation brush, which has worked wonders for streaky lines and even application. The real test for me was the wear ability and durability of the forumla as we were shopping, lunching, dining and drinking in the evening this really had to last at least 12 hours - surely that isn't asking too much right? No it was not and I am pleased to report that if you're searching for durability then your search is over! My face was able to last through Edinburgh in the rain, heat and humidity of the shopping centres' of the day and still look fab in the evening!
Now even though this sounds like a match made in heaven I must assure you that our tale does not necessarily end here or have a particularly happy ending to say the least (here comes our story arc!) as much as I loved and got on with the appearance of this foundation it wrecked my skin no end, and the most horrific part was it took about 2 - 3 weeks to repair said damage. As you guys probably know by now I have combination/dry skin but I'm relatively careful with what I put on my face so as not to flare up a bad bout of dry skin and as careful as I thought I was being, when it comes to make up sometimes I'm just not sensible enough. This foundation is difficult to remove at the best of times, it takes quite a few pads and a deal of scrubbing to remove it, and even then a cleanser is recommended to completely remove it, so after a solid week or so of using the foundation my skin began to suffer. My face came out in red dry patchy areas all over and no amount of moisturiser was helping and after a couple of weeks of these patches I began to panic my face would never be the same. I swore off all make up for 2 - 3 weeks, moisturised every hour and slowly my face began to heal and return to normal. Needless to say I stopped wearing the foundation altogether for a little while, but when I did return I made sure to take precautions. Today I use a pea sized amount of foundation and even then I have lathered primer all over my face to protect my skin (Smashbox is a life saver!) Now I have happily finished the tube I don't think I will be repurchasing this product, just because I feel I can find something that does offer the coverage I'm looking for that perhaps is a bit kinder to my skin. Alas the search continues to find that foundation that isn't too thin, or too thick but is just right.
I hope you have found this review helpful, buying one of your first high end foundations can be daunting especially when you're shelling out £25 - £30 at a time on something you don't feel fully informed about, so I hope this has helped weigh out the pros and cons of one of your options at least. If you have a solution to pull me from the Goldilocks foundation complex I am facing right now I am of course all ears and would love to hear you recommendations in the comments below, or you can come share them with me on Twitter. Of course if you'd like to keep up with my latest reviews, recommendations and rants you can follow me on Bloglovin.
Until next time folks, I'm searching for the one that's juuuust right.
H.Elizabeth
No comments:
Post a Comment