Before I started using liquid foundation, it was compact powders all the way. They are easy to apply, great for travel, and most brands carry them. Mid-way, I switched to mineral foundation having heard all the good stuff about it. I tried the Bare Escentuals Mineral Foundation but my skin didn’t react well too it. So I went back to compacts and one of my favorites was the MAC Studio Fix.
I liked it so much I went out to get a backup, way before the first one panned out. When something’s that good, you just wanna use it forever, right? =DDD
Evens Out Skin Tone
I have under eye circles, redness around the nose, uneven skin tone aplenty. The MAC Studio Fix Foundation does quite a good job in drastically reducing all these imperfections. It does not hide hideous acne well on its own though.
When the need for more concealment arises, I use a cream concealer like the Sonia Kashuk Hidden Agenda Concealer Palette after a face primer, then finish with the MAC Studio Fix Foundation.
Images via MAC and Amazon. Do you love MAC’s primer?You can get the same finish for a fraction of the price with Rimmel’s matte primer.MAC Prep + Prime costs $30, while Rimmel’s primer will only set you back $6.47, saving you $13.50 just by making the switch. How to Apply MAC Studio Fix By Iam Jaebi. Although Studio Fix can be used alone, it's often recommended that it be applied in conjunction with foundation primers and skin cremes to prevent your pores from being clogged. Studio Fix retails in the $26 range, as of January 2011.
Full Coverage
You can build to your desired coverage with this foundation – full, medium, or sheer (like as a setting powder).
Full Coverage:
Use the sponge provided, dab it on (do not rub), and build it on for more coverage.
Make sure to wash the sponge frequently with the Daiso Brush Cleanser.
If you prefer not to use sponges, like me, then load a kabuki brush with powder by swirling it in the pan. Do it in layers for increasing coverage instead of getting a thick first layer.
Medium Coverage:
Use a stippling brush or a kabuki brush like the Sigma F80 Flat Top Synthetic Kabuki Brush.
Sheer Coverage:
Use a large fluffy brush like the EcoTools Blush Brush to set liquid foundation. I prefer using the MAC Studio Fix Foundation this way. If your liquid foundation provides medium coverage, the MAC Foundation can bring it to full coverage.
If you have oily skin, it is recommended that you use a powder to set liquid foundation. I use the MAC Studio Fix Foundation or MAC Blot Powder, depending on my mood and need for coverage.
Matte, Almost Mask-like
The MAC Studio Fix Foundation gives a matte finish. You can create a natural look or porcelain-doll kind of finish with the different types of application as stated above.
Be careful, though, if you have bumps and pits on your skin, like I do – aplenty. This foundation, while does well to even out skin tone, does not glide over skin blemishes as well as do liquid foundation. It is perfect for people with relatively good skin. This brings out the worst of my skin during PMS when pimples celebrate in blooms on my face.
Due to its matte finish, it does little to brighten the skin. So using this when you’re sick may make your skin look dull and flat. X(
I would think that people with mature skin should avoid this foundation as well as it tends to make fine lines more visible. I used to be able to use this without having obvious cracks under the eyes after a while, but I seem to be slowly losing that luxury! BOO!
Not Long Lasting Enough
Personally I find that the MAC Studio Fix Foundation does not stay on my skin as long as a liquid foundation does. It tends to slide off within a few hours, maybe 4-5? Good thing that it is easy to reapply.
Therefore I use this in conjunction with liquid foundation now, and not on its own, like I used to. Our skin go through changes, and so must our face products!
I love using this to set the Lancôme Maqui Blanc Miracle Liquid Foundation (review).
Great for Travel
This is a great face powder to have in your travel makeup bag or to bring around every day in your purse for touch-up. It is light, compact, and convenient!
I would still bring along a liquid foundation though, because I fear that the unpredictable weather might make my skin too dry or too oily, and I want to have options. Lol.
No Breakout
It seems that many people have problems with the MAC Studio Fix Foundation, what with clogged pores, huge cystic pimples, and creating havoc on the skin! Terrible!
I didn’t get those from using this foundation. I naturally have pores that are prone to clogging and I never have a face free of pimples (sad life). When I used the MAC Foundation, my skin condition did not get better or worse – it remained the same.
Mac Studio Fix Powder
I would think that using the sponge applicator might have caused some reactions on the skin due to accumulated dirt and grime and oil on the sponge. EW. That’s why I never use the sponge applicator, even though it is stored in a separate compartment which makes it slightly more hygenic than those that sit on top of the powder all the time.
Instead of throwing out the MAC Studio Fix Foundation the moment mayhem occurs, try switching to a makeup face brush. That could make a difference!
Shades for Everyone
MAC’s strong value proposition is that it has such a great color range for skin undertones and skin tones. You are bound to find a good color match, provided you get a right match in the first place. MUAs are reputed to give wrong color matches, so doing some homework beforehand is ideal.
For example, if you use ZA 21, try searching around for people who use the same shade and their respective MAC shade. It is best to go to a store to play with the colors yourself and also ask a MUA for help.
I did my research beforehand and went down to a MAC store to confirm my shade – NC25. It is good to know your MAC shade as people tend to use MAC as a guideline.
I am on the lighter side of NC25 though, if I could, I’d like an NC23.5 match, please.
Left: Old NC25 pan; Right: New NC25 pan. No difference!
“I’m NC 20-25, which shade should I use for MUFE Mat Velvet +?”, “What kind of blush is suitable for NC35 skin?”, are typical types of questions people will ask.
I also like that MAC Studio Fix Foundation does not turn orange (oxidize) on me. Very important!
Bun Bun gives the MAC Studio Fix Foundation a rating of:
Do you know of any good dupes for the (expensive) MAC Studio Fix Foundation? I’ve read reviews comparing the Maybelling Dream Matte Powder and have even tried it out myself. Not too bad for that price, a little less coverage and not as finely milled though.
Don’t forget to leave your name for a chance to win Daiso Brush Cleansers! It’s closing at the end of this week! =D
Recently, Michelle responded to a reader question about getting rid of oily skin that I read with sympathy because, girl, that is my life. Sometimes my face gets so shiny that you could hurt your eyes from the glare.
That post covered the long-term solutions for treating the underlying causes of sebum overproduction, as well as how to lighten up your skincare routine—but today, I want to talk about fast fixes. By that I mean what you should use when you just need to degrease RIGHT NOW. I've finally cultivated my perfect shine-eliminating makeup regimen, and I'm willing to share my secrets.
In my experience, there is no single mattifying product that works for everyone. Since my skin swings from dry-normal in the winter to outrageously oily in the summer, it takes about six different products to soak up the grease. Luckily for you, that means I've probably found a product that will be your shine-eliminating grace.
I've split up the products into everyday wear and the ones I'll pull out if I'm going on, say, a 15-hour outdoor date in July. Some of you might find this overkill, and others might want to wear every one of these products every single day—you do you!
Everyday Products for Matte Skin That Lasts a Regular Workday
Laura Mercier Secret Finish Mattifying Gel has been my HG mattifier for years. It immediately eliminates shine on any area it's applied to (especially my nose, which has the tendency to shine like a lightbulb). I trust no other product to uphold a matte finish on my skin for hours on end. I use it as a final step after applying makeup in the morning, and sometimes I also re-apply midday. It only takes a tiny blob (think half a Tic Tac) applied with my fingers in light, circular motions for instant mattification. Note that this is a silicone-rich product, which some of you will hate.
For a silicone-free option, try BECCA Ever-Matte Poreless Priming Perfector. I haven't actually tried this one, but Michelle swears by it and you can read her review here. It's a gel that's best used for spot-treatment of oily areas (either under or over makeup) because it can be very drying... which is what you want!
MAC Blot Powder is my saving grace for areas that get outright sweaty, like my upper lip (so gross, I know). I load up an eyeshadow blending brush like the MAC 217 and dust a bit on the areas that need some help. A small brush gives you greater control, so you can really target your powder application. Note that powder can get cakey fast, so don't go packing it on areas with large pores (for me that's on either side of my nose).
Mac Primers Reviews
If you find your whole face gets oily, try a blotting paper to absorb the oil without adding more product to build up on your skin. Blotting papers only go so far on me, but Shiseido's Pureness Oil-Control Blotting Paper has the longest-lasting effect of any I've tried—about a half hour for me.
For a budget-friendly blotting option, try Starbucks' napkins! Something about their recycled, scratchy texture is a total grease-magnet.
Best Primer For Mac Studio Fix Powder
When using blotting paper, make sure you pat it on your face—don't sweep it. You shouldn't see any of your makeup smeared on the sheet, only the satisfying translucence of sebum.
Mac Primer Price
Extra-Fancy Products for Matte Skin That Lasts Well Into the Night (and Possibly the Next Morning)
Then there are days where I'm not only concerned with shine, but also with having my makeup simply melt right off my face. If you think you might get sweaty or you live in a hot climate, and you have things to do beyond a regular work day (two counts of your-life-is-way-more-fun-than-mine!), here are some products I consider a wonderful luxury to have and use.
To get my makeup to last from day into night, I'll spritz on Urban Decay's De-Slick Oil-Control Makeup Setting Spray as both the very first thing to touch my skin after cleanser, and the very last thing after applying makeup. I find that its slight stickiness (which disappears after a few minutes) helps my makeup really grab onto my otherwise bare skin. And as a finishing touch, it seals all my mattifying work into place.
If I'm desperate to keep my makeup on, I'll double up priming formulas by adding a layer of Hourglass Veil Mineral Primer. (It's also SPF 15, but that's not enough and you never rely on makeup to be your sun protectant.) As a primer though, it is ah-mah-zing. Hourglass is a new brand to me, but I've quickly learned that they have mastered makeup that lasts. (Seriously, their Opaque Rouge Liquid Lipstick stays on my mouth—which eats, drinks, and talks endlessly—ALL DAY.)
The Hourglass primer is an unexpectedly runny texture, which somehow keeps my foundation from dissolving into an oily mess after eight hours. The one substantial peeve I have with this is that it leaves a white cast on my face before I cover it with foundation. (When will beauty companies recognize that 99 percent of people's skin tones aren't printer-paper white? If you're in the 1 percent, no offence meant... I'm just bitter that thousands of beauty lines forgot my skin tone exists.)
Usually a combination of these luxury base products plus my must-have everyday products are enough to keep my face shine-free for a work day and evening drinks. That said, I have one final trick reserved for days when I find myself giving a presentation in an unventilated room: powder foundation.
I'm a longtime fan of MAC Studio Fix Powder Plus Foundation, which I swirl all over my face using a kabuki brush, making sure to blend well. This final step locks in all the aforementioned products, keeping the shine off my skin for hours. It's my go-to finishing touch when I don't plan on looking in a mirror for 24 hours.
It's pretty obvious that this is a lot of makeup, and not a routine I would personally advocate for daily wear. I think spot-treating your skin is definitely the way to go for oily areas, and in general it's better to focus on reducing sebum production rather than just hiding it.
That said, when the shine just won't quit, it's nice to have a few options stashed in your purse. Now that you know my magical elixir for perfectly matte skin, let me know which products YOU rely on to keep shine at bay!
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Have Your Say
Do you, too, have oily skin woes? Have you tried any of my favourite mattifying products? What's in your anti-shine arsenal?