IAMBRIGITTE : Product Review: MAC Matchmaster Foundation SPF 15

Can anybody please give me a good poke (and spanking, no pun intended) for forgetting to do a review on one of the best foundations I've ever tried?

I've always loved MAC Studio Fix Fluid for personal and for my clients' use. It's the one foundation I would often reach out to during makeup gigs. It doesn't fail me (and my clients) achieve that flawless look that would stay put. With that, I always make sure that I have it in my makeup stash and that I have backups. Well, I didn't know it will about to change.

When my good friend, Joan, went home last year for a short visit she asked me if she can give me a bottle of MAC's new foundation. She said she wanted me to try it out, as she had been reading a lot of raves about it all over the internet. And who am I to say no? You know how such a sucker I am for foundations.

And so I met the one foundation that would change my life:

MAC Matchmaster Foundation SPF15

New foundation technology using translucent pigments to enable a fully personalized finish influenced by the subtleties of your own skin's undertone. Moisturizing demi-matte finish with line reducing soft-focus powders. Medium buildable coverage offering broad spectrum SPF protection.

Simply put, this amazing foundation adapts to one's undertone. that explains why the shades in this line are numbered differently. Gone is the normal NW/NC color system. MAC used a neutral coloring system (1.0, 1.5, 2...) so people who are NW and NC can fall under one shade. Since this foundation is not available here (oh please, dear MAC, bring this to our local stores ASAP!) I asked Joan to get me 2.0 (I am an NC25).

When I got it, I thought it's a bit more yellowish than my usual NC25 from MAC SFF. I initially thought I got a wrong shade, but the magic word "Matchmaster" made me hope I am right anyway.

Unlike the MAC SFF, this one comes with a pump...just like the MAC Pro-Long Wear foundation (which I also reviewed here). I love that I don't have to buy a separate pump for this, which means a few more bucks! The pump, that actually works, makes it more hygienic and you get to control the amount of product you'd like to dispense out of the bottle.

Like SFF and Pro-Long Wear, this foundation comes in a glass bottle. So imagine my effort not to drop this thing! I already did drop a bottle of a newly-bought SFF, and it left me heart-broken for days.

^_^

But unlike the other two liquid foundations, this one comes in 1.2 oz bottle.

Texture is light, and creamy making it easy to work with. Unlike the Pro-Long Wear, this one gives a bit of more time so you can blend it well on your skin.

As you can see, it was able to cover my veins. I've applied too much, so it looks cakey in here. But trust me, once it sets in, it'll look natural.

It looks off at first too. It has yellow tones, and I think a bit of orange in it too.

Now, let's see how it fares on my skin:

Let's play connect the dots, shall we?

^_^

(after a layer of foundation, applied with a sponge)

You can see that it has neutralized the redness on my skin, but didn't totally covered all my blemishes (which are just TOO many, LOL). What I would do is I would apply another thin layer using a sponge (dampen it so it wont absorb too much product, or you can also use a Beauty Blender which works amazing as well!) and conceal the sides of my nose and other uber-visible marks.

It looks orangey on me at first, but I don't know how but it magically adapts to my skin tone after a few minutes. Unlike SFF, this offers light-to-medium coverage that can be built up without looking cakey or unnatural. It's not heavy on the skin too, unlike SFF that can feel like a mask on the skin when applied improperly.

It's matte, but not totally matte. More like, satiny in finish. It gives skin healthy, luminous glow.

It looks good on photos too, despite the SPF.

You can get away with not setting it with a powder, as it dries to a satiny finish but the OC me still sets it with my trusted Shu Uemura loose transparent powder. I believe those with oily skins would need to set this. If you have dry skin, you need to moisturize first as I think this would highlight dry, flaky skin.

What makes me happier is that it stays put the whole day! It doesn't melt in the heat, won't even make you look like a grease ball. Of course, I still get oily on my t-zone but nothing that some blotting sheets can't take of. Skin looks dewy, in fact, I always get compliments whenever I am wearing this. It's like having a perfect skin...but you know that my skin's FAAARR from being perfect.

face after 10hrs of no retouching

But wait, there's more...dun dun dun dun. LOL. I didn't break out in this foundation. There was a time that I used this for a week-straight and I didn't get bumps or rashes. With SFF, there's a possibility that my skin gets clogged after using it for days.

Let's do a roundup, shall we?

PROs:

Comes with a pump, making it more hygienic and gives you more control on the amount of product to dispense

Light on the skin

Creamy, workable texture. Does not set too quickly so more time to blend

Light-to-medium coverage which you can layer without looking unnatural or cakey

Layering the product can cover spots, but not those that are really dark

Gives skin a demi-matte, satiny finish

Gives skin a healthy, luminous glow

Shade selection is not too confusing, as it would work on both NC and NW skins

Has SPF15

Looks good on photos

Does not oxidize. It works like magic. It goes dark, even orangey (I honestly think I look like a carrot for a few minutes) but it REALLY adjusts to your skintone giving you that natural, skin-like finish

Stays put, does not melt, rub-off

No allergic reactions

CONS:

It comes in a glass bottle, that I am so guarding with my life hoping not to drop it anytime soon. (Oh please, don't!)

Would need a separate concealer for really dark, visible scars

NOT AVAILABLE here yet. (Geesh, we need this here so badly!)

Expensive (but truly worth it, IMHO). I'm not sure how much it will cost here just in case, but I'm sure it will be much expensive than SFF.

It has a smell. But it goes away eventually.

Will I buy this again?

I already did, but just for my clients. I NEED to buy a backup for me..soon!

So what do you think? Is this something you'd like to try out?

And here's more camwhoring from yours truly, tee-hee!