"Be a first rate version of yourself, not a second rate version of someone else."

Thursday 19 May 2011

Best Foundation for Your Money: Value Alert: MAC FACE AND BODY

$39.00 Canadian. It seems steep. How could you post such a steep priced basic item? Simply because you get 4 times the amount of product as ANY other competitor on the market! Do I have your attention? I hope so..

Now on to the basics...

Colour: My colour is C1, but my understanding is that this formula is so forgiving that I could also be N1, C2 or N2 depending on my tan at the time. MAC has an online foundation colour wheel type quiz that will pretty much point you in the proper direction if you can't get to a counter.

The Bottle: Huge with a baby bottle type spout.

The Application: Hands. Hands. Hands. Any brush will just soak up the liquid because it's so watery. Synthetic and Natural bristles alike.

The Run Down:

This foundation may not be everyone's cup of tea. I realize that. My skin is prone to breakouts, but when I don't have them, it's pretty decent. I have unsightly pink cheeks that go down to my neck and throw me under the bus every time I have a crush on someone, I'm sick or I'm lying. I suppose the mega blush isn't a bad thing since it keeps my morals in balance..lol. This happens for white lies too.."That casserole was delicious, Mom!!".. busted.

But really, who wants to be flushed at work all day long!? Not I..I want my emotions available only to my deep inner workings whenever possible. It's a pride thing. This foundation has a light weight, almost watery texture that glides on quite smoothly for the first 2 seconds. Seriously, count 1 mississippi, 2 mississippi and BAM, it becomes tackier and the colour really starts to latch onto the skin. This foundation starts out sheer but is quite buildable.

On fancy pants days, I would put layer one all over, then I would let it dry. The following layer I would focus on my cheeks/chin since that's where I need the most help. I don't tend to set this with powder. It dries to a satiny dewy finish. It's definitely not shiny, but it's definitely not matte, either. I would say that the best way to describe it is that it's how your face looks shortly after putting a good moisturizer on: dewy and healthy. I like dewy and healthy, it suits me well. If matte is more your thing, set it with powder. As for staying power, I have combination skin. My cheeks stay dry but my chin and forehead and nose like to get all greasy by the end of the day. I've learned to deal with it. I sometimes blot 5-7 hours after I first put this stuff on. That's the same with me for any foundation though. I say sometimes because sometimes I just don't care lol.

Has it lasted through a workout? YES. I will qualify this by saying I don't not put make up on to work out. That's not my cup o'java. However, I sometimes go straight from work to the gym in a rush and end up at Zumba with full make up. What can ya do? It has lasted through NUMEROUS work outs of varying difficulties, but I do not expect it too. Better yet, I don't break out from it.

My Take:

I've actually been quite pleasantly surprised with this stuff. I would say I reach for it 60% of the time. I have 4 foundations on the go right now, so that's a pretty good feat. I love this for work days and weekends. It's so easy. It also absolutely does not break me out. That is a huge deal for me. I will not put up with anything that fixes one area of my face and ruins the other. When I'm wearing this foundation, my face is healthy looking and the red is all gone. The rest of my skin just looks like...skin, which I think is the biggest compliment I can give this foundation.

Back to the price,  $39.00 Canadian for 120ml or 4.0 US FL OZ. The average foundation comes with 1 oz. Lately, the average face cream does too "shakes my head"..but I digress. I'll break this down for you into ounces. I know you can probably do the math yourself, but some people need visuals!!


39.00 per OZ
39.00/4 = 9.75 an OZ! (If you can pick this up in the states- it's definitely worth your while..it's EVEN cheaper and our dollar is stronger right now! .98!!)

Let's add some Ontario Sales Tax to that, thanks McGuinty...
39.00 x .013= 5.07... ugh...
Total price that I paid: 44.07/4= 11.02 approx/oz.

Compare to some of the more popular foundations flitting around the internets rumour mill these days:
Chanel Vitalumiere Aqua- $52 Canadian BEFORE HST.- 1oz
Dior Nude Skin- $48 Canadian BEFORE HST- 1oz
Make Up Forever HD Invisible Cover $46 BEFORE HST-1.01 oz
Make Up Forever Face and Body $42 BEFORE HST   1.69 oz

I'm going to stop there. I think you get the point. Now, maybe this foundation won't suit you, and it's a shame if that's the case. The least you can do is save up some pennies and just try it out. MAC has an excellent return policy.

DISCLAIMER: Why I do not compare this to drugstore foundation. I have acne prone skin. I have tried Covergirl, Maybelline, Rimmel, L'Oreal, etc in the past. It was a giant waste of money, and I regretted every single purchase. If it works for you, that's great. I've heard great things about Revlon Colourstay for people who like full coverage. I personally don't need that much coverage, and I hate the smell. I did buy Revlon Photoready last year, but my sister stole it before I could properly give it a go. That is the only drugstore foundation that I am interested in trying. Even then, I'll buy it on a trip to the States or when Walmart has a sale because I think Shopper's Drug Mart is insane if they think I am going to drop $20 bucks on a drugstore foundation with no tester. That's my quick rant, haha.

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