Which MAC foundation should you choose?
Have you ever gone into MAC and been totally confused with their foundation range or just needed to clarify the differences?
WHAT IS YOUR SKIN TYPE
Is your skin??
Dry: Does your skin feel dehydrated with some dry areas
Very dry: Do you have flaky areas and the skin feels tight
Oily: Do you get a shiny forehead, nose and cheeks throughout the day
Combination: You have both oily around the T-zone and dry areas
Normal: Your skin is normally fine but you can get a little dry/oily sometimes.
Sensitive: Do harsh removers irritate your skin or have you ever been allergic to any makeup
Prone to acne: You have blocked pores and break out easily
HOW WOULD YOU LIKE YOU SKIN TO LOOK
How much coverage would you like?
Sheer : This lets your skin show through the makeup with small coverage
Medium: This will cover any imperfections but will still look natural depending how much you apply
Full: This will make your skin look flawless and you will not see any of your skin showing through.
What finish would you like?
Super matte: No shine at all
Matte: No shine but not like you have caked on a lot of powder
Natural: Neither shiny or matte. It will vary on different skin types
Satin: The foundation has Mika particles which make it a little shimmery
Dewy: This will give you a shiny, glowing look and can be paired with powder to create select glow on the face
MAC FOUNDATIONS EXPLAINED
I am going to start from the most coverage to the least coverage while giving information about which skin types it is best for. I will put in some pictures too for reference
FULL COVERAGE FOUNDATIONS
STUDIO FIX FLUID
This is MAC’s best selling foundation, so it makes sense to start here.
Fix fluid is a Full coverage and super-matte finish foundation
It is great for very oily skin or if you live in a hot country and will stop oiliness throughout the day.
It also has full coverage and many people argue the most coverage of any non-pro MAC foundation.
You can cover any pigmentation, redness or blemishes with ease, it will give you that perfect look, good for a party or special occasion. If you feel you need it can be worn day to day too.
STUDIO SCULPT FOUNDATION
Studio Sculpt foundation is again is one of Mac’s more full coverage foundations but unlike studio fix is more of a natural finish. If you need coverage this will cover blemishes, pigmentation and redness and is perfect for dry skin. It can be worn by combination or oily skin but it may look a little more shiny on you than someone with dry skin.
It will help with dry patches and looks more like natural skin than made up skin. Also great for a night out or day to day. This is my personal favorite full coverage foundation.
STUDIO TECH
STUDIO FIX POWDER
MEDIUM COVERAGE FOUNDATIONS
PRO LONGWEAR FOUNDATION
MINERALIZE COMPACT
MINERALIZE MOISTURE FOUNDATION
MATCHMASTER
It covers redness and evens out the skin and ‘matches’ to you skins undergone. This means you will either have a yellow or pink base tone to your skin and this foundation changes to which of those you are. This is why it does not have the NW or NC colors on the bottom which we are all used to. It also means you can get a little more tanned and it should still blend itself into the skin.
I find this foundation to come out a little more yellow toned and are better for darker skin tones. MATCHMASTER has a natural matte finish so good for most skin types.
SHEER/LIGHT COVERAGE FOUNDATIONS
FACE AND BODY
MINERALIZE LOOSE FOUNDATION
STUDIO MOISTURE TINT
BB CREAM
A BB cream or beauty balm is an all in one balm which Re-Textures the skin, moisturizes, brightens and has anti-aging properties. It has a sheer coverage and is good on it’s own or nice underneath another foundation. Any skin type can wear this but because it brightens the skin and was first invented in the Asian market MAC have only released three colors in Extra light, Light and Light plus. This is because it would defeat the brightening objective if made with a darker tint. The alternative product for darker skin tones is the new primer which has a yellow tint.
Thanks for reading!
Let me know if your interested in a post about primers or any other products.
I hope this has been useful and there was a lot to go through lol!
Please click below to go to my new website… thank you
MAKEUPMISS
XX
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Studio moisture tint product is very good for teenagers..
What is your shade in studio sculpt?
What would you recommend for me? I’m 44 with combo skin and a little redness in my cheeks that is hard to cover sometimes. I’d like a dewy look instead of cakes and I have a light- medium skin tone.
I would say try out the Mineralize foundation, this will give you a dewy look has build-able coverage and isn’t too heavy on the skin! Hope that helps X
When someone says that for reference I a this particular shade in Mac (let suppose nc 42), then the person is actually referring to which Mac foundation?
They are saying that this is your colour. So nc 42. So which ever foundation you go for at MAC your will be that colour but need to decide on coverage and finish etc. Hope that helps x
When someone says that for reference I’m this shade in Mac (let say nc 42), the person is referring to which Mac foundation?
i have a normal skin and I am 33. I used to use studio fix NC 42 foundarion but yesterday I bought by mistake Mineralise NC42 foundation. So whats the difference between the two and which is better for me?
The best ever blog on MAC! Loved this post, pinning it right away and sharing it across to my friends. Love this! extremely well written!
Thank you! Glad u enjoyed it 😀👍
I really like this post! I think it is good that someone explains this online and not everyone has to go ask in a Mac store for advice. The stores can get so busy and I don’t even enjoy walking around there and ask for advice so thank you for this post!
Marlinde xx
http://www.marlinde.co.uk
What would work best for acne prone skin with a good coverage for acne scars?
I would check out pro Longwear, this has good buildable coverage and will stay on all day. Not as heavy as studio fix fluid which is good.
Hie, love doing post, you haven’t mentioned mac waterbased foundation. I have combination skin and prefer natural medium coverage look, yesterday bought waterbase foundation with dropper, is it nice, I felt bit oily. What would be your recommendation. Thanks
Love the very informative article! Helped a lot! 🙂 very good post. What shade would you in your opinion recommend I have pale to medium skin…with yellow undertones. When j say pale i dont mean fair…rather a yellow to light golden brown town because I am aneamic! x
Im glad you found it helpful! I would say have a look around at the tones around the NC30. This should suit you! Hope that’s helps x
Thankyou for quick reply! I will let you know how I get on x
An article sounds good!!! What shade of foundation would you like to recommend. I have medium skin ton (neither too much white not dark). I am looking for longware foundation with full coverage and natural finish.
My face leans more on the light brown/pink side. I’ve been using the matchmaster but it doesn’t seem to fully even out my skin tone – it seems more sheer to me than a medium coverage. It starts to look a little bit cakey if i put another layer. Am I using the wrong shade? Should I switch to a different one? Which one would you suggest? Thanks!
Hello !! This is very informative article and I found my foundation through this !! I want natural matte finish coverage as I have oily to combo skin !! I guess Mac Pro long wear is the right one for me !! Can you plz help me finding the right shade for me ?? My skin is yellowish fair as I’m Asian !! So what would you reccomend for Asian fair complexion??
Thank you
I’m in my early 40’s like a full coverage day and night I have oily t zone and olive complexion.
Please help.
I am a 17 year old with dry skin and need a medium to light coverage foundation. I am very pale and find it hard to get a shade to match me. What would you recommend
Your article is the most helpful one I’ve found about makeup! Thanks so much for clearing things up with the foundation types. I’m a 17 year old Middle Eastern so my skin is brown, but not too dark (biscuit shade). According to a skin tone test, I am cool toned. I have a few acne scars on my cheeks that I want to cover which are neither dry nor oily, but my T area does get somewhat oily. I think the studio fluid fix foundation would be good for me, do you agree? Also, what shade would you recommend?
I’m 16 and have very oily skin (although I’m not too sure if it’s because my face cleanser is over-drying or if I just have naturally oily skin). I’m looking for medium coverage, matte or super matte liquid foundation. Which do you recommend?