Some of you might be aware that a few weeks ago, I knocked my Mac Studio Fix foundation on the floor, and it smashed into a zillion tiny pieces. At the time, I was devastated, as there was quite a lot of it let, and I do not particularly enjoy having thrown £20 or so down the drain. But I soon came to see it as something of a blessing in disguise, as it gave me a good excuse to try out a new foundation! I did really like my Studio Fix, but truth be told, it was a shade too dark for my skin, and I had been having to mix it with my other Mac foundation, a Mineralise Satin Finish which, ironically, is a shade too light. Now, before you go shouting/ laughing at me for being absolutely rubbish at matching myself up with the right shade, I would like to point out that on both occasions, I was, in fact, advised by someone on the Mac counter. But I won't blame them - the lighting in department stores is not the most 'truthul', and the same goes for duty free shops in airports.
So anyway, I decided that it was time I gave Mac's Matchmaster foundation the time of day, since I clearly can't come up with the right shade by any other means!
Actually, I even had a little mini-problem when choosing the shade of this one, as for some reason, Mac has abandoned it's usual NC/NW shades in favour of numbers alone, ranging from 1.0 up to 10.0, including '.5' shades, so as I was buying online, I was left to seek out a reliable translation chart. I probably should have been more thorough on this, as I initially discovered that my NW25 skin would be about a 2.0, and promptly ordered it. However, after further research, I found out that actually, I would have been better off with a 3.0. But all was well that ended well, as when my 2.0 arrived, it matched my skin tone perfectly, and I mean perfectly.
Mac describes Matchmaster (which is SPF 15) in the following words:
New foundation technology, using translucent pigments to enable a fully personalised finish, influenced by the subtleties of your own skin's undertone.
Moisturising demi-matte finish. Medium buildable coverage. Line-reducing, soft-focus powders.
The Matchmaster foundation comes in a 35ml bottle (5ml bigger than the usual foundation bottles) and, thankfully, comes with a pump.
Upon first application, I must admit that I was pretty impressed with the colour match, and how well it seemed to sink into my skin (which is apparent in the swatches below), leaving me with what I would call a pretty matte finish. The finish itself is not something I usually go for, as I prefer foundations that give a nice dewy, glowy finish. I never set my foundation with powder, as I don't like the effect, so I can't really say how long it lasts for those of you that do. I would say that without powder, it lasts about six hours, but it does wear a bit during that time.
Something I'm not keen on is the fact that this product does tend to cling to dry patches. In fact, I wasn't even aware I had any until I used this foundation. But after a good exfoliation, this problem was alleviated, though I wouldn't recommend it to those of you who have dry skin in general.
Summary:
- Good colour match
- More matte than I would have liked, but not a problem if that's the finish you are after!
- Clings to dry patches - be sure to exfoliate!
- Not recommended for people with extremely dry skin.
- Not hugely buildable. Not for those of you who like a fuller coverage.
- Good, but not amazing.
Have you tried this foundation? What did you think?
What's your favourite Mac foundation?
xx
