Make Up For Ever vs MAC

     Before I start this post, let me go ahead & say that I am not a Make-Up Artist, beauty guru, or a know-it-all. I am simply a consumer sharing my experiences & thoughts about products that I have personally purchased. So let’s get started…

---

153 Golden Honey (Retail $36.00)

     For the past 3 or 4 years, I have always purchased Make Up For Ever’s Pro Finish Foundation. It is a pressed powder that is in a compact. What I love about this foundation is that is has buildable coverage (medium to full). I used to have bad breakouts, & unfortunately, I suffer from acne scarring. So to have a pressed powder that felt lightweight but was still able to cover up those scars without applying concealer was a huge plus for me. My skin has gone from oily to combination back to oily, & I do feel that this product is great for that skin type. However, it can dry out your face, so I recommend applying a great moisturizer beforehand (which you should always be doing anyways!). The one thing I didn’t like was that I was always in between shades. Meaning, I was always too dark or too light for the color that I bought, so I would have to play around with bronzers or even mix it with my mom’s foundation because she is about two shades lighter than I am. For daily use, I found myself doing touch ups about 3 times a day. Of course it depended on what I was doing &/or the climate that I was in. I didn’t use a primer or liquid foundation under this product because 1) I never knew to use primer 2) I didn’t want to feel like I was wearing too much makeup. But now that I have found a great liquid foundation, I did use this powder to set my makeup. Overall, this was a great product & I would definitely use it again!

---

NC43 (Retail $27.00)

     Recently, I picked up MAC’s Studio Fix Powder in shade NC43. This was my first foundation purchase from MAC. I was always hesitant to pick up any of their foundation because I always thought MAC to be synonymous with cakey & I do not want to be one of those girls. To my surprise, this product left my face flawless, & it didn’t feel like I was wearing anything at all! NC43 is the PERFECT shade for me right now. I have never found a foundation that matched my skin tone, so I was literally on cloud 9 when I was trying this foundation out. A little definitely goes a long way, so I can see how applying too much of this product will give you that dreaded “cake face” that we are all trying to avoid. So please be sure to use a light hand & don’t go overboard! The powder applies very smooth, velvety almost, & it blends amazingly! My con with this is I do have to do more touch ups around my nose, but again it depends on what I’m doing or the climate. I’m still trying to control my oiliness since it has made its way back into my life after my pregnancy, so if you are the opposite of me & have dry skin be sure to apply a really good moisturizer before using this foundation. I highly recommend Cetaphil moisturizer to everyone! I give this product a 10/10 because I feel like you get your money’s worth. Also, this is great to use every day & perfect for mommies on the go! All I need is this powder & my eyebrows filled in, & I feel like I’m ready to take on the world. Thank you, MAC, for creating such a great product!!

---

    If any of you used these products, let me know how they’ve worked for you! Or if you would like to recommend other powder foundations that are good for oily/combo skin, leave a comment! I am open to trying out all products whether they’re high end or drug store. I am always trying to find products that I can wear often or not forget about. I’m not the type to hoard makeup that I will only use once in a blue moon, so any reviews you see here on my blog will always be products that I use daily or have used for a very long time. Next up will be my favorite lip colors for medium to deep skin tones! Stay tuned…

Aloha nui loa,
Jaimie