MAC Foundation Review No 5: Studio Stick Foundation.

Hi everyone,

So I thought it was about time to do another foundation review! This time one of the foundation formulations I'd never previously used before purchasing this - Prior to this, the idea of stick foundations brought to mind visions of thick 'pan stick' style old fashioned looking foundation. I have to say I was pleasantly surprised by this one... Once again, I'll try to incorporate some of the views from makeup review sites so you get a balanced view of the product.

MAC describe this product as;

"A creamy smooth stick foundation with medium + coverage for a natural flaw-free finish. Stick system provides smooth twist-up action: precise application and fast, even touch-ups. Available in 15 shades. Stick with it!!

This product costs £20.55 for a 9g/0.31 US oz stick. Weight for weight, that would make it one of the priciest foundations MAC offer - a typical liquid foundation from MAC retailing for around £20 for 30ml/1US fl.oz. Therefore, budget amongst other things might play a part in your decision to purchase this...

In terms of packaging, the foundation comes in what basically looks like and oversized lipstick tube. It's simple and to the point, which some people might find a bit boring, but I think the packaging is small and portable enough to carry around in your bag for touch ups through the day. I mean, it is a stick foundation, so there isn't really any other way it can be packaged lol!

On the popular makeup alley site, 156 people reviewed the product, and of that number 66% stated that they would definately repurchase. As with all MAC foundations, breakouts are an issue - the MAC brand seems notorious for this, so as always if you are prone to breakouts, I'd exercise caution with any MAC foundation, and pay extra attention to cleansing the skin and keeping brushes clean...

I personally find this to be a great foundation for my skin, and would probably repurchase it. In terms of coverage, it can actually be used ina variety of ways to give different levels of coverage. It can also be applied in various ways to the face - ie, you can swipe directly from the tube onto the skin and then blend, you can apply with fingers from the tube or swipe onto a brush and then apply onto the face. I'm pretty sure you could use a damp spong to blend this, but I'm not a fan of sponges - I'm a brush or finger application type personally!

So for a light coverage I'd personally do a swipe on eack cheek, and maybe one on the forehead and a dot on the nose, and then spray with fix+/evian facial spray or similar, and then blend with my 109 brush. For a heavier coverage I would simply do more swipes on the face and blend using the same method. I was actually really surprised how easy I found this foundation to blend - it seems to warm up and melt on contact with the skin to a workable creamy texture.

I personally don't powder over the top as I love the way it looks without powder - fairly skin like in texture, and similar to the studio tech in this manner, but feels a little lighter on the skin. You could mattify it with powder obviously if you prefer that look.

I find that this has reasonable staying power on my dry combination skin considering I don't use a powder over it, and it feels quite moisturising on the skin. Oh and, somehow it makes my skin feel really soft to the touch. As it's in a stick, its easy to carry around with me for on the go touch ups.

A few reviewers on makeup alley mentioned that they use this as an alternative to a concealer, and I would agree with this to a certain extent - it's probably too heavy for delicate areas such as under the eyes, but is perfect for spot concealing and adding extra coverage to mild blemishes and pigmented areas. For under the eyes I personally like touch eclat or select cover up, as I haven't found any brilliant colour correcting products for this area yet... For really bad blemishes I'd probably go with full coverage foundation or studio finish concealer, but that's just me!

I'd say the only real drawback with this product might be the speed I go through it! Especially in the winter when my skin is drier anyway and I tend to prefer a creamier foundation, but even this would not stop me from repurchasing...

So anyway, I hope that some of you found this useful, and as always I'd really appreciate any comments/feedbacks or questions you might want to ask, that I haven't covered...

Love
MizzWorthy xxx