Touted as the same as Mac Face and Body, but with better coverage, it honestly sounded like the exact thing I had been looking for. I have been a Mac Face and Body user for years, I loved it especially when the bottle was half empty, and the foundation changed texture and thickened slightly. It provided me with perfect dewy coverage, and it lasted beautifully on the skin, all day, all night. I’d rarely have to touch up, and if I did it never caked.
However, it was only this great (in coverage) when the bottle was half empty, so in the last year or so, when I had run out, instead of repurchasing I strayed and tried a few other foundations out on the market, but none have been as good as my trusty Face and Body.
As I mentioned, Mac Studio Sculpt was apparently designed to be a stronger coverage Face and Body, with some additional benefits of good ingredients and SPF. It is also a gel formula. When I went to get colour matched, the SA (sales assistant) advised NC42 for me. I’m a C5 in Face and Body, and usually a NC42 might be a good match for my skin tone, but with this particular foundation I think it’s too pale. Having done some research online, I’ve discovered that the shades are a little messed up and can run darker or lighter than expected, so word of warning; don’t assume just because you’re an NCxx in their other foundation ranges that you’ll be the same shade number with this one!
Application
Having tried this foundation both with my fingers and foundation brush (I have the Bobbi Brown foundation brush), I definitely prefer applying it with a brush. However the SA said it was better applied with fingers, so I’m not giving up 100% on that yet. I’ll let you know if I change my mind.
It’s easy to spread and works best on freshly washed and moisturised skin. I found it did sometimes have a tendancy to ‘sit’ on the skin if you’re not careful, but generally it was fairly easy to blend. The coverage is good, very easy to control from light to full, however even though the ‘full’ coverage would sometimes make my face look a little mask like, it strangely didn’t cover one or two freckles I have, that usually a heavy coverage foundation would cover pretty instantly. And it’s VERY dewy. Some people choose to then buff their face after with a brush, but I’ve tried that and prefer not doing it, I find it takes some of the foundation off and removes a lot of the dewy look, but then again, I don’t have the legendary 187 brush so maybe that’s where I’m missing out (it will be mine one day!!)!
To finish my base, I would then use a highlighter pen (like touche eclat) and maybe some concealer where needed and then I would move onto blusher (generally cream, this foundation works great under cream!), eye make-up, etc. As this particular shade is a tad too light, I darken the outside area of my face with a darker foundation to get a better skin tone match and use some bronzer, so bear that in mind with the last set of pictures – this foundation doesn’t ‘colour adapt’! I do also use a tiny amount of face powder under my eyes to help stop my eye make-up slipping, and maybe a teeeny amount on my forehead if I feel it’s too dewy and my fringe will get greasy otherwise, but generally I’m not wearing powder, I like dewy.
Performance
Well, as it’s water resistant and thus sweat resisitant (just like the Face & Body), it lasts ok. However, no way as well as the Face and Body did. I pull all nighters when I party sometimes and sometimes, back in the face and body days, my make-up pretty much still looked perfect the next morning with minimal maintenance. The studio sculpt doesn’t fare as well, but it’s not awful on the few occassions I’ve tested it in that situation. Admittedly, I do need to test this further with better observation, but I have noticed me feeling the need to take all my make-up off because my skin has obsorbed a lot of it and feels a bit dry, instead of feeling it looks passable.
The pros to studio sculpt foundation is that it
feels lovely on the skin, almost like you’re not wearing any make up. Definitely not horrible, or cloggy or dry. It’s a very comfortable foundation to wear. The second good thing about this foundation is that I’ve noticed it photographs quite well, it seems to reflect light beautifully, I’m sure when I get the right shade I will fully love this “light reflection” quality it has, but right now I worry it makes me look even paler.In summary, I like this foundation. I’m still getting to grips with it and will update any new discoveries as I find them, I do feel pretty when I wear it. Where it fails for me is the texture of your skin doesn’t look as great as it does with the Face and Body, but then it does provide a lot more coverage. Also, I have noticed I’ve been getting a few spots! I usually only get ‘a’ spot like once every six months, but I’ve noticed I’ve definitely been getting them now more frequently. However I’m hoping this will go after a while, once my skin gets used to the ingredients.
I wouldn’t recommend this foundation to anyone with oily skin, but if you have dry skin and want a dewy finish with good coverage, this is for you.
Studio Sculpt Concealer
The concealer is ok, however I find I don’t really need it. It covers spots perfectly, but when I use it to conceal redness around my nose, I find it wears off easily, but then I find that with every concealer as I’m always sniffling with a tissue (sickly child!). You can apply it with a brush, but I find it works better with your fingers, which some of you may not be up for doing as it’s in a pot (yes, ewww, germs)! It is a heavy duty concealer, and I think if you need a heavy duty concealer you will not be disapointed.
It gets a thumbs up for price as well! £22 for the foundation, and around £12 for the concealer. As with all Mac products, very reasonably priced considering it’s a good non high street foundation.
Here are a selection of pics of me wearing it:
This is how it looks worn with powder…
