MAC Studio Fix Powder Plus Foundation | Foundation Friday

Foundation Friday

Jan 22

Hello and thank you for joining me! Today I will be sharing the first entry in my new Foundation Friday series and we will be covering MAC Studio Fix Powder Plus Foundation. I wanted to start the new Foundation Friday series out with a foundation that I’ve held near to my heart for the longest time and I could not be happier to share my favourite application, companion products, and who I think this will work best for.

With any powder foundation, skin preparation is crucial for the smoothest application. My favourite way to prime my skin for this is with the MAC Strobe Cream and MAC Fix+. Since my skin is more on the normal to oily side, I keep the Strobe Cream on the side perimeter of my face and then mist Fix+ generously over my face.

Base Layer

With any powder foundation, I always like to use and cream or liquid products first and then apply foundation. When blending out the products under the powder foundation, I like to start with concealer and then blend it out with a larger brush or a sponge. For things like liquid or cream blush, bronzer, or highlighter, I like to apply them as a wash of colour and avoid precision application as applying foundation will cause these products to move outside of where you initially place them.

However, if you are applying something like a cream blush and you want that to be a statement piece of your final look, then you need to apply it a little heavier than you initially would think as the foundation will mute the colour slightly.

Foundation

After the base layer is applied, I like to move on with the foundation application. If you want to try to keep the base layer intact, start with a stippling motion and lightly stipple the foundation over your face with a sheer layer and then apply additional whisper-thin layers until you achieve your ideal level of coverage.

After you have the foundation applied to your liking I recommend using a damp beauty sponge to gently bounce over the foundation to add back some moisture to the skin and help create a more realistic look as this helps the powder melt into the skin.

Brushes

When thinking about the level of coverage you want to look at the brush you are using: the denser the brush, the higher level of coverage you will achieve. Some examples of brushes I love for different level of coverage are:

MAC 150S Large Powder Brush, for sheer application (my personal favourite),
IT Cosmetics Heavenly Luxe #6 Flat Top Foundation Brush, for medium application, and
Real Techniques Expert Concealer Brush, for heavy application.

Tip: How to Get Full Coverage

When trying to achieve a full-coverage look with Studio Fix or any other powder foundation, I opt for a light to medium layer of coverage and then use a smaller dense brush for concealer-esque coverage. I find that trying to get full coverage with a powder foundation can, unfortunately, look quite thick and heavy while emphasizing things like skin texture, pore size, fine lines, and wrinkles. So, to achieve a full, perfected look I will use a full-coverage concealer under the powder, set with a thin layer of powder, and then proceed to apply the powder foundation as normal.

Wear Test

With MAC Studio Fix Powder Plus Foundation, I wore it every day for six days with different priming layers each day. My serum, moisturizer, and SPF stayed the same for all six days. Also I didn’t touch up the foundation on any of the days I tested it; however, I’ve worn this powder many times over the years and it touches up well with a light layer of translucent powder. I know some people enjoy using MAC Studio Fix Powder to touch up throughout day, but I feel like its gets very heavy very quickly.

Day 1: No primer and MAC Fix+

Day 2: MAC Strobe Cream and MAC Fix+

Day 3: La Mer Hydrating Illuminator and MAC Fix+

Day 4: IT Cosmetics Your Skin But Better Oil-Free Primer and MAC Fix+

Day 5: Tatcha Silk Canvas and MAC Fix+

Day 6: No primer and Charlotte Tilbury Flawless Airbrush Setting Spray

Days 1 and 6

The foundation wore well and lasted for eight hours, there was some oil coming through around the four-hour mark, at the 10-hour mark there were some minor signs of wear on the sides of my nose, and at the 12-hour mark there weren’t any other changes from the 10-hour check in.

Days 2 and 3

The foundation was slightly more luminous than it was on days 1 and 6. The biggest difference was I had an oily breakthrough around the two-hour mark. I will mention that these two products are strangely similar so if you are curious to try the La Mer Hydrating Illuminator then I would suggest trying the MAC Strobe Cream first.

Day 4

The foundation looked very smooth, and at the 10- and 12-hour mark I didn’t notice the signs of wear that I had the previous days. Also, the oily breakthrough held off until the seven-hour mark.

Day 5

The foundation wore as well as it did on days 1, 2, 3, and 6; however, I found it took me a few more minutes to get the foundation smoothed out to my liking. Not a major deal-breaker but for me I will save the Tatcha Silk Canvas for my liquid foundations.

Is Mac Studio Fix Powder Plus Foundation Right For You?

I honestly feel MAC Studio Fix Powder Plus Foundation can work well for all skin types with the appropriate preparation. If you have normal to dry, very dry, or dehydrated skin, I would suggest applying a more occlusive moisturizer and/or SPF follow by a more luminous skin illuminating primer. My top picks are the Olay Regenerist Ultra Rich (moisturizer) or the Becca Backlight Priming Filter (illuminating primer). If you have very oily skin I would suggest trying the Cetaphil Oil Control Moisturizer SPF 30 (moisturizer/SPF) or Fenty Pro Filt’r Mattifying Primer.

Hopefully you found this Foundation Friday helpful and thank you for spending your time with me!

Warm Wishes

Zack

Products Used

La Roche-Posay Anthelios Dermo-Kids Lotion SPF 50

MAC Strobe Cream in Silverlite

MAC Prep + Prime Fix+ (Original)

MAC Studio Fix Powder + Foundation in N4

Lancome Maquicomplet in 220 Light Buff

Hourglass Ambient Strobe Light in Iridescent Strobe Light

Hourglass Ambient Lighting Blush in At Night

Laura Mercier Matte Radiance Baked Powder in Bronze 03

Benefit 3D BROWTone in 4 Medium/Deep

Kosas Wet Lip Oil Gloss in Jellyfish

CoverGirl Clump Crusher Water Resistant Mascara in Black Brown

Tools Used

Morphe X Jaclyn Hill JH08 Anything Creamy Brush

MAC 150S Large Powder Brush

Charlotte Tilbury Powder and Sculpt Brush

Sonia Kashuk™ Radiant Blush Brush No. 5 (The exact brush I used in the video, Sonia Kashuk Blush Brush #29, is no longer available, but this is a similar brush.)

IT for Ulta #108 Airbrush Powder Wand Brush