MAC Face and Body Foundation Review

If you are anything like me and hate the look and feel of heavy coverage foundations, then you will LOVE this! MAC Face and Body Foundation is my current favourite foundation and have been using it for over a year now. It is a water-based foundation and provides light, sheer coverage but it can be built up to medium coverage. It feels so light, blends in so well, and lets my skin breath. It dries to a dewy finish which I love but you can mattify it by powdering afterwards. I have tried so many other popular foundations but nothing beats this. This is the only MAC foundation that I adore!

Most people assume that light coverage foundations such as this one are meant for people with nearly perfect skin, but trust me my skin is NO WHERE NEAR PERFECT! I suffer from hyper-pigmentation around the chin area/forehead and have a number of acne scars as well as the occasional breakout here and there. Instead of slathering on a full coverage foundation all over of my face, I simply use a full coverage concealer on my problem areas first followed by a light coverage foundation. I conceal with Mac Prolongwear Concealer (NC35) on my problem areas and then follow up with MAC F&B. I like to apply 1-2 layers of F&B to get the perfect amount of coverage for my skin. FYI, I apply this foundation with Real Techniques buffing brush and it works like a dream.

The shade I use in this is C4 which works well with my NC42, Olive/Tan skin tone. This shade is perfect for the inner parts of my face (cheecks, nose, etc) but a tad bit light for me around the chin (due to my hyperpigmentation). But honestly, this foundation is so sheer, I can't really see a huge difference. I would however say C5 is a much better overall match for my skintone and would choose C5 when I do repurchase it. I think you could easily get away with using a foundation a tad bit too light or too dark for you because this foundation is so sheer. For reference, I'd say C4 is best for NC37-NC42 and C5 is best for NC42-NC44.

BEFORE: Excuse my bare face (eeek :$ was recovering an acne-attack)

AFTER: Concealed, followed by 2 layers of MAC F&B and powdered. 

This foundation also gives you the most bang for your buck if you buy the large size as you get 120 ml or 4oz  for $40 CAD (Smaller size is $30 CAD for 50ml). Other foundations on the market that are along the same price range, typically give you less than half the amount of what F&B gives. Even though, I've used this foundation (occasionally) for more than a year, I still have 80% of product left. It is said to last for about 2-3 years before it goes bad and it's life can be extended if stored in the fridge. During the winter months, I keep it in my makeup bag or dresser but in the summer months I store the bottle in the fridge and decant some into a smaller container that I can regularly use.

MAC F&B is also amazing for flash photography as it doesn't give any flashblack or any white casts. Therefore, I'd say its best for night-outs or weddings as it doesn't have a sunscreen in it either. It also looks exceptionally natural in sunlight as well. However, it does have quite a shiny look to it, so its best to always set the foundation with a powder (I use MAC MSF Natural in Medium Dark). Because of the shiny finish, I would say its best for normal to dry skin and slightly oily skin.I can't speak too much about lasting power as I never really used it for more than 4-5 hours and never experienced any fading away.

So there not much left to say except that I love this foundation & totally recommend it!