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What can I say? This collection has been touted by MAC as their own HD or high-definition makeup collection, and I have to say I was pretty impressed with the face products. The Face and Body foundation is a wonderful, sheer-but-buildable foundation that doesn't look caked on but mimics the skin's natural appearance, which is exactly what HDTV is aiming for. Compared to other MAC foundations like let's say Studio Sculpt, this has a more natural, sheer appearance, but as I said, you can build the coverage in order to cover trouble spots on the face. I liked that it didn't break me out (woohoo!), and it blended seamlessly into the skin using my Coastal Scents kabuki-on-a-stick brush. I buffed a small amount of the product into the skin using circular motions. I added another light layer to build coverage. Take note that this is a water-based foundation, so it goes on light, and gives a dewy, very natural finish (love it!).
with flash
C4 was a tad too dark on me, so I tried C3, and it was the perfect, perfect shade for my skintone. I also love how gigantic the bottle is! The size is perfect however because this is supposed to be a face AND body foundation, so tons of product should be used to cover the body as well. Personally, though, I don't have the inclination to use it on any part of the body except my face, so I am super stoked about the fact that I still have a huge amount of product left.
Downside: The only downside I can think of this product is that if you need full coverage, this is not for you. It has light to medium coverage, so it is definitely buildable, but if you need more than that in terms of coverage, try MAC's other foundations like Studio Sculpt which worked for me as well.
Mineralize Skinfinish Natural (MSF Natural)
Like the shimmery MSFs, these are beautiful orbs of minerals that are baked in terracotta pans for 24 hours. I love baked minerals since minerals are good for and soothing on my skin, and the baked aspect allows me to tote around the minerals in compacts instead of in loose form. It is very convenient as opposed to messy loose powder. I so love the finish on my skin. It gives this beautiful radiance (not flat-out matte but not outright shimmery either). The name says it all: it just looks natural. This is now my favorite touch-up powder that I keep in my purse all the time. I use it with my EcoTools retractable kabuki brush and it does a fabulous job of keeping oilies at bay and refreshing my makeup after a whole day at work.
MAC recommends that the MSF Natural be applied after the Face and Body foundation to set the whole makeup look. I must say that this tandem is amazing. I've had my MSF Natural in Medium Dark with the corresponding highlighter from last year's New View collection:
This is such a lovely, lovely duo, but I realized that Medium Dark turned a tad dark on me especially in fall and winter, so I wasn't really able to maximize the use of the MSF Natural because of shade issues. Also, last year, the MSF Natural line did not have the Medium Plus shade. I thank the MAC Powers That Be that they now carry the Medium Plus shade, because just like the C3 shade in the Face and Body foundation, it is just THE perfect shade for me, year-round.
(See rest of the review and a look featuring the Face and Body foundation and MSF Natural after the jump)
Again, my perfect tandem: MSF Natural in Medium Plus and Face and Body foundation in C3. Medium Plus is officially described as "tan beige" while C3 is "golden sandy beige".
Using Face and Body foundation in C3 set with MSF Natural in Medium Plus
Here are some other shades of the MSF Natural:
The Deep Dark shade is amazing as a contour powder or bronzer, while the Medium is for lighter skin, although I can use it to lighten up a darker foundation.
Also from the In High Def collection is Close to Real lipstick. It's a light peachy pink shade that would work especially when I am wearing dramatic eye makeup. I love the peachy pink shimmer, and the lustre formula allows me to build the color.
All in all, I really like the face products, especially the MSF Natural in Medium Plus which is always in my purse for quick touch-ups. The texture is great, and it does give the skin a natural finish. The Face and Body foundation is one of the very few MAC foundations that didn't break out my skin, and I love the water-based, natural finish, so this is a winner as well. The combination of these two products is excellent and gives very good staying power. I highly recommend these two.
