The Review: MAC Studio Fix Powder Foundation

This review has been a super long time coming, and is no doubt going to make me feel a little nostalgic. Why? Well ladies, MAC’s Studio Fix Powder Foundation was the first higher end beauty product I ever purchased and my first ever MAC makeup item. Purchased way back when I first discovered The Persian Babe and my blogging life began – yes I know, this baby needs using up fast, and that’s how our love was rekindled…

Let’s start off with the basics, I use NC30 – in the depths of winter when I haven’t used my Clarins Liquid Bronze for a few weeks this can look a bit iffy if applied heavily, but otherwise it’s pretty difficult to look orange with this one. It’s coverage is pretty good, during the winter I can go a 9 hour day without reapplying, but I’m the summer I learn towards the naturally glowy/aka “sweaty, I just ran for the train look” even if running for the train hasn’t occurred. As a result it lasts for six hours at the absolute max. So if you’re an oily girl it’s worth taking note of this and carrying it around with you for touch ups. I find the best way to prolong wear in this instance is to use more mattifying moisturisers and primers to control the oil a little more.

This foundation is great alone, but I also love it when used in combination with tinted moisturisers or BB creams to give a little more coverage. This works really well in a day to night situation and helps to control shine in a club/pub sardine situation – ew. In terms of light to heavy coverage, I’d say this one sits at a nice light to medium – as you can see in the photos above a few of my freckles are still beaming through (just how I like it!). It could be heavy coverage, but to be honest I’ve never wanted to go that heavy so I’m the wrong girl to ask.

I use various different brushes to apply this. When I first started using it Real Techniques were’nt widely available, so the Sigma F80 was used for heavy coverage days, and a cheap little mini kabuki for when I wanted a light dusting. Now I use the Real Techniques buffing brush for anything from heavy to light. But I might occasionally give the Real Techniques Powder Brush a quick whizz through the pan and dust it over my face. The brush is so big it takes all of two seconds, so it’s great if you’re strapped for time.

I know the glowy look is still firmly having it’s moment, and I’m totally on board with that, but after scrolling through Into The Gloss on the way home recently and seeing a post on more matte yet luminous skin making a come back, I thought it would be a good idea to get reacquainted. I never thought I’d say this but I think I could actually get on board with this one. Will be put away the tinted moisturisers? Ha. Don’t make me laugh ;)…