MAC Studio Fix Fluid Review

In the past I have never been a fan of MAC foundations, for two reasons. Firstly, the shade range- Oompa Loompa was the only option for me unfortunately! Secondly, the smell. Does anyone else get that distinctively paint like smell from MAC foundations or is it just me?

On a recent holiday I decided to treat myself to a new foundation and thought I'd check out the new shade offerings from MAC. I was very impressed- finally a MAC foundation for pale girls like myself! I currently wear the shade NW10 which suits my skin tone perfectly, something I usually struggle to find. The only other foundation that has suited me as well is Bobbi Brown's Skin Foundation in Porcelain. The reason I switched to the MAC this time is that my skin has been quite a problem lately and I needed a foundation with a higher coverage.

I graduated from college not long after buying this foundation and for me, it was a really good way of testing the longevity of Studio Fix Fluid for a number of reasons;

1. It was quite hot on the day of the graduation- and combined with some seriously heavy robes I didn't want my make-up to be sliding off my face! Thankfully this didn't happen and it stayed in place despite the heat.

2. The nerves and stress leading up to the graduation played havoc with my skin-meaning I had to wear quite a lot of make-up. I followed the tried and tested Lisa Eldridge technique of applying a few thin layers of foundation and letting them set in-between, rather than one super-thick layer. This technique really works with MAC Studio Fix Fluid. I applied one layer, followed by concealer and then one more thin layer of foundation. This gave me the perfect amount of coverage without looking like a caked on mask.

3. There were so many photographs taken on the day, and looking back on them I'm very happy with how this make up photographed. The finish of the foundation is slightly dewy (not as glowy as Bobbi Brown's Skin Foundation) which I like but for such a long day I did powder the skin to set everything in place. I used Rimmel Stay Matte Powder in Translucent. This combination left my skin with a slight glow in photographs but not an uber- shiny face look.

4. This foundation has some serious lasting power. Given that I put my make-up on at 10.30 that morning- it was really put through its paces. With the ceremony in the afternoon, a meal afterwards and a night out in the city to follow it really had to last all day! I'm happy to say that when I haphazardly came through the front door at five the next morning my make-up wasn't looking too worse for wear.

Sorry for the rather long review but I think this might be a holy grail foundation for me as it is the perfect shade, coverage and finish!