MAC Studio Tech Foundation (My shade is NW15). As with most MAC compacts it comes with a sponge and mirror.
You can see a swatch of this on my skin here:
(Front)
(Back)
(Product)
How much does it cost?
£23
Where can I buy it?
Either from a MAC Counter, Store or from their website/s:
MAC Cosmetics UK (UK)
MAC Cosmetics (International)
What is the formula like?
The MAC website description for this product describes it as "A tri-system blend of water, emollients and powder. Looks solid, glides on as a soft, creamy emulsion. Provides a natural matte, powder-perfect finish. Smooth to blend, easy to work with: provides a full range of coverage. Light diffusing: softens lines, creates a fresh, flawless finish. Good on all skin types."
Studio Tech has a very creamy formula. I found it applied well to the skin and blended nicely. It definitely leaves a matte, powder finish. I would personally use my hands to apply this as I found the formula quite streaky with a foundation brush. It works best with the warmth of your fingers. If you really detest the idea of using your hands then it also works nicely with a sponge.
What is the coverage like?
This was one of its downfalls in my opinion. I have pinkish/mild red undertones in my skin and I found I had to apply another layer of this to correct those areas of my face. The plus side is even after applying a few layers it still feels light on the face. Many of MAC's other foundations (such as Studio Fix Fluid) can feel very heavy just after one layer, let alone two. So this is a great light feeling foundation for Summer time. In the first photo below you can see one side of my face with one layer of this foundation and the other with two. (Also note in the first photo I have no foundation on my chin, just to show you the extent of the redness of my breakout)
I have marked which side of my face has 1 layer which has 2. You can clearly see the side with 2 layers looks better but there is still some redness showing through. The second photo demonstrates a third layer of this foundation.
Left Side: 2 layers
Right Side: 1 layer
(Up close)
Full Coverage (3/4 layers)
I also thought it would be interesting to show you how well this covers red spots. I have a few right now because I am nearing that 'time of the month'. I always suffer breakouts around this time, it's lame, I know.
Anyways, here I have applied 2 layers over the top of my spots. The one on my chin is a 'dry' spot meaning it's red and has dry skin around it. The others are regular spots. The reason I am pointing this out is so that you can see how well it covers dryer spots (with dry skin around them) compared to normal ones.
As you can see it does a pretty good job of covering up with two layers (I haven't used any concealer on top of it):
What is the lasting power like?
Not bad. It all depends on what you do in the day and how well your skin holds makeup in general. Foundations work differently for different people so please take what I am about to say as general advice and not 100% confirmation.
If you're just working inside (say at school/university or in an office) then this will last you most, if not all of the day, no problem.
If however you lead a more active life (say your job involves being outdoors, being active or if you just play sports) then you might not get the same results.
I really hate to say this about a MAC foundation but after going to the gym with this on I found there was barely any of it left on me once I was done. I've got drugstore foundations which have stood up to my workouts better than this one. I have dryer skin for the most part too (I usually only get a little shiny when it's super hot outside) so I'm not sure how someone with oily skin would get along with this. I'm guessing not very well. Their other foundations that I own last much longer on me.
Nevertheless I do love the light feeling of this and the coverage, once achieved, is really nice.
