MAC - Well Defined (Studio Sculpt) Discussion

[Ernie]

Well I wore the foundation all day today and it wore well. This looks very natural. For me, I was true to color NC15. No oxidation or anything. I started by using a Mac sponge, but the weirdest thing happened. When I started applying the foundation on the sponge to my face, it had a terrible odor. I smelled the foundation alone, it was fine, then the sponge alone also okay. For some reason when combined it had a nasty smell. So I proceeded to use my fingers which worked great. Also I used less foundation that way.

The concealer also worked well for me, no creasing or anything.

 

[Makeuplovingal]

Quote:

Originally Posted by phatty033 sounds exactly like me! i was thinking of getting nc20 as well..well let us kno when you get it and what color you got matched to!

Went to my MAC Counter and was matched to NC20 or NW15. NC15 was too light. Its funny...NW15 looked more yellow than the NC15! Anyway, NC20 is a pretty good match..maybe a tad too dark. MUFE HD so far, though, is better than Studio Sculpt, although studio sculpt has more coverage. When I first put Studio Sculpt on yesterday, I hated it. It looked awful. I applied it with the 187 today instead of my fingers and it looks a lot better, but not nearly as natural as MUFE HD is on me. So far it is not the greatest for me, but I'll give it a third shot...otherwise, it is probably going back.

 

[BunnyBunnyBunny]

Quote:

Originally Posted by Meryl Me too! Pinky NW20 face and NC20 neck and body. I have a question for you... most MAs want to match me up with NW20, but I find that it really accentuates the pink and makes my face look redder, especially if I'm wearing a crew neck or scoop neck Tee, with my hair in a pony tail and you can see my yellow neck. I usually prefer NC20 for my face, if it's sheer enough, but NW20 for concealer. What do you usually do?? And why do the MAs not look at people's necks? Or don't they think it matters?

Well, since I work at MAC I have been able to try all of our foundations. Since nothing has ever matched me well enough I usually just use NW20 Fix Fluid. That color blends well but is too dark for my face and turns ORANGE if I put it on my neck. So I would put that all over my face, and then put NC20 Fix powder on my neck and blend them right at the jaw. Then I'd put Bronzer on my cheeks and neck just to make them look right. Unfortunately if I was to take off my shirt Id look QUITE off.

This foundation however blends flawlessly into my neck. I can choose to wear bronzer for a deeper look OR I can just wear blush and have my pasty paleness and have it look nice. :3

 

[stv578]

I wore this today close to about 9 hours and it lasted great. The first MAC foundation ime that actually stayed on. My make-up over it looked fresh as well. I have to say though, my only issue with this is that it did end up making the lines around my mouth look worse. I know my skin is super dry at the moment with the weather and acne treatment drying it out, so I'm going to give it a try tomorrow with a primer underneath that area to see if it'll help. Perhaps the line filler MAC's coming out with soon will help?! I also noticed that this is a 40 ml tuble compared to 30 ml for my EL fndt and still around $10 cheaper. So, that's more reason I hope this stuff will work out.

 

[abbyquack]

Ok am I the only one who got greasy fast wearing this? I must be b/c everyone else is so impressed with it. I love the look but I have had to blot w/ powder three times today. So weird! I have generally dry to normal skin too.

 

[BeautyPsycho]

Quote:

Originally Posted by BunnyBunnyBunny A little shiny and stubbly after like 10 hours, but still nice eh??

Wow, you look freakin' great!!!

And I love your necklace

 

[noahlowryfan]

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Originally Posted by xoleaxo I checked out this foundation yesterday; in my opinion, they run dark. I usually wear NC35, but that was too dark for me. I tried on NC30 which was a much better match! The MA set it with NW20 sheer pressed powder, which I feel made it a little too pink and also powdering looking. Today, I spritzed with Fix+, applied foundation, then I set it with medium-dark blot powder--it looks so good! I really like that it is so lightweight and natural feeling! You can't really tell you're wearing anything at all. The finish is also super natural; it's not matte, but not extremely dewey. The coverage looks natural too, which I really like, even though it doesn't cover my acne scars that well. I tried layering for better coverage, but it just ends up looking flakey and cakey.. tips? Overall, I really like this foundation! I wore it for 10 hours yesterday and it still looked fresh at the end of the night--i didn't even blot. The packaging is a plus because you can squeeze out just the right amount, plus it's not messy. I'm acne-prone but haven't noticed any sign of breaking out yet since wearing it for 2 days.

I usually wear NC35 too. Maybe I should try NC30.

 

[Meryl]

Quote:

Originally Posted by stv578 I gotta tell you all, I cannot be bothered to apply foundation with a brush. I use my fingers with all of them. I find it to be the quickest and cleanest way to apply, since I wash my hands before applying moisturizer, then wash 'em again before applying foundation. So... having said that, this was a little trickier to apply than my current HG (which is Estee Lauder Double Wear Light), but I consider it quite blendable still, compared to say NARS or LM Oil free. The coverage is the best part about it, it can be sheered out where all you need is to even out skintone, and can go on much heavier to cover imperfections. The only thing is, I know a lot of you are saying this runs lighter, but for me, i found the opposite. So dunno if it's just the lightest shade, but I had to go a shade down.

I also always end up using my fingers. Even if I start off with a brush, I finish with my fingers and it looks better!

Re: shades running darker... as I mentioned, I'm NW20 with a NC20 neck.

After trying these samples at home, in full sunlight, my final opinion is this:

The NW20 is a bit on the dark side.
The NW15 is more natural, if used sparingly.
I often use a very sheer NC20 because I want my complexion more neutral, but this NC20 is ridiculously yellow on me.

So, for someone who usually likes a NC20, I'm using the NW15.

 

[erine1881]

Quote:

Originally Posted by MaryJane I can't wait to try my samples tomorrow. I really, really hope this doesn't cause breakouts. Most reviews I've read have said that it doesn't but no one has been wearing it that long and breakouts can occur after wearing for several days. I asked the MA if it was oil-free and she said that none of Mac's products were oil-free (that was news to me) but that was dermatologist tested. I wanted to tell her just because it was dermatologist tested didn't mean it wouldn't cause breakouts. Should your concealer be the same shade as your foundation?

that cracks me up cuz they are oil-free in the conventional everyday thinking that people have, meaning they don't contain mineral oil or other bad oils. they oils they contain if they do are natural oils that are beneficial to the skin, like jojoba oil, avocado oil, etc. if customers ask us if they're oil free, we are supposed to say they don't contain harmful oils, just natural ones that are helpful to the skin.

as far as your foundation and concealer being the same color, yes. but only in color, not necessarily the same number. does that make sense? they are both supposed to match your face-not lighter or darker. the number may change depending on where you're using it, but they should still match each other and your face.

does that help? sorry, its confusing to type.

Quote:

Originally Posted by feeb I do have a question for Ernie the MA , do you find the NW's in the studio sculpt to have more of a yellow tone and the NC has more of a pink tone?

you mean me?

these colors are all jacked up, so its hard to pick one without trying them on. as with all foundations, some are a bit wonky. some NWs are more yellow, because of the N, and some NCs are more pink, again, because of the N. you use both yellow and pink to get N, but some have more than others.

and like yslguy says below, nc50 and nc55 are funky. i tried nc55 on a girl the other day and it was too ashy, so i tried nc50 and it was perfect. i think because on her skin nc55 had more pink, which made it ashy.

these are fantastic foundations, but YOU GOTTA TRY THEM ON!!! the colours are all messed up! that's my only complaint on them.

Quote:

Originally Posted by YSLGuy A word of the wise for the darker ladies...be careful with the NC 55 and the NC50 (I think those were the two). The NC50 is actually DARKER than the NC55. If you are normally a NC50 and want to try this, you NEED TO BUY the NC55. Check it out before buying just in case, but I had this problem and heard another person had the same problem with the same numbers.

 

[Ernie]

Erine ~ Ernie = confusing!

 

[cipelica]

Does any one of you find it cakey?

 

[Shoegal-fr]

Quote:

Originally Posted by cipelica Does any one of you find it cakey?

Nope, not at all... for me, it is the opposite of cakey...

 

[feeb]

Sorry Erine for the mistake, yes I meant you

it was a typo on my part. Sometimes I am such a goof ball when I type so fast.Thank you so much for the information. I do love this foundation but will have to go back and get rematched, maybe another shade will look better on me..fingers crossed. As far as the concealer..oh its so perfect and creamy..finally a perfect concealer

.

 

[feeb]

I dont find it cakey if I apply it lightly (187 or my fingers), but when I put too much on my face with the foundation brush(other brand not Mac) it went on to heavy and this caused it to go cakey on my face.

 

[stv578]

Well I'm kinda bummed. This stuff has to go back. I wore this to work today, and looked in the mirror mid-morning and noticed that the lines around my mouth (marionette lines) were really exaggerated with this stuff on. To give you all some perspective, I'm only 33 and while I do have those lines, they aren't all that noticeable when I have no make-up on. This stuff makes me look 5 years older. I tried using some primer underneath today, and moisturizer. I also find that if applied heavily, which I did on my chin to cover my acne scars, this did look cakey and dry. I was seriously hoping it would work... oh well, back to EL DW for me. At least that stuff just looks like me, only with less imperfections!

 

[Winthrop44]

Quote:

Originally Posted by stv578 Well I'm kinda bummed. This stuff has to go back. I wore this to work today, and looked in the mirror mid-morning and noticed that the lines around my mouth (marionette lines) were really exaggerated with this stuff on. To give you all some perspective, I'm only 33 and while I do have those lines, they aren't all that noticeable when I have no make-up on. This stuff makes me look 5 years older. I tried using some primer underneath today, and moisturizer. I also find that if applied heavily, which I did on my chin to cover my acne scars, this did look cakey and dry. I was seriously hoping it would work... oh well, back to EL DW for me. At least that stuff just looks like me, only with less imperfections!

Awww...don't feel bad, you can be in my club. Before I reacted to the sunscreen (or whatever I reacted to) I felt it emphasized the fine lines around my eyes compared to my Chantecaille. I know people are saying it's so natural looking, but to me it makes the skin look plasticized, not so natural, really alot like some tinted physical sunscreens I've tried. That works on tight, young skin to make it look almost photoshopped, and I can see why runway models would love it, but irl on...let's say more mature....skin...I don't think it's all that. As long as you have something else you like don't feel bad!

 

[Heiaken]

Quote:

Originally Posted by stv578 Well I'm kinda bummed. This stuff has to go back. I wore this to work today, and looked in the mirror mid-morning and noticed that the lines around my mouth (marionette lines) were really exaggerated with this stuff on. To give you all some perspective, I'm only 33 and while I do have those lines, they aren't all that noticeable when I have no make-up on. This stuff makes me look 5 years older. I tried using some primer underneath today, and moisturizer. I also find that if applied heavily, which I did on my chin to cover my acne scars, this did look cakey and dry. I was seriously hoping it would work... oh well, back to EL DW for me. At least that stuff just looks like me, only with less imperfections!

That made me wonder and think that since this foundation is tested on runways and models that usually are very young they haven't even considered those kind of things, the fine lines that you start to develop after mid twenties.. The ones you really can't see put are there and to wich make up can linger.. Just a though..

 

[blindpassion]

So... I wore this yesterday... and Im having a love hate. I put it on and hated it while I was applying it, but 20 minutes later I liked it?

I dunno
but it can look cakey over acne!! I will tell you that much.

 

[stv578]

Quote:

Originally Posted by Winthrop44 Awww...don't feel bad, you can be in my club. Before I reacted to the sunscreen (or whatever I reacted to) I felt it emphasized the fine lines around my eyes compared to my Chantecaille. I know people are saying it's so natural looking, but to me it makes the skin look plasticized, not so natural, really alot like some tinted physical sunscreens I've tried. That works on tight, young skin to make it look almost photoshopped, and I can see why runway models would love it, but irl on...let's say more mature....skin...I don't think it's all that. As long as you have something else you like don't feel bad!

Thanks for the kind words! I absolutely hate having both dry and acne prone skin. It's either I aggravate my acne by moisturizing it enough that it's not dry, or I put up with dry skin with less break outs. SUCKS! But ya, I do have something else I really like, it just bugs me that a) it's expensive and b) i have to mix two shades. But hey, at least it works! What's this Chantecaille foundation you speak of?!

Quote:

Originally Posted by Heiaken That made me wonder and think that since this foundation is tested on runways and models that usually are very young they haven't even considered those kind of things, the fine lines that you start to develop after mid twenties.. The ones you really can't see put are there and to wich make up can linger.. Just a though..

I love how you worded this! Makes me feel better!

 

[blindpassion]

Heres my two FOTD's wearing this foundation if anyone is interested:

http://www.specktra.net/forum/f166/b...opical-130312/

http://www.specktra.net/forum/f166/b...n-fotd-130156/