Make Up Forever HD Foundation in N123

So finally got around in making a review for the Make Up Forever HD Foundation that most of my readers have been asking me to do! This isn't the first time I've used this foundation, I've previously tried it before at a friends house a couple of times and managed to have trialed it for a period of a week. I was skeptical about it before cause I was still using my Lancome foundation, but now I've finally had the money to splurge on it, I finally have it!

Before I get into the actual review, here are some things that were speculating my decision in getting this foundation as well as swatch comparisons for those who are planning to get this foundation and using my MAC shade as a reference (NC25). 

Firstly, I wanted to get NARS Sheer Glow Foundation in Santa Fe. I had my eyes on that foundation but after asking a few people on The Make Up Social as well as my own judgements to determine if I should really get it...I then decided to investigate a bit more before investing in a new 'Holy Grail' foundation and I think *hands down* have found it. I'm so madly in love with it. 

For the purpose of this review, I wanted to show you the foundations I currently use and also swatch comparisons for the purpose of this review. Here are 3 of the foundations/tinted moisturisers I use regularly and also the comparison to the MUFE foundation in terms of shade.

Top to Bottom: 

MAC Studio Moisture Tint in Medium Plus 

Clinique Moisture Surge in 03 Neutral

Lancome Photogenic Luminessence in 03

Make Up Forever HD in 123

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I had a hard time trying to get my camera to focus with the swatches so my apologies as I tried my best to get these swatches up!

I compared my Lancome foundation with the Make Up Forever foundation for those who are a MAC NC25 (or close) to see the differences. The Lancome foundation was a great match as it was more yellowy and suited more to my shade. 

So, I wanted to see what the whole Make Up Forever HD Foundation hype was all about. It's been raved about so much in the beauty world as well as on YouTube. 

Coming in at a purchased expo price of $42, I was satisfied at the price I was paying for this foundation. We know in the US that's expensive but here in Australia, that is pretty reasonable (well to me) for a high end foundation. I mean, if you're going to start with make up I would highly suggest you invest in a good quality foundation. I've had my fair share starting off with drug store and slowly climbing up to high end foundations. This one hits the mark for me in the department of high end foundations and I am more ecstatic about finally having my hands on this and loving every single bit of this foundation.  

The main the reason why I opted for this foundation is because I didn't like the coverage I was getting with my Lancome Photogenic Foundation which was my existing everyday go to foundation. 

It was too sheer for my liking and I didn't want to apply two or three layers of foundation to build it up because that meant more product and slowly leading to a cake face. I initially didn't mind buying a pancake foundation (compact) at first (by all means hardout full coverage). I considered getting MAC's Studio Tech but for some reason just wasn't a fan of the finish after getting the MAC MUA to apply it on for me.

The only reason why I wanted a Medium to Full Coverage foundation is obviously to cover up the redness that seeps through my foundation as well as the patchyness I tend to get all the time when I wear foundation.

I know that to keep my skin looking flawless and 'picture perfect' for special occasions is to by all means be a little caked. I don't like using too much of the same product just to build it up but I know that with most foundations you need to that so you can control the coverage the way you like it. For me, I just want a 1 step full flawless face (and not the mention natural looking face) for a suitable everyday wear. 

Here are some face comparisons (here I didn't use a primer)

Without Foundation 

With Make Up Forever HD Foundation in 123 only with 1 pump of foundation. 

Also if you're wondering I am wearing contact lenses. Courtesy of Uniqso (in which I will do a review on real soon!) 

People tend to bit a little skeptical when you mention 'flawless' because I know sometimes I instantly think of cake face. But for me with this foundation I don't look caked I just looked flawless! The coverage is medium to full coverage and it is definitely buildable. I think one-two pumps is more than enough because this foundation mellows out onto your skin and settles quite nicely.

I used my Real Techniques Foundation Brush to apply and spread out the foundation and mellow out the foundation and harsh streaks of lines on my face with my Etude House Baby Doll Puff Sponge. A make up sponge will also do just fine as well. As you can see it's a tad darker on my skin but it's okay it's not highly noticeable and it's definitely wearable and fine. 

This foundation sinks into my skin immediately and takes probably about a minute or two to settle in and mellow out with a soft dewy finish. The coverage is pretty amazing for a liquid foundation – it covers most imperfections such as blemishes, redness and also minor freckles I have on my skin. It lasts about 5-6 hours on me looking fresh that being said, I do not apply a settle powder because the finish is perfect as it is. I think after that period you can use a blotting powder or translucent etc to get rid of excess oil and shine which may be present. Best of all it photographs very well and looks flawless. 

I've been using a non-silicon based primer in order for this foundation to not ball up and also look smoother and evened on on my face. I previously use and wore Smashbox's Photo Finish Primer. DO NOT USE any primer that is silicon based with this foundation or probably any other foundation if you find that your foundation tends to ball up. (This is what the MUA said to me and ever since I stopped the finish of my foundation looks amazing.) 

I've been wearing this shade for the past 3 days and so far I've been loving it. Hands down I will be definitely buying another bottle at IMATS because I snagged this bottle for $42 at the expo (rather than paying $58 at PM Studio).

To some up this review and not rambling on too much here are the pros and cons. 

Pros:

• Last all day long and does not budge. 
• Claims to be great on all skin types especially on 
• May tend to get a little oily near the end of the day (I have Oily Combination skin - I find this normal as I see this effect with all foundations I've used)
• It gave me a good 5-6 hours of wear til it got a little oily (like mentioned above)
• No need for setting powder 
• Matte and Natural Finish
• Looks great in photographs
• Skin looks absolutely flawless and picture perfect on camera (hence why I love it so much hehehe)
• A large variety of shades
• Glides on face and the formula of the foundation is watery and applies on like a dream

Cons:

• Not widely available in Australia in store 
• Pricey but much cheaper than most High End Foundations
• Packaging feels a bit flimsy 
• I personally found it a bit hard to be matched 1:1 with my skin shade but that isn't much of a problem.

To be perfectly matched to a MUFE Foundation I highly suggest you make a trip to PM Studio (for those who live in Sydney you can visit PM Studio at Waterloo. It's a 20 minute walk from Redfern Station and you can hop on their site to get their address) and get a MUA to match you.

Don't do the same mistake I did (with trying it on at the expo in different lighting only to find it was horribly wrong) and don't go buy observations online because this is a foundation we're talking about not a blush or bronzer! I know in the US Make Up Forever is widely avaliable at Sephora (so lucky them).

To purchase you can either go on PM Studio's website (here) or Media Make Up (here). This product retails at $59AU. 

Hope you enjoyed reading this lengthy review! Will be back with more reviews!

Love, J 

*This product was purchased by me. I have not been paid or reimbursed in anyway All of my photos are my own and my opinions and thoughts are honest.
*Contact Lenses shown in the comparison image has been sponsored but have not been included in this review.