Review: Makeup Forever's HD Foundation (Part 1)

Yes, my friends, it is time to bring out the big guns of blogging and share with you all of my best secrets, tips, and observations about the iconic, often ridiculed, sweetly surprising beauty that is Makeup Forever's HD foundation. (Now say that entire sentence five times fast!)

 

First of all, this foundation is not for the very oily or very dry skinned girl. It will combine with your natural greaseball of a face much too quickly if you are anything past combination, dissolving into a goopy mess. On the other end of the spectrum, it will emphasize dry flakes and make you look like a shedding snake if you are too dry skinned. Furthermore, If you are acne-ridden, have severe acne marks or potholes, please stay away. HD Foundation does not mean miracle to those who seek it. So, what the hell? Who is this foundation for, if not girls who want perfect skin?

 

Let me answer this question in the simplest way possible: It is for normal skinned girls with light to moderate dark spots and blemishes. 

 

Now, before you all throw hissy fits, you must simply accept this fact. There are plenty of other foundations that do much better in the oil control department. There are concealers that cover acne scarring like a patriotic duty. When you fit into the right skin category for this foundation, however, it will simply be worth the 42 dollars. Why?

• WIth no SPF, you will look radiant in HD photographs and videos as promised by its name.
• It is supremely lightweight while offering medium coverage.
• It will last for your entire workday. After a few hours, it combines with my natural oils to come to a beautiful finish that looks like second skin. In the summer, my oilier T-zone requires blotting which is a given. Look elsewhere if you are going to spend your days outside and sweating. In fact, wear something with a sunscreen.
• It plays nice with a Beauty Blender, your fingers, and a Real Technique's buffing brush. With any kind of tool I've used, this foundation blends beautifully.
• The color range is phenomenal and you will most likely find your exact match. Ironically enough, HD foundation is also very forgiving. I wore N120 when I was NC20 to NC25 and I use N123 for NC30 to NC35.
• Two pumps covers my face and neck. 

My mom is the type of person who uses MAC's Studio Fix Fluid or Pro Longwear on a daily basis and keeps this bad boy in her arsenal for camwhoring. She seriously keeps it on a shrine. With her oily and acne-scarred skin, she simply dusts on a loose setting powder and keeps her photoshoots short and sweet. She doesn't wear this out all day and expect it to perform like her MAC foundations. Her skin in photos looks perfect when it is far from it.

For me, I use this on a daily basis. If you haven't already gleamed from the list of merits above, let me tell you a short story. I often troll MAC counters and Sephora stores every other day, and the reps and makeup artists always wonder if I'm wearing a powder, since my skin looks so nice but not made up. Yes, I am. Yes, my skin is also a blessing, but it does have a few dark spots, fine lines, and dry patches. Nobody can tell I'm wearing makeup when I have this on. When I wear Revlon Colorstay, the girls tend to say, "I like how your foundation looks."  Aw hell no! 

This foundation has been hyped for quite a while now, and I can understand why. However, it also has haters. People who say that this foundation did nothing for them, or that they couldn't justify the price tag, or that it simply was too heavy, or that it broke them out. Their statements may be true, as foundation is never one bottle for all. In my experience, however, it is just the best foundation because it evens out my skintone very well and makes me look flawless after spot concealing.

If you are not convinced, maybe you shouldn't be. There seems to be a very narrow group of people who can enjoy this foundation, and I'm glad I'm in it. Otherwise, look elsewhere for a HG foundation and save us the bemoaning!

That's all for today folks! Pray tell if you've use this foundation before or tried it when it was first hyped. What is your experience with HD?

Next, I will show you my application of the product and how it looks swatched with other comparable shades for your reference. Stay tuned!

First Look | MAC MUFE NARS

Summer is here! I do have a few items from a recent haul to show you, and since these are mostly new to me, I'd like to also give you my first impressions of the products.



This is my small after-vacation haul. I planned to pick up a few thicker opaque concealers for dark spots, as I don't have dark circles unless I have been up for 2 days straight. Even then, I am fortunate enough to not deal with severe raccoon eyes. I do have Maybelline's Age Rewind concealer in Medium, but I suspect it is for undereyes as the formulation is not as creamy and stay put as I like for acne scars and blemishes. I also picked up Makeup Forever's Aqua Rouge out of curiosity and their iconic HD Foundation in my summer shade. Lastly, thanks to recs from essiebutton, I decided to give MAC'S Crosswires a chance.





This is MAC's Studio Finish concealer in NC30. I like that it's in a pot, but this could get unhygienic very quickly. The color match is spot on, the formulation is thicker than cake batter, and it seems to cover everything with ease. This retails for 18 dollars.





Next is NARS's Radiant Creamy Concealer in Ginger. The lighter choice seems like a perfect match for NC25, but I already have a concealer for the winter. This color is also a great match for NC30-NC35, and I believe it can be used as both an undereye or blemish concealer. The formulation is a creamy liquid that is not too thick and spreads easily on the face. The doe foot applicator is precise, and the packaging is very purse friendly. This retails for 28 dollars. Yikes!





This is Crosswires from MAC. Yowza, it's a bright watermelon pink! I expected much less pigmentation from a Cremesheen formula, but it's a pleasant surprise. This color fares better alone on the face, being much more pigmented and brighter than I thought. It retails for 15 dollars.





This needs no further introduction; it is Makeup Forever's HD Foundation in N123. I am usually N120 in the wintertime (for NC20 to NC25) but I needed a much darker shade for my new tan. 123 actually looks much darker and more golden than 127 while they are the same shade. I would say this fits an NC30 to NC35. I have had a great experience with this foundation especially for photography. It is a thin formula with medium coverage and long lasting capabilies. Sadly, it retails for 42 dollars.







Lastly, this is MUFE's Aqua Rouge in 18. I would say that this is the high end equivalent of the drugstore color/gloss duo pens. However, the gloss is very hydrating and essentially seals in the color for hours. My one gripe is that the product smells like artificial lychee glue. Nasty. On the positive side, 18 is a wonderful coral-orange that is lovely for summer. This sucker lasted through a meal at a burger joint. And if you know me, I don't eat my burgers like a lady. If you want long lasting shine and color that won't dry out your lips, this is absolutely wonderful if you can stand the smell. This retails for 24 dollars.

That is it for my first look post, I hope you found it helpful. If you would like an in depth review on any of the products above, please leave a comment and let me know!
I also have made a recent, mind BLASTING discovery and would love to share that with you if you're interested. It involves a very inexpensive brush...

Anyway, have a nice days guys! I'm back to packing my things for a move to LA and donating old clothes/shoes to Goodwill. I'm not sure if anyone wants to take my makeup, but I could have a blog sale if that's a way to get rid of the clutter.

Bye!