Happy Tuesday, y’all! Today, I have a very special and highly requested review for you all. We will be chatting about the MAC Studio Radiance Foundation. Which is designed to be a higher coverage version of their iconic Face & Body Foundation. I’ve spent the last few weeks reviewing it behind the scenes. Let’s talk about it!
MAC COSMETICS STUDIO RADIANCE SERUM POWERED FOUNDATION – $76.00 – maccosmetics.com.au
*56 Shades Available*
Starting with the packaging, the Studio Radiance Foundation is housed in a stout glass bottle with a black plastic cap on top. The glass is frosted and quite hefty in weight. There is gold detail on the bottle itself. Style wise, it’s basically an elevated version of the current Studio Fix Fluid Foundation packaging. So it’s nice that there is that tie in. The Studio Radiance Foundation contains 30ml of product.
The Studio Radiance Foundation is dispensed via a pump on the top of the cap. The cap has a click feature that you twist to lock and unlock the pump. If you’re at all familiar with the original MAC Fix + packaging, it’s basically the same dispenser. I know that this style of pump is divisive in the beauty world. But seeing as the original Studio Fix Fluid didn’t have a pump of it’s own until VERY recently, I’ll take what I can get.
The Studio Radiance Foundation has 56 shades in the line. Which is pretty standard for MAC. They’ve been doing large shade ranges forever. The shades are divided up into seven different categories, with an average of 7-13 shades per category. In a bid make finding your shade nice and simple, the MAC website does do a shade comparison between this range and the Studio Fix Fluid. Meaning if you know your shade in the Studio Fix, there should be a shade for you in this range.
As I am someone who knows her shade in the Studio Fix (I switch between shades N4.75 and N6 depending on the time of year), I was able to tell that to the person working the MAC counter in Townsville. We did have a little discussion as to which shade would be best suited for me. And ultimately, I went with N32, a true beige with neutral undertone for light to medium skin. Though I also feel like N18 would have also been a suitable match. The colour of N18 is great, but personally speaking, I prefer the undertone of N32 better.
As far as application goes, this is one of the rare foundations that actually applies easily no matter what you use. It just melts beautifully into the skin. My preferred method though was a sponge. I would go in with 2-3 pumps to start. And then an additional 1-2 pumps to boost the coverage if need be. It layers extremely well without looking cakey. I did test this out with a variety of different primers. I am yet to find one it doesn’t work well with. I do want to give a special shoutout to pairing this with the Glossier FutureDew. The glow it gives? Chef’s Kiss.
It’s no surprise that the Studio Radiance Foundation is loaded with skincare ingredients. This foundation contains a 10% Hyaluronic Acid Solution, Vitamin E, Jojoba Oil, and Olive Oil. All of which are fantastic for soothing, conditioning, protecting and improving the skin over repeat wears.
The Studio Radiance Foundation is described as being a long wear, medium buildable foundation with a soft, luminous finish. And on both counts, I genuinely agree. The finish of this foundation is absolutely stunning. It feels so lightweight and natural on the skin. I often forget that I’m wearing makeup when I’m wearing this foundation. It covers my dark spots with ease, but still allows my freckles to poke through.
Which brings us nicely to the wear test. And I really put this foundation through it’s paces. I wore this on 30° days, I wore this on days where the wind was belting me in the face. I wore this over 12 hours. And at the end of the day, it looked just as good as when I put it on that morning. This foundation wore like a dream. I had no sinking into pores, no creasing, no fading. I got a ton of compliments from people asking what foundation I was wearing. I cannot speak highly enough about it.
Well, not to bury the lead, but the MAC Studio Radiance Foundation is currently the one to beat for my end of year favourite. And if you’re in the market for a new long wear luminous foundation, consider this a must try. Have you tried the MAC Studio Radiance Foundation? Let me know in the comments. And stay tuned for Friday, because I’m not done talking about MAC just yet!
Cheers and love
Emily xo