MAC Matchmaster Foundation - Review

I picked this up awhile ago, and have not had a chance to write a review, because I keep going back to Perfection Lumiere, but MAC's Matchmaster Foundation is pretty awesome!

For $33, you get 1.18 fluid ounces (35 mL) of foundation in a tall, glass tube with a locking pump top. I really like how MAC's tubes lock, by twisting the outer plastic of the tube, because it's very easy to do. This process makes MAC foundations extremely easy to travel with. I find it interesting that MAC's volume for this product is an oddly specific number, 1.18 fluid ounces, rather than the regular 1.0. Nonetheless, you get a bit more than most companies would give you in the same price range.

Typically, I match to NC15 in MAC foundations (if they run light), and the lightest or second lightest warm shade in other lines. I was color matched to 1.0 in Matchmaster, and I believe it's a good match, with one caveat - I can't layer it. If I layer it, or try to build the coverage, it starts looking orange. One thin layer gives solid medium coverage, however, which works fine for my purposes. It doesn't appear cakey or mask-like, and wears well all day. This isn't a matte finish foundation - I would call it satin, which means I'm shiny at the end of the day, but I can live with that. I've suffered no breakouts or other skin issues while using this foundation.

The reason MAC is so proud of this foundation is because it contains "technology" that allows it to match almost anyone. The pigment is suspended in a clear "bubble" and allows it to "adjust" to the wearer. Yeah. Whatever. If you're an NC25, you can't pick up a bottle of 1.0 and expect a perfect. It gives some leeway to allow more people to find a color that may work for them, but I can't see an NW10 wearing my shade in this foundation and getting a match from it. 

The only real complaint I have about this foundation is the scent - it smells like the Cover Girl foundation I used to wear as a teen. A combination of paint and that eau de makeup scent. It doesn't last, and my brushes don't seem to pick up the scent at all. It's also pretty thick - sometimes I need to use a little over 1 pump for my whole face. For most foundations, I use 1 pump and I have a bit left over. Sometimes, I need a touch more. It seems to depend on the brush - a 187 uses less than the big Tarte brush released with the Amazonian Clay foundation (love that thing, though!).

Overall, this is a nice foundation. It does what it's supposed to do. I think NC15's will find a solid match in the 1.0 shade, but if you're boarderline like me, you won't find it buildable. I don't think I'll repurchase, because I strongly prefer my Perfection Lumiere (why do I have to like the more expensive one? WHY?!) to Matchmaster.