MAC Face & Body Foundation in C3 Review

When I decided to use this as my chosen foundation of the week on Instagram I realised that I hadn't yet reviewed the Face and Body. I have a bit of a love/hate relationship with this so I guess I've been a bit reluctant to share my opinions as I just wasn't sure how I really felt about it. I have used this a plenty so can definitely share my thoughts and experiences with you. It's a water based foundation that gives very light dewy coverage and can pass as skin like, I found it a very strange foundation to use and understand but I can have pretty lovely results with this when my skin is in good condition. It has a "film former" ingredient in it which Lisa Eldridge explains perfectly in her video review of the Face and Body, so check out her video too >> https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=EYKwj73EVXE

I like the squeezy bottle packaging and the little nozzle on top! Simples!

Description from the MAC website:

A lightweight foundation that delivers a natural satin finish and sheer coverage. A comfortable, lightweight fluid foundation with a unique blend of emollients that delivers low-to-medium buildable coverage and a natural satin finish. The moisturizing, long-wearing formula glides onto face and body providing stay-true colour.

Upclose picture of the round and robust bottom of the MAC Face & Body indicating the shade ;D

I have this in the shade C3, but can also wear C4 too. F&B is a sheer foundation so you can easily be 2 or 3 shades in this range. I initially had a sample of the C4 and did enjoy using it but when I wanted to build it up I found that it became too neutral and not really yellow. I went back to the store and swatched C3, C4 and C5 together and saw that C3 had more yellow/olive in it than C4 and C5 was leaning too orange. With the F&B I did find it very difficult deciding a shade but I ended up buying the C3 as I'd rather build up to a more yellow/olive finish than a neutral or orange one, it just flatters my skintone better. Even though C3 matches me fine, it does oxidise and deepen a little, I have better matching foundations that don't oxidise on me hence why this is not a favourite.

Blended out... As you can see it has unified the skin on my hand but the veins are still visible.

I done some research with fellow olive/yellow skinned persons who are equally uncertain about MAC foundation shades and we had a very interesting discussion about the yellow/olive shades available in MAC through all of our experiences. One person mentioned that MAC actually don't offer true 'yellow' shades. The 'NC' range is more golden/orange whereas the 'C' range is actually olive but is more suited for South East Asians who have more of the green/grey neutral undertones. So the in-between olive/golden yellow undertoned people sorta get left out but compared to drugstore we have a better chance with MAC's 'C' or 'NC' range. If you're more on the olive side try the 'C' range out in both their liquid and powder foundations, which I'll be doing soon.

UD Naked Skin in 4.0 (Left) MAC C3 (Right)

The texture is very fluid and the bottle needs shaking as the contents tend to separate. The F&B is slightly thicker than the consistency of the Urban Decay Naked Skin Foundation which is much more liquidy. It's quite emollient to the touch and has a slight tacky texture, this does thicken when I've left this out on the back of my hand (or any surface) due to the film former aspect in this which is what makes the foundation 'set' and supposedly stay in place. I'm not too keen on the tacky nature of this foundation because powders can stick to it weirdly and can make it look cakey. But it's the tacky nature that helps with the longevity so I guess it works out ultimately, I just need to make sure I set it carefully and don't overdo it with the powder.

Application methods for the Face and Body have been interesting to say the least. I've used fingers, different brushes and sponges many a times to see which works the best with this strange liquid and I find that I get better overall results with my fingers but incredibly light coverage and a very natural look. I do prefer the finish I get with my fingers but it can take forever to blend in because I wait for that specific tug that you feel when the film former starts to kick in, the more fingers you use the quicker it thickens and the quicker it blends in. I feel like I can't build much pinpoint coverage with my fingers only, so I'll only really get light coverage like this. Sometimes I like to leave it without setting when I'm feeling in a dewy mood, or I'll set my t-zone only.

*UPDATE* : I've been using a buffing brush and I'm loving the results! It really does all the hard work for you and you can build upto a medium coverage! Yay! No more sticky fingers! 

I sometimes use my Real Techniques Pointed Foundation Brush when I want more coverage, I brush on the foundation and then use a sponge to pat it in and get rid of stroke lines, then quickly powder to set. But I've noticed the foundation and powder separates a little on my skin in certain places when I use this method. I'm not sure why it does this, I think it has something to do with the sheerness of the foundation and perhaps the film former ingredient separating from the emollients and pigments. Let me know in the comment section below or on Instagram if this occurs with you too. This doesn't happen when I use my fingers though.

I've tried sponges too but feel that initially applying with a sponge just absorbs too much product and I end up using an unnecessary amount and get barely any coverage.

Coverage-wise, this is very sheer to medium. I like to refer to the F&B as more of a skin tint rather than a foundation. It's excellent for when I want an extremely natural, undetectable, light coverage look, it makes my skin look more even and nicely unified. You can build this up to a maximum of a medium coverage, though if you have blemishes, acne scars, dark spots or hyper pigmentation, they will peek through so you'll need a concealer if you want coverage in certain areas. In my opinion this foundation is great for those with very good to good skin. I do really like how naturally even, healthy and luminous this makes my skin look but obviously only when my skin is behaving itself.

This is not the foundation I would choose on my awful skin days, hah! I actually get frustrated with it because it just doesn't cover well enough nor does it fill in pores or smoothen the skin, it's just too light and too shiny to wear when I have imperfections and blemishes to deal with. It's also too sheer to cover any under eye darkness so that area usually turns ashy, so I'd have to go in with a separate concealer to conceal my under eyes or avoid the area completely. Same thing with my mouth area, I do need to colour correct but since the foundation is so sheer it doesn't cover the orange, so I'd need a concealer on top, also because this works better blended with fingers you'll just be moving the orange concealer around which defeats the purpose, do you see my issues? I can achieve light to medium coverage with my other foundations so I don't really need to deal with the hassles of the F&B.

The finish of the Face and Body is luminous and dewy on me (before setting), your skin-type or the type of skin prep done beforehand or after can alter this. Oily skins will get an incredibly dewy/shiny finish, drier skins will drink it up and leave a natural glow. Alternatively if you use a mattifying primer you'll get more of a satin finish, if you've been generous with the moisturiser you'll get a very dewy radiant finish and obviously if you set this with a powder it'll reduce the shine substantially.

Those that love a dewy radiant finish will adore this. It's brilliant for people who have dull, dry lacklustre skin as I find it really perks up the skin. I adore the Face & Body when my skin is at its' healthiest and smoothest, because smooth skin exudes radiance beautifully. But on the other hand when my skin isn't behaving itself and I have breakouts or more texture, this would be the last option as light coverage and very dewy finishes can be a nightmare on textured skin as every bump is highlighted and prominent, it can literally turn me into a shiny bumpy mess, which is not a good look! Though a good pore filling primer can help to achieve a smoother finish or a pore filling powder like the Soap & Glory Kick Ass which is what I use, obviously. 

The feel of Face and Body on the skin is lightweight, though the slight tacky feel can sometimes be a give away and a put off. It's a hydrating and emollient foundation and not at all suffocating. This can feel 'wet' and oily if a lot is applied and especially after powdering you can feel something on your skin. I don't think this is the most lightest feeling foundation out there, the Urban Decay Naked Skin is a lot more lightweight and undetectable on the skin, with the F&B the oiliness/emollience is what I think gives it away.

As I mentioned before, this can be built up to a medium coverage, possibly...maybe a full but you'll need a heck of a lot of product to achieve that and the glossy shine will probably be visible from space so it's not really worth using half the bottle on your face! (Remembering that this won't cover any major blemishes or imperfections, you will need a concealer). This can build but very very gradually and it doesn't cake at all. I use a 50 pence size blob and it gives me light to medium coverage. I've noticed that I've gone through this 50ml bottle rather quickly considering it's not a favourite and I don't reach for it that often. It's just not worth it if it can only offer light coverage, unless of course you have fan-tabulous skin! Also comes in a 120ml sized bottle.

With regards to oxidisation, I feel like MAC foundations have a tendency to oxidise, with the Face and Body in particular I didn't experience any major satsuma-fication like I did with the Studio Fix, but I feel the Face and Body does oxidise on me a little. I think the sheerness of F&B saves it from turning too orange, this just makes me look a little more tanned which isn't too bad. I'm not surprised though to be honest but I would have preferred it if it didn't oxidise.

As far as longevity is concerned I don't think this can last very long compared to something like the Estee Lauder Doublewear which is infamous for its' longevity, using a time lengthening primer or tons of setting powder will definitely increase longevity of the Face and Body. I see the separation happening within the hour and I notice the foundation sits in a particular fine line that I have on my forehead. Overall it can last around 4-5 hours on me after setting before I see any new shine, it's not too bad because I do like some dew, though foundations do generally last a fair while on me because of my combination/dry/dehydrated skin-type, but I definitely have to set as the oiliness in this seems to encourage more of my natural oils to be produced so I'll eventually look very greasy!

I think this can last a decent while when properly set and primed but in my opinion the Face and Body is way too emollient to have strong lasting powers, regardless of the "film former" element in it and I most certainly don't find this to be transfer resistant. It's meant to be for the face and the body, I think it's used mostly in shoots to even out the colour of the models body and to make things look a little more 'perfect' on camera, but I don't think getting stains on clothes is too much of an issue for them, I personally wouldn't wear this foundation on my body and happily let my clothes rub or graze against it.

I do think this is a decent foundation and one to try out but it's definitely not a favourite of mine. If you have brilliant skin to start off with, this'll work out great for you. The only thing that I really adore about the Face and Body is how natural and luminous it looks, Face and Body looks great on me mostly when my skin is at its best and doesn't need a lot of coverage but I can achieve light natural coverage from my other foundations as well and not have to deal with the gripes of the F&B. I probably won't be repurchasing this when it finishes and will definitely "Back 2 MAC" the empty bottle.  I recommend getting some samples and trialling it yourself to see how you feel before purchasing it. As always I can't guarantee that you'll share the same opinions as mine and as per usual I hope this was helpful.