MAC Studio Sculpt Foundation and Concealer Review, Plus a Hello Kitty Look

NOTE: For product information and official promo images, click HERE.



Studio Sculpt Foundation

I admit, I was really iffy about doing a review on the Studio Sculpt foundation because a lot of you know that I only use mineral foundation. The first thing that touches my skin has got to be the purest mineral makeup there is, or else my skin would really act up, and hello zit farm! To expound on how insanely sensitive my skin is, I once went to the MAC counter for a makeover, and the MA used Hyperreal foundation on my mineral-spoiled skin. I grew two zits in a span of only three hours from the time Hyperreal was applied on my skin! I promised myself that I would never ever touch liquid foundation again, and I admit, up to this day, my skin just loves mineral makeup. It is its salvation, and my skin doesn't just thrive with mineral makeup, it blooms and heals because of it. However, I was really curious about Studio Sculpt because I read that this is MAC's answer to all the High Definition makeup inundating the beauty market right now. Add to the fact that I've read a slew of rave reviews about the Studio Sculpt, that really made me take the plunge and - gasp! - try goopy, gunky liquid makeup again.

Nonetheless, I still wasn't convinced that I could risk having another zit farm on my face because of one review, so I made a very small precaution that I think made a huge difference: to create the "mineral barrier" my skin needs and demands, I buffed in a very very small amount of LaurEss mineral foundation in Pure Yellow before I applied Studio Sculpt. I would say that in the future, I will always take the extra step of applying a very light layer of mineral foundation before applying liquid makeup, just to create the mineral "force field" that would shield my skin from ingredients in liquid makeup that cause adverse reactions.

I believe this extra step worked, because I've been using Studio Sculpt for two straight days now, and I have yet to see one small zit (remember my skin reacts to liquid foundations in as fast as three hours). I am amazed! If only for the fact that it doesn't break me out, Studio Sculpt foundation should earn two thumbs up!

Now to the nitty gritty. I have tried other liquid foundations in the past, and unlike Studio Fix Fluid or Hyperreal or even the Makeup Forever High Definition Foundation, the Studio Sculpt comes in gel form. It is not the gel that we actually visualize in our heads when we read that word, but it is gel in the sense that it has a thicker, creamier consistency. I am an NC30 in MAC, but this time I used NC25 because NC30 looked too dark on my skin. I also read that the shades of Studio Sculpt run dark. I applied it on my skin using the MAC 109 brush in fast buffing strokes because this formula dries up real fast. I set it using the Cargo Blu-Ray High Definition pressed powder.



The verdict?

UPSIDE: I love the finish. It is very creamy, and flawless, flawless, flawless. It makes my pores look smaller, and just gives an overall creamy look. It is not too matte, but not shiny either. The gel formula makes it easy to conceal dark spots and prevents it from being streaky. Wow, I can't believe I would be able to say that about a liquid foundation! I like the light feeling, or at least the feeling that I am not wearing liquid makeup at all. Usually when I wear liquid foundation, I really feel the weight on my skin, and it would most often itch. The Studio Sculpt doesn't do that. I have MakeUp Forever's HD foundation and I prefer Studio Sculpt over the MUFE - the finish just looks better on me. BEST of all, the Studio Sculpt didn't break me out!

DOWNSIDE: It is still not mineral makeup, so this is not something I would wear everyday. This would be great though for nights out, for special occasions, or on those days when I just want to wear it.

Studio Sculpt Concealer:

The concealer comes in paint pot pots and, like the foundations, the shades run darker than the usual concealers. That said, I used NC20 in Studio Sculpt.

UPSIDE: Can you say holy grail concealer? Oh my, I thought nothing could rival my Urban Decay 24/7 pencil concealer in creaminess, ease in application and concealing power, but it just got toppled from the top spot by the Studio Sculpt concealer. This baby si SO creamy, so easy to blend, but very opaque and would really hide stubborn dark undereye circles! It doesn't settle into fine lines because I blend the product well with my finger. I can't believe how it can effectively conceal and yet still look natural on the skin. I also apply mineral concealer on top of it and it wouldn't cake at all. Miracle product! MAC's Studio Finish concealer doesn't even come close to how creamy and easily blendable Studio Sculpt is. Studio Finish is thick but is quite hard to blend, especially on the undereye area. I totally would recommend Studio Sculpt over Studio Finish.

DOWNSIDE: None that I can think of, at least for now.

Overall, I was really very surprised with these two products. They are really of top notch quality. I have combination skin with a very oily t-zone, and yet it tolerated and even liked Studio Sculpt foundation. The concealer is one of the best I've tried. If you need to get just one product, I highly recommend the concealer. It works great on the undereye area and covers imperfections really well.

Finally, here's a look using the Studio Sculpt duo, the Hello Kitty Lucky Tom palette, Hello Kitty Fun & Games beauty powder blush, and other MAC products.















(All products MAC unless otherwise noted)

Eyes:
Beige-ing shadestick all over lid, brows and to line lower lashline
Perky paint pot on lid
Paradisco eyeshadow packed on lid using the 252 brush, to line inner lower lashline using Sonia Kashuk mini contour brush
Firespot eyeshadow on the crease using the 217 brush
Mulch eyeshadow on outer V using the 217 brush
Lucky Tom eyeshadow to contour crease using Sonia Kashuk blender brush, to line outer lower lashline using Sonia Kashuk mini contour brush
Creme Royal to highlight browbone using the 227 brush, on tearducts using Sonia Kashuk mini contour brush
Coastal Scents gel liner in Truffle
Victoria's Secret kohl pencil liner in Black Velvet to tightline and on waterline

Face:
Monistat gel as primer
LaurEss mineral foundation in Pure Yellow (very light layer)
Studio Sculpt foundation in NC25
Studio Sculpt concealer in NC20
Dayna's Rested mineral undereye concealer
CARGO Blu-Ray high definition powder
Fun and Games Beauty Powder blush using the 136 brush
Refined Golden bronzer to contour using the 138 brush

Lips:
Creamola cremestick liner
Ravishing cremesheen lipstick
Live & Dye lipglass