MAC Face + Body Foundation Review, Photos and Swatches

Not a new product alert! MAC's Face + Body Foundation is not a new product, and it doesn't get a lot of attention, but it's well worth knowing about. I am seriously in love with this foundation. Honestly, it may be the only one I wear for the rest of my life!

Face + Body has been around for a long time, but at the beginning it was a Pro product, and only available at MAC Pro stores. As you might be able to guess from the name, it was designed specifically for makeup artists and can be used on the face and the body. But it's now not just a Pro product and available online and in stores to anyone who wants it. 

It was a bit ahead of the times, being one of the very first foundations on the market that actually looked like skin when applied. Now, particularly with the advent of high definition televisions and cameras, there are many to choose from (Make Up For Ever's HD Foundation is one to check out). Face + Body can still be found in many a makeup artist's kit. Can you imagine/remember a time when foundation looked like a layer of product on the face and that was acceptable? Well, it's still not the case in many instances on the internet but for those of us who still want skin to look like skin but better, there are still options out there. For those of us who want (or need) that hyper-artificial skin look, you know what to do! 

Face + Body is a light to medium foundation with a very fluid consistency that thickens as you apply it. It has a very dewy finish, is waterproof and lasts very well on normal to dry skin (less so on oilier skin types). It comes in 13 shades, but they're not shades that most of the other MAC foundations (and concealers) fall under (NC - neutral cool and NW - neutral warm, 15-55 - light to dark). The C and W codes relate to the undertones - cool = yellow and warm = pink. But for Face + Body the shades are coded as N (neutral) and C (cool) shades and the undertones (yellow and pink) are stronger. The 13 shades it comes in are N1, N2, N3, N5, N7 and N9, C1, C2, C3, C4, C5, C6 and C7.

In most of MAC's foundations and concealers I wear a NW15, the second lightest neutral warm shade, but in Face + Body I wear C1, the lightest cool (yellow) shade. Each time I try a new base product (foundation or concealer) at MAC, I test it on my skin, and yes, these are accurate shades. The NW15 works on me, and the C1 works on me, despite it being cooler and more yellow than the NW15 products. Go figure, and goes to show you how you should try shades on before buying if possible. Have a MAC makeup artist help you.

Face + Body comes in two sizes, the 50 mL bottle (1.7 US fl. oz.) and the 120 mL bottle (4 US fl. oz.). The 50 mL bottle costs $32 CDN and the 120 ML bottle is $42 CDN. 

Face + Body ingredients are photographed above. 

The bottle is squeezable, and comes with a built-in nozzle that allows for easy distribution and control. As mentioned earlier, this is a very fluid product, more fluid than most liquid foundations I've tried (L'Oreal Paris Magic Nude Liquid Powder and Hourglass Cosmetics Immaculate Liquid Powder Foundation are similar in texture). It's slightly thicker than water. What's also notable about the texture of Face + Body is that if you use your fingers to work it into your skin, you'll notice that the consistency thickens and gets less slippery. You can actually feel it settling into your skin. You can use a brush or a sponge to apply Face + Body but this texture change is most noticeable if you use your fingers. This is when I know to start to stop my blending. It's still blendable after this texture change and you can still apply more if you need to, it's just less slippery and you're tugging at your skin more than is necessary if you continue to blend it.

At about the 4:48 mark in this Lisa Eldridge video featuring MUA Mary Greenwell, you can see how she applies Face + Body Foundation, by massaging it into the skin of the model. 

Here it is on me. I apply a thin layer all over my face, focusing on the center and blending outward, and then going over any areas that need a bit more coverage. 

I like the dewy finish so I only powder areas of my face that tend to get excessively shiny and those where I've applied concealer to help set it. So mainly, I powder the centre of my face - forehead, sides of my nose and chin, and under my eyes. 

Face + Body applies beautifully, and even better on top of a primer. This is a foundation that needs and appreciates a bit of time and attention. It applies best for me when I use my fingers or a sponge, or a combination of the two. The dewy finish dries but not entirely, making it easy to apply cream products like blush, bronzer and highlighter on top of it.

The yellow in the C1 Face + Body helps to counter the redder areas of my skin and it's not overly yellow, as you can see. Since my skin is combination, I like wearing foundations that give me a dewy finish since my skin is going to be shiny eventually anyway. And as I get older, glowing skin makes me look younger. Face + Body fades a bit on me, but lasts about 12 hours. 

I have yet to try a foundation that I love more than Face + Body. I love how it looks on my skin (like skin!), the glow it gives my appearance, how it wears (all day!), and how it feels on my skin (almost as if I've got nothing on). 

I have not tried Face + Body on any body parts apart from my face (and neck). It doesn't set so it will transfer onto clothing without a good setting powder, though I can see this being useful if I was wearing an open neckline for a special occasion. Definitely not for everyday though.

If you're in the market for a new foundation and have not tried Face + Body, don't overlook this tried and trusted one.

Grade: A