Make Up For Ever Ultra HD Stick Foundation– A Real Life Review

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I am quite aware of how suuuuper late I am to the party on this one. To be honest, the idea of a foundation in stick form scared the bejesus out of me.

When I think of a stick foundation, I imagine the old CoverGirl contraption my mom used before I introduced her to the wonderful world of liquids.

But with all the amazing testimonials buzzing around this product for the last few months, there was no way I’d miss it! After all, I am always on the hunt for the perfect foundation that will get along with my notoriously unfriendly skin.

Learn more about the Make Up For Ever Ultra HD Stick Foundation- see how it applied, how it wore, and if I think it is worth the splurge!

Let’s talk about the MUFE stick foundation 

Shades

The foundation comes in an assortment of 15 shades, ranging from very light to very deep. This is great, as there are too many foundations out there that seem to neglect either end of the spectrum, focusing only on the light-to-medium skin tones. Although there aren’t as may shades as, say, the Cover FX Custom Cover Drops, the shade range here is varied enough that nearly everyone should be able to find something quite close to their skin tone. There also seems to be a good mix of warm, neutral, and cool shades.

I purchased the shade 120=Y245, which is the 3rd or 4th lightest shade in the range. (I can’t figure it out with the odd numbering system.) This is typically where I end up in the range, which shows that the color spectrum runs pretty average, and doesn’t run overly light or deep as a whole. (*Cough, I’m looking at you, Too Faced.)

Make Up For Ever Ultra HD Invisible Cover Stick Foundation >> Purchase at Sephora

Price & Packaging

At $43.00 for o.44 oz, this is quite a pricy foundation. That makes this foundation cost $97.73 per oz, assuming I did the math right. (Forgive me if I’m wrong, math was never my strong suit.) Either way, this foundation is expensive. So it better be good.

The high price tag is the trade off for the convenience factor this foundation offers. For women who travel, this is a perfect companion for weekend getaways for longer trips. The packaging is made of a sturdy plastic that doesn’t seem prone to cracking or smashing. Not to mention, it’s very compact. Since a stick foundation is considered a solid, can avoid taking up precious space in your liquids bag. For carry-on only travelers like me, this alone makes it worth the $43.

The product rolls up very smoothly. It just feels high-quality, if you know what I mean. To give you an idea of how much product you are getting, this is the product completely rolled up, prior to use. The actual product is about 1 inch tall, and the stick is about 1 inch in diameter. Super scientific, I know, but that’s the best way I can describe it. It’s not huge, but on the plus side you don’t need a tremendous amount of product to cover your face.

The formula is not without its quirks

The stick seemed a little darker than the tester in the store when I first opened it. I was skeptical, but I tried it anyway. Apparently the top oxidizes quite badly, because the color underneath the top layer was quite a bit lighter. Since using it for the first time, the color of the top of the stick has not oxidized back to the original color. Though, there is a noticeable shade difference between the top and sides of the stick. It doesn’t bother me too much, and I didn’t notice a horrific discoloration on my face when I first applied it, but I just thought I should mention it.

The second thing I noticed, which you may care about slightly more, is the smell. I don’t want to say it smells like a fart… well… okay, it’s not that bad. The foundation stick does have a very pronounced foundation-like smell that Make Up For Ever made no attempt to cover up. I am usually not very sensitive to smells, so the fact that I noticed it says something. If you tend to avoid funky-smelling products, you may want to visit this one in-store before you buy.

A surprisingly smooth application

Like everyone says, the texture of the stick is very creamy and it does not tug at your skin when you apply it. It’s quite surprising.

I prepped my skin by applying my usual moisturizer, but I did not use a foundation primer.

The photo above is my skin after applying one layer. I striped the stick directly on my face, one stripe on each cheek, one down my nose, one on my chin, and one on my forehead. I blended it with a foundation buffing brush, avoiding my undereye area. The foundation blended into my skin seamlessly, and didn’t leave behind any weird lines of demarcation. You aren’t left looking streaky or patchy.

E.l.f. Ultimate Blending Brush >> Purchase at Elfcosmetics.com

The first layer gave me light to medium coverage, which is what I typically go for. I would usually leave it at this, but I wanted to see how much I could build it up to a fuller coverage.

Below, I have applied another identical layer, (same amount of product, and same blending method.) This layer definitely got me to a fuller coverage, but you can still somewhat see my freckles through it. This is more coverage that I usually go for, but it is not unreasonable for me. Even with two layers, the finish on my skin looked very natural. It barely looks like I have foundation on.

The Wear Test

After I applied all the rest of my makeup, the foundation still didn’t feel heavy; it was surprisingly light for how much makeup I look like I am wearing.

Below is the starting point, just after I applied my final dusting of setting powder and my t-zone was nice and matte. Although, I don’t feel like I look too dry and powdery either. I really liked the initial finish.

Not oil-controlling in the slightest

Make Up For Ever makes no claims of this being a long-wearing or oil-controlling foundation. To be honest, they’re right. Though the finish looked amazing for the first three hours or so, my t-zone oil demons started breaking through around the 3.5 to 4 hour mark. I needed to touch up, so I used a blotting sheet to absorb excess oil, and applied another dusting of setting powder.

After about seven hours, the foundation was almost completely worn away around my nose and chin. It was also rapidly deteriorating on my forehead. I tried to do a second touch up to salvage it, but the foundation was breaking up and as a result, my powder was caking. I left it on for a bit longer just to see how bad it would get, (because I’m masochistic like that.) By the eight hour mark, I’d had enough of the nonsense and it was time to remove it. In case you are wondering, yes, it got worse.

The Final Verdict — Is it worth it?

Despite the funky smell, the exorbitant price tag, and its short life span, I really do love this product. I know, that is a pretty significant list of cons, but the ease of application and beautiful finish it leaves on my skin is enough to convince me.

It won’t be the foundation I’m wearing when I have a super long day ahead of me, but for evenings out, or for errands where I want to look presentable, this foundation is perfect. I suppose it will work better on drier skin types than mine. Nonetheless, I think it is a great foundation that is conveniently packaged and workable for most skin types.

I don’t know how long it will take me to go through all 0.44 oz. in the tube, but I will most likely be repurchasing when I run out. Now that I have it, I don’t want to live without it.

If you are in the market for a new foundation, you should totally try this one out. And if you are not in the market for a new foundation, then you probably don’t have a stick foundation, so isn’t that justification enough?

Make Up For Ever Ultra HD Invisible Cover Stick Foundation >> Purchase at Sephora

That’s all for today!

Related: Hourglass Immaculate Liquid Powder Foundation Review

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Till next time. ♥︎

FTC- This post is not sponsored by any brands mentioned. I purchase all products myself. All opinions are my own. Some links may be affiliated.