When MBB reader Indoorkitty asked me a question about my current foundation love, MAC Face and Body, I thought, “Great time to gush!”
But first, allow me to gush for a minute… 
Wait — what?! You haven’t tried MAC Face and Body before?? Check it — it’s a total beauty staple, like bread, gravy (for Tabs) and milk. I love that the coverage is flexible, so I can wear it sheer or build it up, and the finish? Oh, the finish… mostly matte, but with a hint of glow. Dewy, like I just walked under a mister, but not all wet-looking like I loitered underneath it for long. It’s just enough dew to keep your skin from looking flat.
And it does all of its awesomeness without feeling heavy at all. In fact, it feels like I’m hardly wearing anything at all! Yup, my previous MAC foundation affair with Studio Sculpt ended on my first date with MAC Face and Body.
Okay, okay, I’m done gushing (for now)… Let’s talk about Indoorkitty’s question:
“Karrrren! This used to be one of my favorite foundations but I’ve forgotten how I put it on. I’m doing a bunch of work travel and srsly considering just bringing it with me + playing with each brush I own in my spare time to find the mojo again. I think I used to use a stippling brush then buffed it out… Which brush do you use to apply/buff it? Please share! It pains me to have such a massive bottle of this in the right shade without being able to put it on successfully.”
-Indoorkitty
Hi Indoorkitty,
First things first: love your screen name (and always have!). Second, and more relevant to your question, Face and Body’s texture can make it a little tough to work with, especially if you’re out of practice. It’s kinda runny, but don’t give up on it! You’ll get the hang of working with it again. Ultimately, it all depends on the level of coverage you crave.
If all you want is a sheer semblance of sheer sheerness (in other words, very sheer coverage), use your fingers and really work the product into your skin. That’s what I do sometimes. It gives a light hint of tint, which is usually enough to mask my red areas but not enough to cover blemishes.
When I’m in the mood for more coverage (with this, anywhere up to medium), I’ll use a foundation brush instead of my fingers, and apply it in thin/light layers.
You could use a traditional flat foundation brush for this, one like the MAC 190, but I usually steer clear of those. For some reason, when I use them with MAC Face and Body, I get foundation streaks.
I like to apply this using a brush with a rounded head — feel like I get more of an airbrushed finish that way — and my fave is the Hourglass Foundation/Blush Brush No. 2. Unfortunately, it’s not cheap, but there are some good budget options, like the $10 Ecotools Bamboo Bronzer Brush, which has a similar shape.
Most mornings I’ll apply 2-3 sheer layers, swirling the brush head, and then once I reach a level of overall coverage I like, I zoom in and target the areas where I want a little more coverage, pushing the product into my skin there, rather than swirling.
Also an indoor kitty…
Optional: After I’m done doing my layers, I like to gently buff my entire face using a MAC 187 Duo Fibre Face Brush. I think it just sort of settles everything down… Sometimes I skip this step, but when I do, I’m really careful to blend in the foundation after my swirling/patting.
I know I’m not alone out there in loving MAC Face and Body. If you’re another one of its fans, how do you like to apply it?
Bay Area gals, if you’ll be in San Francisco today…
How quickly can you get to Union Square? Shiseido Artistic Director Dick Page will be at Nordstrom in the San Francisco Centre from 11 a.m. to 6 p.m. giving consultations with his makeup team and introducing Shiseido’s fall launches.
Consultations are by appointment, and you can call (415) 243-8500 to set one up. There’s a $100 reservation fee, but it’s redeemable for Shiseido products in the store today. If you hit an additional $150 or more, you also get a limited-edition black patent-leather makeup bag loaded with samples.
If I still lived and worked in the city, I’d try to swing by. Pick up lunch somewhere downtown and get some tips/tricks from the man himself.
I’m told it’ll be Dick’s only U.S. appearance this year.
In other news, brain fog strikes Novato blogger! More at 11! LOL!
That was a crazy LOL! BTW. I feel out of it today…and I’m already on my second pot of coffee (it’s a small pot).
Care for a cup? I shouldn’t drink all of this vanilla Kona coffee blend alone.
Your friendly neighborhood beauty addict,
Karen
Gravy IS a staple…and not just for cats! I too love the EcoTools Bronzer brush. It’s a great alternative to the Tarte Airbrush Finish Bamboo brush. I just finished a sample of MAC F+B. Still giving it a “hmmmm” as I always wound up shiny instead of satiny.
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Not gonna lie, I love gravy on mashed potatoes. Also on biscuits.
Ohh, you look so cute in this last picture
And of course I’d care for a cup of coffee although I am already on my 5th cup today…
Girl, I wish I could drink 5 cups of coffee! I’d get so much done. Anything more than two mugs and I can’t fall asleep at night…
I really like using a rounded brush for F&B foundation because of its thin-ish texture. A stippling brush eats up the foundation but doesnt deposit it on my face. Buffing it on is the way to go!
I can recall you saying you liked the Hourglass brush too, right Nina?
I do!
Its a match made in heaven!
That bottle looks huge! And the product sounds great! I need light-medium coverage and I love that this is think and doesn’t feel heavy. I might have to give it a try one day!
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I hope you do. It’s really a great foundation!
The easiest way for me to achieve more coverage and less shine is to rub the product between my fingers until I feel it becoming more thick and tacky. Then I rub it on my face and I finish off with a round kabuki brush. Thus the result is more opaque and more dewy (as opposed to shiny)
looks great Karen..:) which shade is that??
Hi Varsha,
It’s C5.
I love my mac face and body, but somehow mine seemed to separate. It’s like the pigment particles separated and now they’re suspended in liquid. It still works though! I hear some people keep their F&B in the fridge to prevent this from happening.
Hmm, I think I’ll have to try that! El Hub is used to seeing makeup in the fridge…I keep my Clinique eye rollerball thingy in there to keep it cold. Feels SO GOOD!
Try shaking it before using as well! I find this helps keep it from separating!
Hey Karen , I love this foundation and have the big bottle too, but the shade is just too dark now that I’m losing my summer tan. Any tips on how I can still get use out of it?
White foundation! Something like Illamasqua’s Skin Base or I think one of MAC’s F&B shades is a white already?
Oh wow, i would love to try this one but wondering if it would be too much for me before I want to jump ship and try out another foundation!
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That would be my problem, too! It’s too much! Lol.
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Hmm I’m not sure about dewy finish. I can be very old school, and matte is how my skin should look. I might add shimmer and highlighter on strategic areas, but only AFTER I made sure that the whole face is matte and velvety looking. Dewy foundations tend to make me look oily, and I always end up covering them with blotting powder, which kind of defeats the purpose…
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Hi Lulle,
It’s not a full dewy finish. It’s mostly matte, with a little touch of glow.
I was also turned off of trying the Face and Body foundation because the bottle was huge and I thought it would go to waste! I’m glad they came out with the smaller size
Hey there, relatively new to your blog and have enjoyed the reading so far (and I’m a cat lover with a fat tab of my own).
I just recently started using F&B after switching from Studio Fix. I had tried it before but got frustrated and returned it because I couldn’t get enough coverage using a sponge (it would all soak up into the sponge, wasting product). Now I’m using a stippling brush and that seems to help a lot but I don’t get anywhere near a matte finish after applying 2 thin layers. I always have to set it with powder afterwards. I don’t have oily skin (in fact it’s rather dry) so I’m wondering if the shininess if from my application, the brush I’m using or something else (lack of a primer, perhaps?). I do try to give it 5 minutes or so to set before I get after it with powder, but that doesn’t minimize the shine. Any suggestions? I don’t want to use a beauty blender for fear it would be just soak up the foundation like before.
Love this foundation as well. After reading your post I pulled it out of my stash and fell I’m love again. It’s sheer coverage and the light weight feel. I like it best w the Sigma F80 brush
Hey Karen,
I do love my F&B so much … actually like to use my fingers to apply the most… unfortunately u can’t buy Hourglass stuff here… 
would love to give their no. 2 Bbrush a chance…. as the reviews of it sound that great…!
Sending some greetings from Germany over to u ….
I also use to keep my F&B Big Bottle in the fridge
Wish u a wonderful weekend!
H&K Silke
I love face and body but my bottle has separated. It still smells okay and everything but I’m not sure whether I should keep using it? Also I’m lighter than N1 so had to buy the white one from ebay (for sixty dollars!). Apart from that I absolutely love it. It’s buildable coverage and looks really natural. It works really well for my borderline dry skin.
I use the real techniques buffing brush with it.
OMG I’ve been offline for a few days, and today I logged on and squeed that you’d written out how to use F&B! I’m super stoked and going to try fingers + your brush technique STAT! Thank you SO much Karen! Major hugs to you and gravy to Tabs!
I think this is your best look yet! The foundation (and whatever else you used) really makes your skin glow – and the shimmery purple-ish eyeshadow and winged liner and neutral lip look great! Looks very youthful, glowy and not too makeup-y! Love. PS – what colour eyeshadow are you wearing? (not that it would look the same on my fair skin).
Hi Karen! Im a follower fr Manila! Id like to ask which in your opinion is better for combi-oily skin, medium tone, NC 40 in Studio sculpt?MAC SS, Matchmaster or F&B? Thanks!
Hi Karen! Thanks so much for this review. I’m going back to MAC F&B, because it seemed to be the only fndtn that my skin tolerates and doesn’t react to these days. I’m just finishing up a mineral powder fndtn, but I’m not going to re-purchase because I just never liked the finish. Also seemed a bit chalkey and grey. So gonna give F&B another whirl and your review was the push I needed. =) I just wanted to ask if you set this w/ a powder and if so, which one? Thanks so much!
jo
Karen, what color in the MAC Face and Body do you wear? Thanks.
Hi Kindone67!
I wear C5.
Now that I’ve lost most of my summer tan, I’ll probably have to go lighter though.
Do you use powder with it? If so what kind?
I Love Love Love the Face and body too, My HG foundation, i like to use the RT expert face brush for it, I get an airbrushed finish that way (and its a cheap but very good alternative brush for hourglass)I use a mac MSF powder or the ben nye banana powder to set when needed.