High End Heroes: Make Up For Ever Face Edit

I have to come clean about something… I’ve been stepping out on my normal drugstore foundation routine, and have been playing around with some new favorites from Make Up For Ever.

I’m not one to splurge on high end mascaras or shadows often, but the story is a little different when it comes to face makeup. Great looking skin is the best base for any makeup look, and the right face products can transform how other (more affordable) products look and wear. On a whim, I decided to try a few of the Make Up For Ever items so many claim to be holy-grails, and much to my wallet’s dismay, I’m sort of hooked.

The one thing that’s helping me justify my newfound love for these products is that they’re all items that I can see lasting a while, because a little goes a long way. Plus, they just downright work.

The first product that roped me into the brand was the Make Up For Ever Ultra HD Invisible Cover Foundation. I had originally purchased it on recommendation when I was preparing to do a good friend’s makeup for her wedding (see how it turned out here). Before I used it on her, I tested out the formula on myself and liked it so much right off the bat, I knew I needed a bottle for myself. A thin layer offers medium coverage and you only need to add a teeny bit more for full coverage. It also gives the perfect skin finish: a natural, demi-matte look that’s radiant but not dewy. It’s pricey at $43/bottle, but a foundation I trust to stay put all day for any occasion.

Sometimes when I don’t need a full face of makeup, but still want to cover problem areas, I’ll reach for the Make Up For Ever Ultra HD Invisible Cover Concealer. You hardly need a dot of this to seriously cover anything you don’t want showing on your face. With the exception of a few blemishes, my skin has been pretty decent lately, so I’ll use the smallest amount of this stuff to camouflage redness seamlessly with the rest of my skin. It’s thick and completely full coverage, so this little $27 tube will last a long time for me.

Some of you know that I’ve been battling a really random season of eczema this year. Seriously it came out of nowhere, and I’ve been trying to use hydrating products that won’t leave me feeling greasy, since I still have combo skin. The Make Up For Ever Step 1 Hydrating Primer has been perfect for prepping my face, since it moisturizes and fights my dry patches so that I can apply makeup overtop without getting that scaly look. While this is probably the most expensive in terms of how many uses you’ll get out of it at $37, the line has so many different versions for various skin concerns and skin tones that you can’t really find at the drugstore. Plus, there are travel size versions available for $17 so you can try it out first.

Another product I used on my bride and subsequently ended up wanting for myself was the Make Up For Ever HD Microfinish Powder. First off, they sell a mini version of this for $20 that is still really generous, especially because you really only need to dust this on lightly for it to work. This is perfect for my oily t-zone, because it sets my makeup while slightly mattifying, but doesn’t leave me looking dry or dull. It also has a blurring effect to help soften the appearance of pores without clogging them, which is for sure what I need around my nose.

Last, but certainly not least, is the Make Up For Ever Mist & Fix Setting Spray. Another one you can get in a generous travel size for $14, this is an awesome alternative (or addition) to the HD powder when you want to maintain a luminous look while extending the wear of your makeup. I especially like this when it’s hot out, because it’s sweat-proof and refreshing to spritz mid-day to cool down.

So yes, maybe there is room for higher-end products in my routine. This certainly doesn’t mean I’ll permanently switch from my drugstore favorites, but I like to give credit where credit is due and Make Up For Ever has created products worth the price tag that give me the perfect start to my best makeup looks.