#39: How a Make-up Mistake Led Me to My Holy Grail Foundation

The key to a "beat" face is a smooth, even application of foundation. It just sucks that finding that perfect shade is like searching for Carmen San Diego with no clues.

Revlon. M.A.C. Urban Decay. Covergirl. Nothing has come close to being that "my skin but better look." And the fact that my skin is lighter in the Winter and darker during Summer makes the search twice as hard.

I decided to rummage through my make-up collection and give one of my Winter foundation shades another go when I ran across a sample of M.A.C.'s Pro LongWear Foundation in NW43. It was a little more orange than I would have liked, especially when compared to my current staple M.A.C.'s MatchMaster SPF Foundation in 7.5. I love this foundation by the way but it doesn't hold up to the end of my work day.

I grabbed my damp beauty blender and went to work!

Whyyyyyyyyy? Seriously when I had about twenty minutes before I had to battle Jacksonville's morning traffic?! The cool tones of the Pro Longwear made me look sick and completed washed out in the worse possible way. There was no way I had time to rinse it all off and start from scratch. I still had to fix my lunch and do my hair! Plus my pre-foundation game is hella strong and I wasn't going through that twice in a day. Promise to let you in on my routine soon.

But back to the story...what in the hell was I to do? In a panic I took a bit of my MatchMaster and applied it over the mess I'd made. I continued on with the rest of the usual: highlight, set highlight, set foundation, contour, blush, winged liner and mascara. Oh honey, I don't wake up like this. Silly rabbit.

I continued to get ready for work and right before dashing out the door I looked in the mirror one more time. Darling...my face was...oh how I despise the Beyonce-ish reference...but FLAWLESS!

Before getting all gassed up I told myself the true test would come around lunch time when I could see how my face really held up.

12:00 p.m. rolled around and I was still beat! And then it hit me why the combination worked so well. With the Pro LongWear's ability to give you 15 hours of staying power partnered with the Shade Intelligence Technology of the MatchMaster, it made sense why the two left me looking even ALL DAY!

Now the question is...do I buy both and continue to mix the two or go on yet another scavenger hunt in trying to find my shade in the Pro LongWear? The things us women have to ponder...