Here’s Why MAC’s Face & Body Foundation Has Remained a Make-Up Artist And Celebrity Favourite Since The ’90s

Back in my early twenties I trained to be a make-up artist. While that route never quite worked out (if you saw my prosthetic attempts you would understand why), it helped me realise my passion was writing about cosmetics, not applying them on other people.

I still remember the excitement I felt watching my tutor going through her kit and pulling out these oversized bottles in every skin tone colour imaginable. She told us it was the make-up artist's choice of foundation as it was undetectable on camera.

I went to my local department store the next day and bought two bottles for myself. Just having them in my possession made me feel like a make-up artist and that's where my love of MAC's Face & Body began.

While there's a handful of skincare products that have stood the test of time, I'm hard pressed to think of a single make-up item aside from F&B that is still so loved and in regular use by MUAs, celebrities, influencers and the general public.

If you've never tried it, Face & Body (which was rebranded as Studio Radiance Face & Body in 2021) is a lightweight foundation that gives a sheer, buildable coverage with a satin finish. Unlike most luminous foundations, it doesn't require much to any powder as it's self-setting.

It has a water-like consistency so you need to shake it before use and every F&B addict has their preferred method of application, but personally I like either my hands or a dense kabuki style brush.

Where F&B comes into its own, is the lasting ability. Most lightweight bases don't hold up, Face & Body however is waterproof and lasts 8-hours, which is a much more realistic claim than most brands give.

As well as the waterproof finish, I love that F&B is truly buildable. I apply one light layer all over my face and then go in with a little more on areas like my chin and nose. No matter how much you build it doesn't create a hole in your existing base and is so lightweight it truly feels like bare skin, which is a dream in this weather we're experiencing.

Celebrity fans include Zendaya who actually recommended it to Euphoria make-up artist Donni Davy who then used it on set. Celebrity make-up artist Frankie Boyd whose clients include Scarlett Johansson, Adele and Hunter Schafer said in an interview with Allure, "It was the first foundation on the market that actually looked like skin and has been a staple in virtually every makeup artist's kit for decades".

Shop MAC's Studio Radiance Face & Body Foundation:

Despite all the hundreds of thousands of complexion launches since the '90s, for me and many others, Face & Body remains the best foundation for those who want skin that looks like skin, just perfected.

And that's why it will forever have a place in my make-up bag.