Makeup Forever HD Foundation; Review & Swatches of Shades

MUFE HD Foundation (aka Makeup Forever Invisible Cover High Definition Foundation)

Price: $42 per ounce

Makeup Forever (aka MUFE) was one of the first cosmetic companies to jump on the HD/High Definition trend. Before the release of HD Foundations, the term "High Definition" was reserved exclusively for TV. While there may be a very loose correlation between cosmetics and television, the likely hood that the two technologies would be compatible seems a bit of a stretch at first...

About H.D. Foundations: 
Makeup Forever claims that their HD Invisible Cover Foundation uses "soft focus technology" to blur imperfections on screen and in real life. Essentially, the soft focus technology is a combination of micro-milled particles of powder, silicones and pigments. Silicone technology has come so far in recent years that even a pigment free, thick primer or pore filler will appear to blur imperfections and smooth skin, so it makes sense that a foundation formulation with similar HD technology would be a hit and MUFE HD Foundation has certainly developed quite a following...

I'm not sure why exactly Makeup Forever is getting as much attention as they are. It could be because they were one of the first to embark on a High Definition Foundation, it could be their extensive range of shades, it could be the very well balanced formula of their foundation, it could be because it's one of the top 3 foundations likely to be pushed at any Sephora store anywhere, or it could be a combination of the above- but its worked. It's worked very well and I suspect that Makeup Forever HD Foundation will be making a significant impact on Bare Escentuals' claim to having the #1 selling foundation in the United States!

The H.D. Foundation Formula:
Makeup Forever did a fabulous job combinig the best of many worlds when they formulated the HD Foundation. It's on the thicker side of a liquid (but certainly not a cream) and it blends like a dream meshing seamlessly into your skin. The finish is a natural matte (as oppossed to a flat matte), so oily skinned folks love it, but surprisingly, those with slight dry skin should be able to use it without issue as well since MUFE HD Foundation does a fairly decent job and resists clinging to dry patches. (That being said, if you have severe oily skin, Makeup Forever makes their Matte Velvet Foundation which may better suit you.)

Packaging, Performance & Shades: Coverage is definitely in the medium-full range and wear time is great. There really aren't too many bad things that can be said about Makeup Forever HD Foundation, except that they do test on animals. The shades are extensive with 26 options which cater to 3 undertones, but very porcelain skin may want to consider Nars Sheer Matte Foundation because the fairest shade of MUFE HD isn't likely to be fair enough for them, although those with ebony skin should have no difficulty finding a match.

I am a pale NC15 and I find that 117 Marble is very close to Mac's usual NC15 but its a bit too yellow for me so I mix about 80% 117 w/20% 110 and the result is a very pale shade on the yellow side of neutral which is a great match for me. I prefer pale shades with a yellow undertones that lean more towards a soft peach (not orange) than an olive shade, but some foundations only offer pink or olive undertones. In this situation, I will mix the olive undertoned shade with a pink undertoned one and the subtle green in the yellowy/olive shade will neutralize any overtly pink undertones; thus creating a perfect shade for me. The funny thing is, the combination of the two shades often appears lighter than either parent shade did prior to mixing!

Makeup Forever HD Foundation

Swatches of Shades

107 *, 110, 115, 117, 118, 120 , 123, 

125, 127, 128, 130, 135, 140,

145, 150, 153, 155, 160, 165, 

170, 173, 175, 177, 178, 180, 185,

*not shown

Makeup Forever HD Foundation Swatches of Shades

107 Pink*, 110 Pink Porcelain, 115 Ivory, 117 Marble, 

118 Flesh, 120 Soft Sand, 123 Desert, 

125 Sand, 127 Dark Sand, 128 Almond, 

130 Warm Ivory, 135 Vanilla, 140 Soft Beige,

145 Neutral, 150 Pink Beige, 153 Golden Honey, 

155 Medium Beige, 160 Golden Beige, 165 Honey Beige,

170 Caramel, 173 Amber, 175 Coffee, 177 Cognac, 

178 Chestnut, 180 Brown, 185 Ebony

*not shown

Evidence of Makeup Forever HD Foundation Results:
If you happen to like before and after photoes
Melissa Murphy is one of the top makeup artists in the Adult Film industry and she absolutely swears by Makeup Forever HD Foundation and Makeup Forever Full Cover Concealer. She released a bunch of B&A's last year that went viral but incase you didn't see them or want a refresher check out Porn Stars without Makeup & 53 MORE Before & After Makeup Photos of Porn Stars.

One thing that should be considered, is that MUFE HD Foundation may not be the best option if you already use Makeup Forever Full Coverage Concealer and have normal-dry skin. I know that it may work well for the Adult Film Stars, but they're obviously working up a sweat and are under hot lights for very long days. If you're typical day is less...exerting...the long-wearing formulas of the two may prove to be too drying and you may find you need to substitute one or the other with an emollient/moisturizing/cream formula.

Makeup Forever HD Foundation Swatches of Shades

107 Pink*, 110 Pink Porcelain, 115 Ivory, 117 Marble, 118 Flesh, 120 Soft Sand, 123 Desert, 125 Sand, 127 Dark Sand, 128 Almond, 130 Warm Ivory, 135 Vanilla, 140 Soft Beige,

145 Neutral, 150 Pink Beige, 153 Golden Honey, 155 Medium Beige, 160 Golden Beige, 165 Honey Beige,170 Caramel, 173 Amber, 175 Coffee, 177 Cognac, 178 Chestnut, 180 Brown, 185 Ebony

*not shown

Categorizing Makeup Forever HD Foundation:

I have labeled Makeup Forever's HD Invisible Cover Foundation as a liquid-powder foundation because that's the closest sub-category of foundation. Unlike a traditional long wearing foundation which will form a thin film or layer of product over your face, liquid-powder foundation typically have very finely milled particles which set relatively quickly and impart very thin, , layers of foundation which are almost undetectable. This is the "soft focus" technology at work. It's hard to try to explain the difference between a liquid-powder foundation and a traditional long-wearing formula like Estee Lauder Double Wear Stay In Place Makeup, especially since they both tend to suit normal-oily skin tones best, so the best thing you can do is try one of each variety and compare them to see which works best for you. 

The easiest way to tell the difference between the two, is swatch a moderately thick amount on your arm and wait for it to dry a few minutes. Then, "disturb" the swatch by either rubbing vigorously or washing it. A long-wearing formula will act similarly to a thick coat of latex paint and will fully peel in certain areas, where as a liquid-powder formula will almost fade away gradually. The difference here is really hard to explain so if you're looking for  better explanation, let me know and I will do a full post with pictures on the formulary differences!

Makeup Forever HD Foundation Drugstore Dupe?

While Makeup Forever HD Foundation is indeed an impressive formula, the fact it is on the expensive side and they do test on animals may be off putting for some people. If that's the case, don't panic. There ARE some similar options on the market that are both Cruelty Free and reasonably priced. The NEW formula of Revlon Colorstay (Normal/Dry Skin) is actually shockingly similar to MUFE HD Invisible Cover Foundation. Since Revlon has pulled from the Chinese Market they are no longer contributing to the slaughter of animals through testing (as of 09/2014)!!!

Ingredients-

Makeup Forever HD Foundation

Water, Cyclopentasiloxane, PEG-10 Dimenthicone, Neopentyl Glycol Diethylhexanoate, Talc, Mica, Phenyl Trimethicone, Sodium Chloride, Dimethicone Crosspolymer, Lauroyl Lysine, Glyceryl Caprylate, Methylpropanediol, Phenoxyethanol, Sodium Myristoyl Glutamate, Chlorphenesin, Disteardimonium Hectorite, Fagus Sylvatica Bud Extract, Sorbitan Sesquileate, Hydrolyzed Yeast Protein, Propylene Carbonate, Aluminum Hydroxide, Biosaccharide Gum-1, Fragrance, Butylene Glycol, Benzyl Alcohol, Pentylene Glycol, Benzoic Acid. May Contain: Titanium Dioxide, Iron Oxides.

Makeup Forever HD Foundation Dupe- Revlon Colorstay

Cyclopentasiloxane, Aqua (Water), Dimethicone, Trimethylsiloxysilicate, PEG-9 Polydimethylsiloxyethyl Dimethicone, Phenyl Trimethicone, Butylene Glycol, Silica, Methyl Methacrylate Crosspolymer, Nylon-12, Dimethicone/PEG-10/15 Crosspolymer, Tribehenin, Tocopheryl Acetate, Bisabolol, Ethylhexyl Palmitate, Cymbidium Grandiflorum (Orchid) Extract, Lactobacilluseriodictyon Californicum Ferment Extract, Lilium Candidum Bulb Extract, Malva Sylvestris (Mallow) Extract, Sodium Hyaluronate, Tocopherol, Methicone, Laureth-7, Magnesium Sulfate, Salicylic Acid, Polyglyceryl-3 Diisostearate, Disteardimonium Hectorite, Ethylene Brassylate, Triethoxycaprylylsilane, Alumina, Triethyl Citrate, Sodium Citrate, Dipropylene Glycol, PEG-12 Glyceryl Dimyristate, Cyclohexasiloxane, Dimethicone/Silsesquioxane Copolymer, Silica Dimethyl Silylate, Caprylyl Glycol, Ammonium Polyacryloyldimethyl Taurate, Serica (Silk), Hexylene Glycol, Tetrasodium EDTA, Polysorbate 20, Phenoxyethanol, Ethylparaben, Methylparaben. May Contain: Mica, Iron Oxides, Titanium Dioxide, Zinc Oxide.