Max Factor Miracle Match Foundation Review

I bought the Max Factor Miracle Match Foundation in shade 45-warm almond awhile ago on special but I didn't seem to like the formula, I found it really thin and didn't blur. When I tried it in the shops it seemed to be the right shade but once I started using it home the shade was a bit too light for me so i thought that might have been why I didn't like it. I ended up buying a Max Factor Mascara that came with a small tester of the Miracle Match foundation in shade 50-natural, it was definitely a better match for my skin tone and even the formula seemed thicker and stayed on better which was weird. It still didn't seem to blur and I still can't say I like it that much, it's just not enough coverage for my liking it's alot like a BB cream.

I was lucky enough to be one of the chosen ones to review this foundation. I have never used a Max Factor foundation before so was all in face first. From the survey that was available to answer for this trial I chose that I would prefer the nourish and blur choice.

I went to my local Farmers store to be colour matched for my trial and to my surprise I was matched to a colour called Bronze in the nourish and blur variety of foundation. To me bronze seems to be an ill fitting name for a colour like my skin tone. In other foundations I am natural beige or medium beige at the very most. Despite the colour name confusion I emailed my match through to BRHQ and awaited with clasped hands for it to arrive.

To my complete delight I got a Max Factor Primer as part of the trial package. My eyes had hearts I swear when I opened my package. The bottle was your common shape with a pump top applicator for distribution. It is not a design that jumps out at me immediately and screams buy me! Nonetheless it looked nice and simple enough and it was what is inside that counted.

The foundation is quite thin in consistency for my liking. I prefer a slightly thicker formula because I find the slightly thicker formulas tend to have better overall coverage. When I was first matched I asked the retail assistant if this foundation would be good for combination skin because the last thing I wanted was an oil slick scenario.

I dab on small amounts (two full pumps) with a brush then use a damp beauty blender sponge to blend it out to flawlessness. I use dabbing motions so that there are no obvious application marks on my face.

The foundation blends perfectly. It has light coverage which doesn't really cover major blemishes or my red cheeks. It covers more like a BB cream. The first day I wore this foundation to work being a total of 6 hours; I found that my skin looked like it had been squirted with oil spray. I had the exact scenario I wanted to avoid like the plague. The next day I applied a thick layer of finishing matte powder to help with the oiliness and with the stay power. This helped a bit but I still had an over oily T-zone.

I have now worn it a fair few times but I still have the same problem. Because of this I have to say a big fat NO THANK YOU to this foundation. I wanted it to work so much but alas I dislike what it does to my skin intensely which is a shame because $32.99 is so much affordable than the foundation I usually buy. I think this would be perfect for someone with dry skin.

I'm devoted to my BB cream and haven't worn proper foundation for a long time. So I was excited to be chosen to trial this foundation and give it another go. This comes in a sturdy glass bottle. My grandma loved Max Factor and this would have looked at home on her bathroom shelf. In other words, it's a little old fashioned. I like that it comes with a pump so you are not touching the unused foundation. I also like that there is a plastic top to cover the pump but this soon becomes a bit grubby.

I find I need two whole pumps to get the desired coverage. When first pumped out, it has a really strange smell. I guess this is the actual smell of the foundation without any perfumes to cover it up. I like a natural, my skin but better look, which this foundation does provide. It does kind of blur flaws - in as much as it makes them less noticeable rather than covers them up. I did have to use setting powder with it as it was shiny (as oppose to dewy) on my t-zone, despite having 'normal' skin. This left me with a bit of a 'flat' look, rather than matte.

I've had mixed results with this foundation. Without the primer that I was also sent to trial, it is a bit harder to apply as drags a little. The coverage that it provided had gone by then end of the day but the colour remained, so I guess it had slightly oxidised. With primer, the foundation maintains most of its coverage until the end of the day and doesn't oxidize at all. It was still easy to remove and disappeared without a trace using a cleansing balm and hot cloth.

I neither love nor hate this foundation. I'm unlikely to purchase it as I still prefer the look of BB cream. I will finish off using it in the cooler months though as I prefer the look that the coverage provides in cooler months. I would recommend this more more mature or drier skins as it did leave my skin feeling moisturised throughout the day.

I was lucky enough to be picked for a trial team by BR to review this product. I dutifully headed over to my nearest Farmers and set about finding my colour match. I am quite often the lightest shade in limited foundation ranges but in this one I matched with Warm Almond 45. When picking foundation I go for the one that disappears when I blend a little bit along my jawline. The packaging of this product is nice, the foundation is in a glass bottle with a pump. I prefer pumps on liquid foundations as you can dispense the right amount of foundation and keeps the unused stuff hygienic. I applied this product with a foundation brush and it blended well and easily. The formula and texture is what you would expect from a liquid foundation. Miracle Match foundation gives really good coverage. It is a very solid mid range in terms of coverage but since I am blessed with fantastic skin it made my skin look perfect. The coverage is buildable. You can start with a small amount and add to it if you need a bit more coverage. On top of the matching primer from this range this foundation lasts well all day on me without having to be touched up. Even in the height of summer I had issues with it slipping off my face during the day. This foundation came off easily with a makeup remover wipe. The only other product I used was a little bit of translucent powder on the top layer just to set it and stop my skin looking oily. I was really pleased with this product, will happily use it all up and will purchase it when I've finished this bottle.

I was really excited to trial this foundation however the product let me down. I applied the foundation using a stipple make up brush and it did go on easily and smoothly, it blended well into my skin. Easy to use pump bottle, very easy to hold , I do like the packaging. However it has no coverage , a BB cream has more coverage , it does blur slightly it has a dewy finish, I do love a dewy finish. My skin was kept hydrated all day long.

I really do feel like this was more like a very sheer tinted moisturiser. I wouldn't use again for a full day at work.

This would be perfect for someone with already blemish free and a nice complexion.

A bit of trepidation (and excitement) at being chosen to review a foundation. I have a long history of not really being able to get quite the right shade of foundation for me, but I got some help and came across the best shade for me, 'Warm Almond'

Since receiving the product, I've used it every day, for work, for going out, in the heat, air conditioning and the blinding artificial light in the office. It fared REALLY well in terms of lasting. At the end of 12 hours, I still felt like my face was flawless, without feeling overly 'caked on'

It covered my pores and skin colour imbalance ok. This is where I marked down one point for 'did it do what it said it would', as I would have liked a bit more coverage. The texture was nice and smooth and not foreign on my skin at all. It didn't cause any breakouts or skin problems (has happened in the past using foundation every day) so this was definitely a big plus for me.

Overall this was a great trial product and lived up to its expectations of the Miracle Match! Am now planning on purchasing when this bottle runs out

I really like foundations that keep my skin looking like my skin, if that makes sense. However many I find are too much like my skin, as in the don't give enough coverage, or they give too much coverage. Max Factor's Miracle Match might just be my perfect match.

The foundation comes in a glass bottle (which makes it feel a tad luxurious) with a pump top and plastic lid. The design is in keeping with the Max Factor range. I'm usually drawn to bottles with a splash of colour, but at the end of the day it's not how the bottle looks it's what's in it...

The foundation was surprisingly thick, and I worried it would make me look cakey. But it didn't. One and a half pumps was all I needed to cover my face and it blended incredibly easily. Better than my other foundations. What I loved most about it was that it gave me such a natural look yet covered my uneven pigmentation.

I wondered if it was just me thinking I looked better than usual when wearing it, but I had two friends comment on how well I was looking... The only change in my routine? Using the foundation and primer from Max Factor.

Would I recommend it to a friend? If they had skin like mine - dry with a combo t-zone - absolutely. Without hesitation.

My skin but better you say? Sign me up. I am not a big foundation wearer, sometimes it's just too heavy and my skin can't deal. So when this promised light weight, imperfection blurring and to enhance my skin with its magic powers I was stoked and more than willing to slap it on my face.

The packaging... Eh. The plastic lid is flimsy and if I shake the bottle I can hear the lid wobbling and clinking with the glass. It's probably secure enough for travelling but a little bit of sellotape never hurt. The glass bottle I like, but the lack of information on the bottle annoys me.

The foundation itself is visible thanks to the clear bottle, and it pumps out a nice large dollop, and I found 2 was sufficient for light coverage. The consistency is quite thick, if it was a meringue it would be a little bit after the soft peak stage! On first sniff I got a strong smell of nuts, but it has since morphed into a weird 2 minute noodle smell. Thankfully it goes away when it's on your face, but it is a weird smell to have and I'm not sure I like it. The one cool thing about this foundation is that I can see little gold flecks all throughout, and I guess that's how it makes you look dewy!

I have been applying this with a damp beauty sponge. I find that it's the best method that worked for me - with my fingers the foundation just slid around, and it was like trying to wash oil out of a pan, it kinda didn't sit in place, just swished around. With the damp sponge it sat on my face a lot nicer. I don't have a brush so unfortunately I couldn't try that method.

I believe I have the lightest shade available - Light Ivory. It's a pretty good match, when first applied it is quite white and makes me look a bit like a ghost, but it does oxidize a bit and eventually matched my skin quite well. I found that using too much would cause the foundation to go cakey, and after several hours there was definite separation around my chin and nose area, even though it was set with a powder. Everywhere else was fine - I'd be more inclined to use a matte primer next time on those areas as well. Setting the foundation ultimately made me like it a lot more. On it's own it's terrible but the powder set it in place and just made it a lot more tolerable.

As for blurring and nourishing, it kind of delivers. Using only 2 pumps it semi covered my slightly red cheeks, but it covered up red angry acne spots very well. I don't think it really nourished my skin either, in fact I think it was the reason I had the pimples in the first place.

So unfortunately, as much as I wanted to love this, I just don't think I can. It's not something I would purchase myself, and next time I would want to go and get samples.

I never like giving out a bad review but have to for this foundation.

First up - shade range, I think there were 6 to choose from and I had to go to the darkest one in the range. This is super unusual for me as I'm normally somewhere in the middle - this foundation is not one for darker skin tones at all.

The packaging is somehow cheap looking - I don't really like the clear plastic lid and the label itself just looks kinda dated. However to be honest that's not what I really don't like about it.

I use about 3 pumps to cover my face and neck, this is very normal for me and I think the bottle would last around 3 months, so quite economical.

When I pump it out I'm hit with a strange smell that is reminiscent of the old acrylic paints from primary school - I don't feel good about applying something that smells like that on my face. To be fair, the smell goes immediately but again, not happy about using something that smells like this.

Coverage is very, very average. One coat is not enough, I need 2 or 3 and still find it seems to just settle into my skin without covering my flaws. It looks "ok" in the morning but by lunchtime the breaking down has begun. The nose are is the absolute worst and I actually struggle to get any real coverage in this area. Come 4 O'Clock and my skin looks very oily, and feels like it has a heavy coating of grease on it and can't breath.

There's no way I could wear this without primer, concealer and powder which defeats the dewy finish. Application is hit and miss - I found the best way to apply was with a stippling brush or damp beauty blender and pushing it into the skin. If I just blended it onto my skin or applied with my fingertips the coverage was just awful. I tried 2 different setting powders with this - Napoleon camera finish and elf HD powder. The elf was the clear winner, however I still wasn't happy with how it clung to the foundation, making my skin look considerably older than it is.

My skin is 40 and I suffer from an oily T zone so need a small amount of powder to set most foundations I use but this was just crazily unsuited to my skin type.

I'm sure others won't have had the same experience as I did, but if your skin is at all similar to mine I would give this foundation a wide berth.