MAC Strobe Cream Review

With the latest craze being strobing I thought I would bring out my MAC Strobe cream. I picked this up on my latest MAC order (which was about 6 months ago) as I love that there are a few MAC products that come in travel size so you can test it before purchasing a full size. I also think with a highlighting product like this you don't need to use much so it should last for ages even in the 30ml size. With most of my MAC products I order directly from MAC in the US and get shipped to me through YouShop.

The packaging is quite nice, as you would expect for the price. It is a pearlescent white squeezy tube with the black writing on it. The lid is black at the bottom and secures quite tightly.

I've tried writing this review for a very long time but I still can't really come up with an opinion. You'd think that that would mean I was on the fence about whether it was particularly good or bad. But the real problem is I just can't see what this product does. I can't really tell the difference between using this or not once I have my foundation on. Even before I put my foundation on I was looking at my skin thinking... it looks the same as usual! The claims for this product are similar to that of Clarins Flash Balm and at least that makes my skin feel nice and is a great base for makeup, this just does nothing (on me at least). It doesn't moisturise well, or leave my skin glowing, nor prime.

Obviously I won't be repurchasing this. I can't tell what it does so I certainly won't pay money for that!

I love Mac Strobe Cream! I have been using this as my every day primer since I got it. It really helps illuminate your skin and gives that healthy glow. It also is super hydrating which I love. I just use clean hands to apply this after I tone and pop on my eyecream. I find adding a little under the eyes before concealer helps to brighten and lift that area too! You only need a little of it as it does spread easily and is very pearlescent.

Strobe cream is one of my staples, I love how it leaves my skin feeling refreshed and ready for the day ahead.  It's my go-to when I don’t have time to highlight – ok who am I kidding; some people make time for their eyebrows I make time to highlight.  I’ve been using this product for a good 7 years and I haven't found another product that comes close.

I buy my lot from the US and it’s better value to buy 2 of the travel size bottles (30ml each) for $USD10 each ( $NZD15 each - exchange rate dependent) than it is to buy 1 full size 50ml for $USD30 ($NZD48.)   Other than price there are pros and cons to owning one over the other.  The full size bottle packaging is quite lovely to look at but it's literally tough. You have to be quite firm in squeezing out the product particularly when you’re nearing the end of it.  Your option is either to cut it open (not sure you can Back2MAC destroyed bottles) or make do with whatever you can possibly squeeze out and then Back2MAC.  The travel size bottles are small to carry in your purse and easy to get every last bit of product you have paid for however I don't think you can Back2MAC travel size items.

I wear Strobe cream on top of my foundation or just on my plain jane face.  I don’t have a preference of which way I wear it because it performs well either way.  It has a thick creamy consistency with very subtle iridescent shimmers which blends nicely into the skin and thankfully it doesn't leave a white cast on me.  It has a refreshing scent but be warned a lot of my friends love this scent but just as many hate it too so it’s personal preference.  I  love the subtle ‘lit from within’ effect it has and how it adds a bit of radiance back to my face.  I'm more aware of how dull my face looks without a bit of Strobe cream. 

For me applying Strobe cream is similar to how I apply organic coconut oil on my face – you don’t want to look like a grease ball.  I just apply light dabs of product across my face and lightly massage it in; if you can see grease when you move your head from side to side in the mirror then you’ve put too much.  The longevity of this product on my oily skin is quite decent a good 6 hours; I notice that it lasts longer when applied on top of my foundation.  I highly recommend this product; definitely grab a sample from your nearest MAC store.

I absolutely love this, even though I have naturally oily skin it doesn't make my skin worse I love the glow it gives me its perfect as a primer under a foundation and hydrates very well

I brought a travel size of this direct from MAC. I wanted to test it before investing that much money. I'm glad I did as while it's a nice product and I do like it, I'm not sure I'd want to spend any more on it. I am a huge dewy skin girl (like most dry skin girls are!) and yes, this does illuminate your skin. But I've achieved the same results from my L'oreal Lumi Magique primer. I'd be more inclined to recommend that and I plan on repurchasing the L'oreal primer whereas I don't want to repurchase the Strobe cream. It's not that it's a bad product, I just find it overpriced.

I wear it under my foundation or bb cream (or mixed in) I wouldn't use it alone as it kind of gives my skin a little too much glow but works well with my other base products. You don't need too much product, definitely less then a 10c piece (maybe half of that in my opinion). It's a white cream with no detectable scent.

It hasn't broken me out nor done anything magical too my skin. Maybe I'm being too harsh on it but for the price I expected something more then what my L'oreal product provides.

This product is definitely a holy grail product for me. Whilst it is on the more expensive side it is a beautiful product that adds a luminous glow to the skin. You can either mix it in with your foundation, put it on before as a moisturising primer, or after to highlight the cheek bones. You only need a small amount so don't over do it- a little goes a long way. I've heard the L'oreal Lumi primer is meant to be a dupe however, I think the finish is completely different and I would recommend both. I think this product could be universally used among skin types as it is not oily or overly moisturising just leaves a subtle glow from within. Keep in mind I love a dewy finish though! - Looks great under Nars Sheer Glow

I was pretty damn excited to try this product. It has a massive hype surrounding it and even the BR beauties have written rave reviews. I decided that a trip to Wellington was the perfect excuse to hand over my $67 in return for a healthy glow that would have everyone complimenting my skin.

I tried this product every way I could think of. I applied it underneath my foundation, mixed it with my foundation and applied it on my cheekbones over top of my foundation. I couldn't see a thing. There was no magical glow, no healthy sheen, and it seemed nobody else saw anything either.

I stopped using this product not just because it didn't do anything for me, but because it interfered with my makeup application. My makeup just wouldn't sit well on top of it, and I would end up with patchy foundation.

I'm also not a fan of the packaging. Although it is sleek and scream 'MAC,' it was very hard to squeeze the product out and too much product was dispensed every time. You also can't see when you are getting low. Because the tube is quite difficult to squeeze, I question whether the last remnants of product will be able to be squeezed out.

Perhaps my full coverage foundation just won't let the glow shine through. Perhaps it just doesn't suit my normal/combination skin that isn't dull or flat. Perhaps, unlike everyone else, I just can't see the glow that is created by the strobe cream.

I was expecting the MAC strobe cream to make me look extra healthy, bright and glowy and I saw no difference. I certainly prefer to use powder highlighters to achieve my glow.

I have the sample/ travel size of this because if you purchase this from MAC's official site, you will realise that by purchasing two sample sizes of strobe is much cheaper than purchasing the full size. I know, crazy right. I don't really think this is meant to be a primer, but I know most people use it as one. I love love love the smell of this little cream, it reminds me of my Estee Lauder day time moisturiser (forgot the actual name okay) smells like melons! Yum! Upon application my face looks lovely and dewy, however one hour later I'm sitting there looking like a grease ball. I blot and blot and I powder and powder but oil continues to drips off my face. I really wanted to like this but it's just too oily for me. In the end it just ruins my makeup :(.

I recently did a MAC order and got a 30ml size of this to try - to see if I liked it before committing to a full size. My skin is dry and I like a dewy, healthy glow. Whilst I love a matte look on others, on me it makes my skin look drier than it is.

The packaging for this is straightforward and nothing special. It isn't ugly but I wish that you could see how much product was left in this, as the tube is opaque. In saying that, it's easy to squeeze product out.

The product itself is stunning. It is a luminous cream that gives the most beautiful, natural glow to the skin. This is absolutely perfect for my dry complexion and I love how natural it looks. There is no glitter or sparkle to this, which is important to me as I don't like either of these on myself.

You can use this alone or under makeup, or even mixed into your BB Cream or foundation. I use this under my makeup but over primer. It doesn't feel sticky or greasy on my skin - but this does feel slightly hydrating.

Lastly, this has a really nice smell. I can't identify what the smell is but it is a fresh, sweet smell that is quite subtle. Once this is rubbed into your face you can't smell it.

When I do a MAC order again I will definitely purchase the full size of this. It really makes a difference to my dry skin and I love how it looks. This is a beautiful product and I highly recommend it if you have dry skin or like a dewy glow.

I had super high hopes for this product, but it just doesn't really work for me. Thank god that I only have a 30 ml of it, and that the 30 ml was only about $16 Duty Free in HK, because otherwise I'd have wasted money on this, I think.

I'd heard this was phenomenal but literally the only use I can find for it is as a highlighter on my cheekbones, and even then it's not special.

MAC Strobe Cream comes in a characteristically simple and elegant MAC tube. The tube itself is a silvery grey, with the logo in black and a black snap-open dispensing cap which helps with ease of product extraction, but does clog and gunk up, requiring cleaning.

The cream itself is reasonably thick, with a pale pearlescent pink tinge to it. On first application to bare skin it DOES provide a pretty shimmer. Unfortunately when you apply foundation over the top, that effect vanishes. I tried mixing this with the foundation and it just ended up looking smeary and not sitting right.

I have three creams that claim to do the same thing as this - one in the same price range, one half the price, and one a third of the price. Of the three, the cheapest one is the best! Don't get sucked in by the brand name.

In short, I found that this cream, on my skin, had very little effect unless applied over foundation on key points. In addition, it clogged around my nose and broke me out.

Positives - the effect on bare skin. The subtle shimmer as a final-touch highlighter. The packaging.

This one was a miss for me!