Trading Faces: MECCA HQ Swap Foundations to Find a New Favourite
June 16 | 6 minute read
Words by Madeleine Boles de Boer
But while research can go a long way, nothing beats a recommendation from someone you know and trust – even better if they have the same needs or taste as you. So, we found a few MECCA team members with a foundation routine that last got an update when TikTok was a lip-syncing app called Music.ly, and paired them up with their ‘skin twin’ – someone with the same skin type and concerns as them – to swap their base products.
So, if you’re someone with skin that’s on the dry side, combination through and through, or ticks the ‘mature’ box, consider this your cheat sheet for your next foundation to try, buy and love.
Foundation Swaps for Mature Skin
Our mature skin duo, Alison and Vicki, were the first to swap their foundations. Alison brought her beloved NARS Natural Radiant Longwear Foundation, while Glossier’s Stretch Fluid Foundation was Vicki’s product of choice. Each cited similar concerns for their skin type: ensuring radiance, avoiding that cakey makeup look and not wanting anything to sink into fine lines. So, how did their picks measure up?
Alison Tried: Glossier Stretch Fluid Foundation
Vicki Tried: NARS Natural Radiant Longwear Foundation
As her skin has matured, MECCA’s Commercial Finance Manager increasingly looks for products that don’t feel too heavy or makeup-y on the skin. She tried Alison’s favourite: NARS’ Natural Radiant Longwear Foundation.
“This was a winner for mature skin – it was very smoothing but didn’t feel like I was wearing much makeup,” she said. Despite being a medium-to-full-coverage foundation, Vicki found the formula to be natural, fresh and skin-like, but with the perks of a longevity-focused formula – nothing breaking apart, and just a touch of radiance. Consider her converted.
Foundation Swaps for Balanced to Dry Skin
As the southern hemisphere shifts into winter, it’s not just our wardrobes that weather the changing seasons. The colder months can often dry out complexions, and those with a usually balanced skin type can reckon with signs of dehydration – the worst enemy of a glowing, radiant base.
Tiffany’s solution? A tinted moisturiser – specifically, the NARS Pure Radiant Tinted Moisturiser – to give her skin an extra drink of water, while Hannah is faithful to Charlotte Tilbury’s Hollywood Flawless Filter for its glow-giving abilities.
Tiffany Tried: Charlotte Tilbury Hollywood Flawless Filter
As her skin can lean dry, Tiffany (right) always looks to nourish her dryer patches. In the spirit of trying something new, she took the Charlotte Tilbury Hollywood Flawless Filter for a spin as her new base.
Radiant, blurring and with a skin-like finish, the multitasker ticked all the boxes for the Education Cadet: “It had longevity and didn’t move around much even without being set down with powder and setting spray. It even looked great after commuting home in the torrential Melbourne wind and rain!” she said.
Flawless Filter’s lightweight feel makes it great for a sheer, everyday glow that fits Tiffany’s needs: “Not only is it illuminating but it has a second-skin feel, like you’re wearing nothing – and yet still look amazing!”
Hannah Tried: NARS Pure Radiant Tinted Moisturiser
Having tested a few tinted moisturisers in the past, MECCA’s People and Education Manager was wary of their staying power (or lack thereof) and ability to work with her skin type: sometimes dry, with the occasional hormonal breakout. Trying Tiffany’s favourite, NARS Pure Radiant Tinted Moisturiser, Hannah was pleasantly surprised with the look and feel.
“It’s like my skin, but on a really good day!” she told us. “It evened everything out while still letting my natural skin and freckles show through and gave me a beautiful glow without any of the unwanted shine.”
She was thrilled with the longevity of the coverage and said her skin was left feeling hydrated – and as glowy as the days she wears her usual Hollywood Flawless Filter: “Lightweight, sheer and a beautiful radiant finish.”
Foundation Swaps for Combination Skin
Combination skin can be some of the trickiest to find a foundation for: nothing too matte for those dry patches, not too shiny to accentuate the oilier parts, and, of course, long-wearing overall – because nobody has time for touch-ups! So, if you find something that works for your combo complexion, it can be hard to switch it up.
Yasmin found a formula that works for her (and it’s beloved by MUAs around the globe): the soft-matte M·A·C Cosmetics Studio Fix Fluid Foundation. Meanwhile, Hasmyn is a recent convert to the skincare-powered magic of the Victoria Beckham Beauty The Foundation Drops with TFC8®.
Yasmin Tried: Victoria Beckham Beauty The Foundation Drops with TFC8®
A M·A·C loyalist, Environment Lead Yasmin (left) was given the viral Victoria Beckham Beauty Foundation Drops to test. The hardworking product blends the scientific skincare of Augustinus Bader's TFC8® (Trigger Factor Complex) with medium-buildable coverage, meaning it looks like a foundation but feels like a serum – because it is.
For Yasmin, it was a winning combination: “It’s a soft, radiant finish without looking shiny, and it stayed fresh without breaking down. It gives that effortless ‘your-skin-but-better’ finish and truly holds up throughout the day.”
Hasmyn Tried: M·A·C Cosmetics Studio Fix Fluid Foundation SPF15
An icon of the industry, Studio Fix Fluid has long been a favourite of makeup artists for its incredible staying power, full coverage and natural finish. It’s touted as a formula that works for all skin types and textures – so Hasmyn was confident to swap out her usual Victoria Beckham Beauty base and put it to the test with her combination complexion.
Recently reformulated with 87 percent skincare ingredients, Hasmyn praised the feel of the M·A·C foundation: “It applied so comfortably on my skin, it evened out my skin tone and gave me a blurring and radiant finish, even in places where I experience the most dryness.” She found the longevity lived up to the hype and didn’t need to touch up her makeup throughout the day: “It’s a foolproof foundation and perfect for day-to-night wear,” she added.
