It’s been a while since I wore foundation on a daily basis. In the beginning of 2013 my skin just came to such a level of bad that there was no point in covering it up. While covering up acne for photo shoots may work, irl, it looks cakey and obvious. And as soon as I stopped smothering my face with foundation, even the mineral-based ones, my skin started to get better.
Since then, I’ve stuck to mineral/powder foundations, buying samples here and there and here. But I never really felt 100% comfortable with it on. So it’s been years since I used a liquid foundation or a foundation at all. I decided to put my bad experience behind as I think that foundation formula must’ve come a long way since my last experience. Enter the MAC Waterweight Foundation Serum SPF30…
What do I look for in a foundation?
While many with acne scars reach for full-coverage foundations, I take a different approach. For me, a natural, almost undetectable look is key. That means skipping the heavy formulas, matte finishes, and anything that feels cakey.
Since I have normal skin, I’m happy to embrace a luminous or dewy finish. However, comfort is crucial – the foundation shouldn’t feel like a mask.
You might think this means I don’t want coverage at all. But let’s be honest, foundations aren’t meant to erase blemishes – that’s a concealer’s job! For me, the ideal foundation enhances my skin, evening out my tone and adding a healthy radiance.
Cruelty-Free Considerations
Before diving into the review, let’s address the elephant in the room: cruelty-free concerns. This blog post will mention both MAC Waterweight and Smashbox BB Water foundations. Here’s why:
Same formula, different brands
- Same Formula, Different Brands: Both brands are owned by Estée Lauder, known for sharing formulas across brands. These foundations are nearly identical, but with a key difference:
- Smashbox: Cruelty-free certified.
- MAC: Sells in China, requiring animal testing by law. They do partner with an organization promoting cruelty-free testing methods.
This creates a dilemma. Smashbox remains cruelty-free while selling a product potentially tested on animals.
Update: Estée Lauder Double Wear Nude (discontinued) is… Or let’s say, was, another dupe!
Update 2020: Sadly, Smashbox BB Water is discontinued.
My Choice and Moral Complexity
While I prioritize cruelty-free practices, I understand the complexities involved. A complete boycott of every brand that might have indirect ties to animal testing becomes impractical. For instance, the meat industry often supplies byproducts used in fertilizers for some organic produce. This creates a situation where absolute “cruelty-free” purchasing becomes challenging.
Thankfully, the landscape is evolving. China, previously a major driver of animal testing for cosmetics, has relaxed its regulations. This means companies like MAC may not need to conduct animal testing in the future, even if they sell products there.
Reviewing Both Foundations
While I don’t condone animal testing, I also acknowledge the complexities of ethical consumerism. With that said, since these foundations are so similar, I’ll be reviewing them both interchangeably.
MAC Waterweight SPF 30 Foundation / Smashbox BB Water Foundation
★★★★★
A 2-in-1 Product
Both MAC Waterweight and Smashbox BB Water foundations fall into the “makeup-meets-skincare” category, boasting benefits beyond just coverage. Here’s a breakdown:
- Oil-free formulation with built-in primer water technology that creates a liquid silk-consistency to glide easily onto your face and moves with the skin.
- Demi-matte, never flat finish with buildable coverage and Photoset Polymers create all-day wear.
- Moisture-Fusion Complex provides immediate and all-day hydration leaving skin feeling quenched and silky to the touch.
- Includes antioxidants and reparative ingredients as vitamin E, lecithin, apple, lentil and watermelon extract, and sodium hyaluronate.
- Formulated without Parabens, Sodium Lauryl Sulfate, Phthalates, Oil, Fragrance & Talc.
- Features SPF 30 sun protection (in the form of Octinoxate 5%, Titanium Dioxide 3.1%, Zinc Oxide 2.1%)
My Experience with “Serum Foundations”
I appreciate the concept of foundations that nourish the skin while providing coverage. Like the formula we found in W3LL People’s concealer, which doubles as an eye cream too! And so it lead me to look up “Serum Foundations” like this one from MAC/Smashbox.
Before I found the Smashbox BB Water Foundation, I tried my luck with samples of the BareMinerals Serum Foundation. However, my experience wasn’t ideal. The colors were too pigmented for my taste, making it difficult to achieve a natural look. Additionally, the full coverage emphasized my scars and felt heavy on my skin after a day’s wear.
This experience highlights the importance of trying samples before committing to a full-size foundation. Not all “serum foundations” are created equal, and individual needs and preferences will vary.
Application & Wear
It’s important to know that this foundation needs to be shaken well before use. Like the name, it has a serum-like texture and absorbs quickly, feeling lightweight and comfortable on the skin. Due to the sheer coverage, more than 1-3 drops might be needed for medium coverage. Using a powder can help stretch the product wear. It blends well with fingers alone, although brushes or sponges can also be used.
The shade range may allow for a slight mismatch as long as the undertone is correct. However, due to the sheerness, mixing with moisturizer isn’t as effective as expected.
Coverage & Finish
This foundation offers light, buildable coverage. While it can be layered to a light-medium level, achieving full coverage might be challenging. Despite the sheerness, it blends beautifully and doesn’t leave your scars more prominent looking, it looks incredibly natural on your skin. I like to think of it as your skin, but even better, which is exactly what I was hoping for.
The finish is neither matte nor overly dewy. Interestingly, it seems to adapt to the products I use underneath. With a matte primer, it leans more matte, while a dewy moisturizer creates a luminous finish.
Suitability for Different Skin Types
Dry Skin: This foundation can be hydrating, but some reviewers (including myself) found it can cling to dry patches. If you have dry skin, a hydrating primer or moisturizer and regular BHA/AHA exfoliation are recommended. However, it should work well for non-flaky dry skin types.
Oily Skin: A matte primer might be helpful for oily skin. Blotting throughout the day may be necessary depending on your preference. The hydrating properties allow for a natural look without setting powder, but finishing powder is an option for a more matte finish. In my experience, I was able to skip the powder because I loved the natural look.
Additional Notes
Compared to other foundations I’ve tried, this one creates a more natural, “no makeup” look. Unlike the BareMinerals foundation, it doesn’t make it obvious I’m wearing makeup – my boyfriend is a great indicator! He used to comment on my makeup before we hugged, but with this foundation, he simply compliments my skin. That’s the kind of natural coverage I was going for.
It hasn’t caused breakouts like some other foundations. However, some clogged pores may occur with extended wear (over 8 hours). Oily skin might still require midday blotting. Overall, the formula feels comfortable and doesn’t irritate my skin. In some ways, it might even feel slightly beneficial.
Shade Range & Matching
I’ve been wearing SPF 50 all through summer, and I’m surprised my face didn’t stay pale white! The shade ‘Light/Medium’ from Smashbox BB Water Foundation is described as “golden medium beige”. And it was a perfect match to my face tone. However, ‘Medium’, described as “natural tan”, was a perfect match to my overall tanned body color/decolletage. And so for reference, ‘Medium’ would totally work as my summer shade while ‘Light/Medium’ is a better suit for winter time.
People who do a lot of contouring and use bronzers might go for a shade lighter. But the general rule of thumb is to match your foundation to a shade somewhere in-between your decolletage and your face color.
Smashbox BB Water foundation only offer 8 shades while MAC Waterweight foundation offers 23 shades. Choosing a shade from MAC felt overwhelming because my skin tone is usually within the general population/selection. Of course, depending on the formula and pigment of a product, I for one like it when shades are as simple as ‘Light’ or ‘Medium’. Still, I get that someone with more pinks in their undertone would appreciate the shade selection from MAC more.
There’s no MAC counter nearby where I live. So I took help from Temptalia to find me a close match to Smashbox’s BB Water in ‘Medium’. It came out to be NC30. But as you see in the picture comparison, NC30 is even slightly lighter than ‘Light/Medium’! I got a bit shocked by this when I got the foundation. Also relieved that I didn’t go with NC25, which was on my mind as it’s starting to turn into winter. But like I said before, thanks to its sheer formula, one shade lighter or darker, doesn’t really matter. It blends right in and adjusts a bit. And NC30 works and will work wonderfully with my winter skin.
First image: MAC Waterweight Foundation NC30 Swatch, Smashbox BB Water Foundation Light/Medium and Medium; Second image: Blended.
Packaging
Both foundations come in a glass bottle with a dropper. Smashbox BB Water foundation had a slightly different dropper, one of which you click at the top to suck product into the pipette. I personally find the MAC bottle more attractive and picture perfect, while Smashbox’s looks a bit on the cheap side with the glued-on-label. But it’s all aesthetic looking. I haven’t had any trouble with the dropper, and it dispenses the perfect amount to use at each cheek.
Price
Interestingly, the MAC Waterweight foundation is slightly cheaper despite having a wider shade range and a more visually appealing bottle. The reason for the price difference is unclear. Perhaps Smashbox positions itself as a more premium brand, or maybe MAC benefits from economies of scale due to its larger consumer base.
Ingredient Highlight
The MAC Waterweight contain Thermus Thermophillus Ferment Extract, which is a powerful antioxidant, that’s activated by heat and light. Its benefits can be comparable to vitamin E, and is a nice addition to a makeup product. This ferment is derived from deep-sea hydrothermal vents and has a unique ability to help protect skins DNA. It provides a self-adjusting enzyme activity, fibroblast protection, and cell membrane protection while helping to combat free radical damage.
Six months of use showed to prevented five years of aging. As the Ferment Extract worked to protect against age spots, wrinkles, and blemishes. It showed to also work to:
- Stimulate keratinocyte differentiation and maturation
- Strengthen stratum corneum resistance against aggression – protecting against UV damage
- Restore the cutaneous barrier quality
- Reduce water loss after an induced lesion
- Increase ceramide production
- Inspire healthy oxygenation
I reacted with a laugh when I read someone’s comment on a forum about this sea bug extract:
“I don’t understand the meaning of ‘prevent 5 years of aging in 6 months’. So, you use the product for 6 months, and then for 6 months and 4 years you don’t age??” And I must agree, it’s quite confusing, but sounds very appealing! :)
Conclusion
This foundation is, hands down, the BEST I’ve tried and owned so far during my lifetime!
It totally confirms my suspicions that makeup keeps getting better! In the past, foundations (even mineral ones) felt heavy by the end of the day. Like a pair of stiff jeans, I’d only wear them for special occasions, counting down the seconds until I could rip them off. But this is different! It might depend on skin type, but after 8 hours, my skin doesn’t feel “caked” or gross at all. Even with medium coverage, it feels light and hydrated, like my own skin. The sheerness makes it hard to judge longevity for sure, but I just feel confident with it all day, which is a win in my book!
The only moral dilemma is the whole cruelty-free situation. Until I find something similar (and hopefully cheaper!), I’m sticking with this one. Finding a liquid foundation I love is a rare feat – I barely even blog about half the samples I get! That being said, I’m still curious about the 100% Pure 2nd Skin Foundation. It has some questionable ingredients, but the reviews are tempting!
Heads Up: This is a sheer foundation – it’s the “barely there” look. If you need medium to full coverage, keep searching (like the bareMinerals Foundation Serum). It also has silicones, so avoid it if that’s a dealbreaker for you. On the plus side, it’s fragrance-free and has a light, sophisticated formula that shouldn’t clog pores or irritate sensitive skin (although, you know, everyone reacts differently!).
