MUFE Matte Velvet Skin Blurring Powder Foundation

This is the perfect time of the year to review the Make Up For Ever Matte Velvet Skin Blurring Powder Foundation. It’s not a new release from the brand but I wanted to review it here for those that are looking into lighter makeup to wear during the warmer months. Per the brand’s website “blurring technology smooths and mattifies, visibly reducing pores and absorbing oil for a balanced, natural look…This is matte made modern for a generation who understands their skin’s needs and demands high-performance from their products.” Keep reading to see swatches, shade comparisons, and my thoughts on this foundation.

Details

Name: Make Up For Ever Matte Velvet Skin Blurring Powder Foundation

Cost: $38 for the compact/$26 for the refill

Size: 0.38 oz/11g

Best Skin types to use it: Normal, dry, oily, combination

Finish: Matte

Coverage: Full

Number of shades: 30 (fair, light, light-medium, medium, lighter tan, tan, darker tan, dark, deep)

Undertones available: 6 (pink, golden, neutral, yellow, red, peach, olive)

Fragrance: No

Packaging: The compact is a rectangular black tin with a small mirror and a sponge applicator. One side is magnetic, the other side isn’t. Shade name is underneath the compact as well as the actual foundation pan along with info about the shelf life and where it was made. The refill comes inside of a thin box with a plastic holder.

Claims: Full coverage, blurring powder with a lifelike matte finish. Bends and breathes with skin for 12-hour wear that never cakes, flakes or fades.

First five ingredients: Talc, Synthetic Fluorphlogopite, Silica, Dimethicone, Polymethyl Methacrylate. Check full ingredients list on the packaging as well as the brand’s website to determine potential allergens.

Other things to note: Made in France. Shelf life is 12 months.

Where to buy: Make Up For Ever, Sephora, Camera Ready Cosmetics

 

Matte Velvet Skin Powder Shade Comparisons

I purchased 3 shades in this powder: Y405 Golden Honey for under my eyes, Y455 Praline for my regular shade, and Y505 Cognac for my summer shade/subtle bronzer in the winter. Here are all 3 shades compared to each other.

1. Y405 Golden Honey – for tan skin with golden undertones
2. Y455 Praline – for darker tan skin with deep golden undertones
3. Y505 Cognac – for dark skin with neutral undertones

I purchased one compact and ordered 2 of the refills from MUFE’s website during a sale. I definitely recommend doing this instead of purchasing 3 compacts if you plan on having multiple shades like I have. You can even buy an empty palette to keep them in. The empty palette shown below is just the right size to keep the 3 pans plus the applicator that I don’t use lol.

 

Wear Test

The black and white foam applicator that comes with the foundation is a good option if you don’t have a flat-top brush. When using this applicator I got a decent amount of coverage (pic not shown). The foundation can be built up to full coverage using both sides but I don’t care for using the applicator. I love my brush and feel I can apply it faster that way, which comes in handy when I’m getting ready for work.

I primed with the MUFE Grayness Reducer in certain areas and Rimmel’s Stay Matte primer in my t-zone. For today’s wear test I applied the shade Y455 all over with my Elf Ultimate Blending brush, being sure to skip my under eyes. There was no need to use any additional powder so I just went in the rest of my base makeup as normal. Finished the look by setting with the Charlotte Tilbury Airbrush Flawless Setting Spray.

Taken in natural light at 1 hour after application. Other makeup applied includes the Sephora Collection Bright Future Gel Serum concealer, LA Girl’s Downplay and Foreplay palettes, Pat McGrath’s Dark Star Mascara in Brown Black, Makeup by Mario Eyeliner in Soft Brown, CoverGirl Ultra Fine Brow Pencil in Soft Brown, Rare Beauty Lip Souffle in Brave, and Nyx Suede Lip Liner in Nutmeg.

 

Taken in natural light 8 hours after application. I wore a mask for a short time (with minimal transfer!) and walked outside in 93 degree weather. I think my face looks good considering the conditions and looked even better after I blotted (pic not shown).

Overall thoughts on Matte Velvet Skin Blurring Powder foundation

Make Up For Ever (MUFE) is geared more towards professional makeup artists and I feel they nailed the shade and undertone pairings. That said, I was initially shocked to see that they only have 30 shades in this formula. Even though my shade match is spectacular I would like to see them expand the range a bit on the lighter and deeper ends.

While I don’t have many powder foundations to compare it with, I feel that the Matte Velvet Skin Blurring Powder foundation is for sure going to set the standard for others. I love how easy it is to apply and how it plays well with my oils. The most important part is how light it feels in the spring/summer weather while still giving me the coverage I desire. The claims of the foundation being lifelike, blurring, and never cakey are definitely true for me. It definitely looked like I applied a filter on my face but somehow it still looks like my skin.

Oily and combo-oily folks are going to love this. In 90 degree weather I found myself having to blot twice. The foundation held up nicely despite that. Those with normal and dry skin may love it as long as you hydrate your face properly beforehand. Let me know if you already have and what you think of the MUFE Matte Velvet Skin powder foundation. Check out my last foundation review here.