MAC pro longwear foundation

Hi guys, okay so I wanted to do a short review for you on the MAC pro longwear foundation. I've been wearing this foundation since about mid-November and I wanted to give you guys an idea of how it works and doesn't work for my skin. So first, I'll do a background on my skin and what I'm looking to achieve in a foundation, then the pros and cons of the foundation (from my experience with it) and then why it works or doesn't work for me.

So, a little rundown on my skin: It is more on the dry side. Though as I'm getting older, I realize that my skin is getting a bit oilier in the t-zone. I have hyperpigmentation (discolouration that looks like bigger, darker, uncute freckles on my cheeks) and small broken blood vessels on my cheeks as well. So I'm always looking for something that's going to hide my flaws without looking too dry or mask like. I've only found one foundation that will cover my hyperpigmentation without using concealer, but it was much too heavy looking for everyday wear, so I rely on a good concealer to do that job.

Pros of the longwear foundation:
-really is longlasting. I've lasted past the 17 hour mark with this foundation with NO touchups and really...how often do we need it to last even that long? (bear in mind that my skin is not oily, so those of you with oilier skin may have a different wear time.)
-coverage is medium to medium-full for me. On the MAC website, it says it's a sheer to medium, but I can stipple it on the places I need to get more coverage (cheeks). I can cover the broken blood vessels and can fade the look of the dark spots, but still need concealer to finish the job.
-this is the only foundation I've ever used that I don't need to set with a powder, I'll still get a good 8 hours+ wear out of it.
-this foundation actually matches me. I have noticed that a lot of the NC colours in the pro longwear line are a bit peachy, but for whatever reason, it works for me. I started using an NC42 (which looked quite peachy) in November when I was still more tanned from summer, and now I use an NC40 which I find to be less peachy, more yellow...but I've ALWAYS been a foundation mixer and now that I don't have to, I can spend that extra 5 minutes of finding the perfect colour on sleeping. Woot!

Cons of the longwear foundation:
-you need to work fast with foundation. I find it dries really quickly so if you don't work mach speed with it, it may set before you've had time to really blend it out. Ok, so not mach speed, but you have to work pretty quick. I suggest working in sections: cheek, cheek, nose, forehead, chin, neck.
-on my dry days, using the foundation alone can really bring out the flakies (ew...I know) This has only happened to me on my forehead. When I get really dehydrated the skin on my forehead gets really dry and I guess this foundation can exaggerate that.

Okay, so if you guys are wondering how I apply this foundation, here is the deal. First I moisturize and use eye cream. Then I apply a concealer to my undereye area. Then I take a pea-sized bead of Illamasqua's Satin Primer (on the back of my hand) the and then add 2 pumps of the pro longwear foundation and then I mix it together with the end of my foundation brush. I use Sephora's Professional Platinum Air Brush #55 to apply. I take whatever's on the end of the brush and apply it to one of my cheeks and use the bristles to stipple it out working only on that one cheek. Then just before the foundation dries, I'll blend it out in a circular motion. Then I'll move all around my face until it's all worked in. If you guys want to see a pictures of me wearing this foundation, this is a picture from a previous post where I'm wearing the longwear foundation and concealer. Click to enlarge:

If you're wondering what Illamasqua's satin primer does for me, it gives you a dewier finish and because my skin is dry and I like a little bit of that dewier finish (we all want what we can't have right?) this helps me achive that. I prefer to mix it in rather than using it as a base because I find that the foundation kind of cancels it out that way. Mixing it in helps it last even a bit longer and gives a nice glow.

So overall review from Makeup Mama? LOVE IT!! It is the only foundation that stays on my forehead and nose. Don't ask why. Even though my forehead is dry, there is never any foundation ever left on my forehead or my nose by the end of the day with any other foundation. It not only stays on my forehead and nose but it stays EVERYWHERE. And for a long time. It's just what I need in terms of foundation coverage, it doesn't cover all my flaws, but I depend on concealer for my heavy duty covering, so it by far exceeds my foundation needs. I'm actually looking forward to my next long flight somewhere cuz I'll get to test it out even more. Cabin air has this way of stripping my makeup off within a matter of minutes. Not to mention that now that I don't wear powder over everything (just highlighter powder on my cheekbones as insurance that my hyperpigmentation doesn't show through halfway through the day...although I've already tested it and it won't...it's me being crazy), AND with the dewiness that satin primer adds, I get compliments on my skin literally everyday. No joke. So I'm sticking with it until MAC can one up this foundation...but I don't know if it can. For me anyway.

Hope this helps any of you out there who might be looking at this foundation. Sorry to all my oily skinned ladies, don't know if this helped you out much though since I could only give you a review from a dry-skinned perspective.