Friday 16 March 2012

Max Factor Pan Stik


Max Factor Pan Stik (Yes, Stik, not Stick...) - £6.99
Flawlessly airbrushed looking skin is something almost every make-up wearer aspires for, and something which causes endless amounts of product trials.  I came across the Max Factor Pan Stik whilst purchasing some new (old favourite) mascara, and at £6.99 I thought I'd give it a go.

I had a little panic after purchasing when I realised it was for normal/dry skin; anyone who reads my blog will know my skin is far from normal.  But you can't return cosmetics to Boots apparently (even though I'd just bought it, I did ask!) so I thought I'd give it a try anyway.  It does concern me that there's no ingredients on the packaging - I tend to read ingredients as a habit, so I'm not sure if this would bother other people, but it's important to know what's in products in my opinion!

The consistency is very creamy, smooth and thick; the coverage is medium to high.  It's actually really easy to apply, just swipe the stick over cheeks, chin and across the T-zone and blend away - I used my RT Buffing Brush.  The effect is very flawless looking skin, although it needs to be used sparingly near the eyes as it can sit in creases.  Surprisingly, it doesn't cake-up, which I thought it would do; although I do think you can feel it on the skin since it's quite heavy.

Despite the brilliant natural-yet-full coverage, I'm still not completely sold.  The smell really gets to me.  Now, I am funny about smells; Pan Stik smells quite odd, and although it doesn't linger on the skin, it lingers on my RT brushes.  I would try to be polite and say it smells 'classic'; realistically, 'OAP' would be more fitting; and that's just the undertone.  I would definitely recommend trying it out at the counter and giving it a quick whiff to make sure you're not too offended by the pong!  I'm not completely sure, but I have a feeling that this also gave me a few pimples across my cheeks.  Since the formulation is quite heavy, it makes sense that my combination/oily skin wouldn't appreciate any pore clogging.

Despite the break outs, I do think this is a very worthy addition to the make-up bag.  I can't really use it as a foundation because it's just too heavy for my oily skin, but as a concealer over more friendly foundations, it is long-wearing and up to the job.  Even as a concealer, I still find it needs buffing out to create a more flawless look, and a little powder to take off the 'creaminess' it leaves... But as an alternative to Estee Lauder Double Wear Maximum Cover, I don't mind paying £6.99!

xx

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