Every once in a while, a makeup product comes along and generates so much buzz that our whole beauty team just can't stop talking about it. Case in point? Make Up For Ever's HD Skin Undetectable Longwear Foundation ($43). It's beloved by makeup artists, TikTok users, and YouTubers alike, so naturally, it became a topic of conversation in our Slack channel. What does it offer? Well, for starters, it provides a true-to-skin finish complete with a micro-skin system. This allows the formula to follow your skin's natural movement, provides high correction, and even smooths out your skin.
It's an upgraded version of the brand's OG formula, the Ultra HD Foundation, and is even completely noncomedogenic. Not to mention it's designed for longer wear and is sweat plus waterproof. Sounds pretty great, right? Well, some of our beauty team thought so and others of us weren't quite as convinced. Before sprinting to your nearest Sephora, check out all our thoughts on the foundation below.
Shawna Hudson, Associate Beauty Editor
This isn't a bad foundation, but I can't really say that it's one of my favorites. First, I'll start with the pros. The formula is extremely lightweight so you never feel like you're wearing a face full of makeup. It also blends out really nicely with a brush so it isn't a stiff or drying kind of formula. I think that's due to the glycerol and exopolysaccharide in it which help keep your complexion moisturized and radiant for longer wear.
One of the cons for me, however, is the sheerness of the coverage. I know that it's meant to be undetectable and provides medium coverage, but to actually achieve the porcelain-skin look I strive for, it seemed I would have to use a lot of product. It just didn't seem to sit on my skin in a flattering way. Even after a few coats, it didn't really blur or cover much of anything for me. It just looked like I was wearing a sheer layer of makeup on top of my skin, but you could still very much see things like scars and pores. I wanted to love it because I'd heard so many great things about it, but I don't think this is a foundation I'll reach for often after this review.
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Erin Jahns, Senior Beauty Editor
"I typically know within the first few seconds of applying a foundation whether I'm going to love it or hate it, and usually, there's no in-between. But I definitely love this one! For context, I live on the second floor of my L.A. (AC-free!) apartment and I'm pretty sure the thermostat read 88 degrees when I was trying this out. I hate wearing makeup when it's hot because A) it often feels too heavy or slidey on my skin (truly, it makes me feel claustrophobic), and B) it almost always looks like a complete mess.
"This one proved me wrong on all fronts! It's so lightweight, and almost feels more like a tinted moisturizer or serum than a medium coverage foundation, it melts into the skin and blends effortlessly, and it truly does give your skin a blurred, lit-from-within look. As you can see in my before photo, I had an annoying little friend along my jawline and this foundation really helped it disappear as far as the red discoloration goes. I also feel like the foundation looked better as the night wore on, and I noticed impressively-minimal creasing—even around my smile lines which are the bane of my existence. All in all, I'm super impressed and am excited to add this formula to my regular foundation rotation."
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Katie Berohn, Associate Beauty Editor
"Full disclosure: This has been my go-to foundation ever since I tried it before launch, when the legendary Katie Jane Hughes did my makeup and shade-matched me. It just looks so natural. I have tons of freckles, which has always made finding foundation tricky for me. If I use too heavy of coverage, my skin ends up looking weird and unnatural, but I still want enough coverage to blur imperfections and even out my skin tone. This foundation is perfect for what I'm looking for because it's super buildable. Hughes told me she uses less than a pump for her whole face, but you can customize and make this foundation suit pretty much every coverage."
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Caitie Schlisserman, Beauty Director, Branded Content
"I really wanted to love this foundation because it has everything I look for in a face product: it's lightweight, blurs imperfections while still being natural-looking, and is long-lasting—the perfect trifecta of good things. Initially, I loved how my skin looked and felt. It helped enhance my natural skin tone and it really didn't feel like I had anything on! But as the day went on, I caught a glimpse of myself in the mirror and was surprised that I could totally tell I was wearing makeup and not in a flattering way. The product was pilling around and between my eyebrows and my nose. I was totally bummed! My skin was thoroughly prepped too, so I'm not sure if I was just having an extremely dry skin day or if the formula just doesn't work with my skin. Either way, I'm not ready to give up on it just yet because it has a lot of good qualities that I usually struggle to find in a foundation."
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Sarah Yang, Managing Editor, THE/THIRTY
"I've tried about seven different foundations in the past month or so, and I have two favorites from the testing. This is one of them. I normally don't wear foundation on the regular but because this one is so lightweight and smooth, I wouldn't mind wearing this one more often! It disguises the redness and any blemishes on my face so well, yet it doesn't feel cakey or too heavy. I applied this one with a foundation brush and loved that I only needed a little bit of it to completely cover my face—and I'm sure it's buildable, too, if I was in need of some more coverage. My skin looked really natural with it on and a little bit brighter, which is always a plus."
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