During the winter our skin tends to look tired and dull looking. This can be either from being overworked and our skin has taken the beating or if you live in a cold climate like myself the skin can start to look tired and dull looking. This is where a cream can certainly help when it comes to not applying too much makeup.
In this post, I’m going to talk about a product that I personally use and I recommend, the MAC”S Strobe Cream it can be worn either by itself or with a foundation which has it’s skincare benefits along with improving the look of your skin complexion. The price point of this product is quite reasonable $40.00, it doesn’t hurt your bank too much and it’s not too cheap either but after all since it’s MAC you’re getting a quality product no matter what.
Don’t get me wrong but I’m not trying to make you spend your money but instead spend the money once and the product can last for quite some time that is why I recommend MAC products because what your getting is good quality for an affordable price.
Why I Chose MAC’s Strobe Cream
I personally use Mac’s strobe cream when I want my skin to have a boost in its complexion. When applying Macs Strobe Cream to my face I loved the fact it was lightweight and had a refreshing clean scent. It has many skin loving ingredients by hydrating the skin moisturized and a subtle glow. I found three main ways that it helps improve my skin complexion:
- Because It is full of antioxidants that brighten the skin and uses iridescent particles that add a subtle glow to the skin in direct lighting. It can be used all over the face to brighten your skin.
- Mac’s Strobe can also be used under foundation to give the foundation a more glowing dewy look.
- Strobing is a technique that has really taken off in the beauty world in the last few years. It’s a way to give the foundation a subtle glow applying strobe cream on top of the foundation. The main concept is to apply the strobe cream to the high points of the face where the light usually hits.
I love the fact that the strobe cream can also be used as a primer to allow my favorite highlighter to stay on longer. By applying strobe cream under my favorite highlighter gives my highlighter more intensity and allows it to stay on longer. These are some tricks and tips on how I have been using MAC’s Strobe cream.
Mac’s Strobe Cream comes in five different shades which can suit every skin tone they are the following:
- pink (original)
- Peach
- Silver
- Red
- Gold
It also has complimentary powder highlighters that go well with its strobe creams known as Extra Dimension Skin Finishes. So there is a good range that will complement the different skin tones out there. Lastly, just applying Macs Strobe Cream to the skin has its beneficial ingredients for your skin.
What are the ingredients in MAC’s Strobe Cream
There are a few ingredients that MAC’s Strobe Cream has that can really revitalize tired looking skin such as:
Green Tea helps with irritation, redness, and swelling of the skin. Green Tea is a powerful antioxidant known as EGCG which fights damaged DNA which is caused by UV rays.
Silica is used to help keep the skin supple. It also is known to be anti-inflammatory for skin conditions such as eczema and psoriasis.
Grape Fruit Extract its high in vitamins which have many anti-aging benefits. It helps even out the skin tone from and free radicals.
Joba joba seed oil which helps with dry skin. Its also anti-inflammatory which helps with redness and helps calm down skin conditions like eczema. It contains vitamin E which helps repair damaged skin.
Potent botanicals have anti-aging properties which help with aging skin. They also can help with redness of the skin which can calm and firm the skin.
Which Strobe Cream To Use
When it comes to applying strobe cream its always a good idea to look at the color selection. Just because certain colors suit certain people don’t exactly mean it would complement your skin type. I have provided a general guide of what Mac Strobe cream would complement which skin tone. There are five main colors when it comes to Mac’s Strobe cream each complementing different skin tones.
Which Mac Strobe Cream is best for fair skin
When it comes to more fair skin tones. Fair as in a more cool tone fair complexion it would be wise to try out Macs strobe cream in Silverlight. It has more cool tone particles such as blue-purple colors which will really compliment fair skin tones with a more cooler undertone.
For lighter skin tones that have more color them and are more neutral colored, I would suggest trying out Macs Strobe Cream in Pink Light which is Macs original Strobe Cream. This color suits my skin undertone more so in the winter than in the summer.
Which Mac Strobe Cream is best for medium skin
For more medium or olive skin tones Macs Strobe Cream in Peachlite has peach reflective particles that can complement peach undertones in medium skin tones.
If you have more of a medium but yellow skin tone then Mac’s Strobe cream in Goldlite works well with medium and medium skin tones with a yellow undertone.
Which Mac Strobe Cream is best for dark skin
Darker skin tones can really benefit from this product because many of the colors do go well with darker tones such as Peachlite, Goldlite, and Redlight.
Peachlite will go well with more tanned skin tones that are more on the olive side.
Goldlite will go well with deeper skin tones bringing out the brown undertones with the gold particles.
Redlite will go well with dark deeper skin tones because it will complement the red pigmentation in darker skin tones with its red particles.
It’s wise to also know that even though the above guide provides according to Macs website the different Mac Strobe Creams can be used to create creative obre looks.
How to use strobe cream
Macs strobe cream can be used in three different ways to achieve three different looks.
The first way is by using it on its own to achieve a naturally glowing finish.
Step 1: Cleanse face
Step 2: Tone the face
Step 3: Apply moisturizer (optional, I personally include this step because my skin is probably looking dry and dehydrated and I want that hydrated glow)
Step 4: apply 3-4 drops of the product on your finger and rub the product in both hands and pat the product onto the face- I find that this method gives a beautiful sheen to the skin without worrying about it looking streaky
The second way I use this product is by having it under my foundation this usually adds a bit of a glow to my foundation.
Step 1: Cleanse the face
Step 2: tone the face
Step 3: apply some moisturizer (optional)
Step 4: Squeeze a dime-size amount of Macs Strobe Cream in the midsection of your fingers and gently press into the face. Wait for about a minute for the product to settle into the skin so it becomes a base for the foundation. Then apply your foundation on with a brush.
The third way that you can use Macs strobe Cream is by applying it to the face after foundation application, this step as we know adds an additional glow known as strobing. The following steps are used to make your highlighter stay on longer and to give your highlighter more intensity with Mac’s strobe cream.
Step 1: Cleanse the face
Step 2: tone the face
Step 3: Apply moisturizer
Step 4: apply your favorite foundation
Step 5: apply Mac’s strobe cream on the high points of the face
Step 6: apply powdered highlighter on top of Mac’s Strobe Cream
Overview of MAC’s Strobe Cream
- Brightens the skin
- Has many skin-loving ingredients
- Gives the skin a subtle glow
- Can be used as a primer under foundation(primer)
- Can be used on top of foundation for a beautiful strobing effect
- Has a complimentary strobing powder to help intensify the glow
- Has a good color selection to work with
- Comes in a mini- a good way to test out the product.
When using Mac’s Strobe Cream its important to use little amounts of the product the reason being is because it has a tendency of flaking when dry that’s why I add the additional step of moisturizing my skin to avoid this problem.
Mac’s Strobe Cream is $34USD and $40 CAN the price point is slightly up there however the multiple ways of using it along with the many skincare ingredients which do justify the price.