Initially, I stared at Sephora’s latest Make No Mistake sticks in fear. As someone with a mix of oily and dry skin, stick foundations tend to create a horrible mess on me since most tend to be drier, thicker, and cakier than liquids and creams. They often look patchy on my oily areas, while latching on and emphasizing my driest areas.
However, having had luck with Sephora Collection makeup before, I was hoping these might be different (and because as a makeup minimalist, I love the idea of a convenient little multi-tasking stick!) How did these end up working out for me? Keep reading for my review, and to see some swatches of the first 6 lightest shades in the collection.
Sephora Make No Mistake Foundation & Concealer Sticks
Packed into Sephora’s Make No Mistake on-the-go sticks you’ll find a creamy, medium- to full-coverage formula that can be used as both foundation and concealer (and even for contouring). It’s designed to create a natural matte finish without settling into fine lines and wrinkles. Directions say to apply directly onto skin from the stick, and blend out with your fingertips, sponge, or brush.
There are 16 shades currently available on Sephora’s website, with a variety of shade options for different undertones – including peach, pink, red, yellow, olive, and neutral. Here are the first 6 lightest shades…
Swatches (from left to right):
- Driftwood (1) – light beige with a neutral pink undertone
- Birch (2) – light beige with a neutral undertone
- Beechwood (3)- light beige with a yellow undertone
- Oak (4) – light beige with a neutral undertone
- Cork (5) – cool light beige with a pink undertone
- Hickory (6)- golden light beige with a yellow undertone
Sephora Make No Mistake Foundation & Concealer Sticks Review
I warn you – I did go into this fully prepped. I intensely exfoliated that morning (using the Derma-e Microdermabrasion Scrub – love this stuff!). For the application, I initially tried it out with the Sephora Collection Multitasker Face & Concealer brush #202, but it ended up looking quite streaky. Turns out, blending with the fingers worked best. The extra warmth helps thin out the formula a bit and makes blending easier. Also, being a bit dry-skinned, I also made sure to apply a moisturizer beforehand to help the formula glide a bit better – even though it is surprisingly creamy to start out with. Both did the trick and made blending a breeze.
In the following before & after photos, I used the Sephora Make No Mistake Foundation & Concealer Stick in shade #4 Oak. It may look a bit yellow in the swatches, but it’s actually fairly neutral/olived toned. It ended up matching my light-medium, neutral-toned skin perfectly after oxidizing just slightly (without creating any weird yellow/orange undertones). (Hickory 6 was a good match too, but better suited for my tanned summer skin.) For the application, I pressed three swipes of the stick on my cheeks, and one each on my forehand, chin, and nose. Then I used three fingers to blend everything in, working downwards and outwards. To spot conceal around my nose and undereyes, I dabbed a little bit of #3 Beechwood on my finger, then tapped and blended it onto my skin. Finally, I grabbed the Multitasker Face & Concealer brush for one last all-over blend.
Sephora Make No Mistake Before & After (using shade #4 Oak all over the face, and #3 Beechwood under the eyes and to spot conceal)
The finish of the Sephora Make No Mistake sticks was initially somewhat flat and dry, but it looked a more natural after the formula had time to settle and blend with my skin’s natural oils. Surprisingly, it didn’t cake up or settle into my fine lines or pores like a lot of other stick foundations. However, on my driest desert areas, like my nose (which I can never seem to get 100% smooth out), the formula did cling to my dry flakes and look patchy – one thing you can’t just seem to avoid with stick foundations, even these.
The coverage is great for concealing everything from dark undereye circles to redness on the cheeks, both of which I had before applying. Longevity-wise, the foundation wears very nicely through the day as well. After about 4-5 hours in, it can look slightly oily in my T-zone, but nothing out of the ordinary.
Lastly, I do love the packaging – it’s sleek looking, twists up easily, and most importantly, the cap snaps on for a secure fit, so you can feel better about throwing it in your bag. There is also a lot of product (especially for the price), which you can see here…
Wrap-Up
Overall, on my combo skin, the Sephora Make No Mistake sticks offer a formula that looks amazing from a few feet away, but up close, it’s not flawless.
However, when perfection isn’t a priority, these sticks do provide a happy medium for when I need a bit more coverage than what my powder foundations provide, but can’t be bothered with the whole shebang of applying a full face of liquid foundation, concealer, setting powders, etc.
Oily and normal skin types will likely have much better luck with these. If you fall in those categories, I’d highly recommend picking one (or more) up for lazy weekends, travel, the gym, or really anytime you need a quick (and ultra-portable) way to get natural-looking coverage.
Available at Sephora
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Have you tried the Make No Mistake Foundation & Concealer Sticks? Have a favorite stick foundation? Let me know in the comments!
