Beauty news: MAKETHEMAKE makeup officially lands in New Zealand

When I first met with the and super passionate Catherine Tong from Australasian Scandi beauty hub, The Skin Wardrobe, the first brand she told me about was MAKETHEMAKE.

Makeup-infused skincare, formulated and designed by skin therapists, MAKETHEMAKE is a company that understands and focuses on ways to optimise the skin’s overall health as well as creating a flawless finish. All of the brand’s products contain scientifically proven, highly active ingredients, and founder Annica Forsgren (a friend of Catherine’s) sees MAKETHEMAKE’s offering as a true extension to your skincare routine as it creates a flawless base to build upon. The award-winning range includes products suitable for all skin types and skin tones, as well as multitasking marvels that focus on simplifying your routine and making the most of your natural beauty.

The first element of MAKETHEMAKE’s offering that I was lucky enough to be able to play with was their foundation brush, one of a set of custom designed, high quality makeup brushes designed with natural beauty in mind. The new innovation in brush design and application technique gives your skin a natural, ’soft focus’ look, and they are big on aesthetics as well as performance. The brushes are designed with user friendliness in mind, and definitely won’t disappear into a cluttered bathroom drawer anytime soon.

Fast forward to one morning last week and I was at the official launch of the brand into New Zealand, where I was given the chance to finally have a play with their makeup options. They have three foundation options plus a tinted moisturiser, as well as primers, concealers and various highlighting and bronzing options.  I loved the look of the Bisabolol Oil Primer for skin on the drier side like mine, and the Hylauronic Highlighter was like a breath of fresh air in a tube – seriously great stuff. 

The foundation option I found the most intriguing of the three is known as the Squalane Melting Foundation SPF 30 (see the top image, above). One of MAKETHEMAKE’s star products, it is a versatile, buildable foundation that comes in a powder form, but then melts into a silky cream once it has been applied on the skin for a natural, luminous finish. Suitable for all skin types and incredibly handbag and travel friendly, it not only gives you 12-hour long medium coverage, but also provides a whole range of protective skin-loving benefits. Squalane is a well-known natural moisturiser that balances oil production, and Turmeric and Resveratrol are included to give antioxidant protection against free radicals. An SPF 30 sunscreen provides effective protection from UV rays, whilst Mica and pigments in the formula leave you with a natural and radiant finish for a clear and luminous complexion.

I love that with this foundation formula you can decide on your own coverage depending on which brush you use to apply it. You get higher coverage with the Foundation Brush I was gifted, less coverage with the Loose Powder Brush and medium coverage with the Foundation Brush II. You lightly dip your chosen brush into the product and then tap off the excess, before working it into the skin.  I found that watching a few of the brand’s instruction videos definitely helps you achieve a more flawless result with their products, holding the brush at a right angle to the face and using light pressure and short sweeps in half-moon shapes, upwards and outwards. Press – blend – press – blend. And always start by using a small amount of product on the brush. The level of coverage can easily be adjusted from light – to full coverage by adding multiple thin layers, until the desired result is reached.

So there you have it! The Squalane Melting Foundation SPF 30 is available now with an RRP of $46, and to find out more about the brand and what else Catherine has curated for exclusive distribution in New Zealand, head here.