I Bought the Pat McGrath Labs Sublime Perfection System and These Are My Thoughts

So like any beauty enthusiast, the Pat McGrath Labs Sublime Perfection Foundation launch was marked on my calendar. Everyday I went onto their website to review shades so that I would be able to perfectly match myself when it would become available for purchase. I ordered The System, which includes the Sublime Perfection Foundation, Prime and Powder. If I was going to try this, I needed to experience all of the products in the line. I wore this foundation on a regular summer day (surprisingly it was only in the mid 80’s and it wasn’t too humid). Below are my reviews of each product and whether I think these luxury products are worth the price tag.

Skin Fetish: Sublime Perfection Primer

Of the three products in this collection, this is the product that I can say with confidence that you can skip. That being said, it is a decent primer. That being said, it did provide my skin with a smooth canvas to work from and the foundation did blend beautifully. I just feel that you can still get that effect with other primers. While I was waiting for my package to arrive, I got samples of the foundation from Sephora to try and I used it with my Fenty Pro Filt’r Instant Retouch Primer . It’s not overly hydrating or helps with oil control but it’s nice. It would have been nicer if the packaging was better (the label on the bottle wasn’t applied correctly an the packaging itself felt like a stock component). but if you love Pat McGrath (and honestly, who doesn’t) and don’t mind spending more than the price of $68 for a primer, then have at it)

Skin Fetish: Sublime Perfection Foundation

Now for the main attraction. First let me begin by saying that this is an excellent product. I love the way that it feels on the skin. The texture is extremely light but is buildable to medium coverage. What I would say is that if you want that full coverage, then this is not for you. This gives you a very skin-like finish that is neither matte or dewy—truly a natural foundation. I was surprised to see that it did not oxidize not one bit and I had it on for about six hours. I was out an about for a little bit, but the weather was cooperative so that was a plus. If I had to compare this to another foundation, I would have to say it reminds me a lot of Dr. Perricone’s No Makeup Foundation Serum. It’s similar as to how it feels and applies on the skin. I also liked how it melted into my skin and when it dried down it did not oxidize or feel tacky. With what being said, with my combo-oily skin, within a few hours my natural oils broke through. At first it was kind of alarming but it looked more like a natural glow instead of looking greasy.

Skin Fetish: Sublime Perfection Powder

I love this powder! I love how light it felt. I love that even though it seemed like it had a lot of pigment, when dusted over the face, it left a veil that in my opinion created a blurring effect. I’m not someone who usually bakes with my setting powder so this is the perfect consistency. I dusted a pretty decent layer on my face (not my under eyes though because the shade I got was too deep and I’m pretty happy with my Fenty Beauty Pro Filt’r Instant Retouch Setting Powder in Honey if I wanted to brighten the eye area). Unfortunately, what I did not like about this product was the packaging. If you are not careful when you remove the protective seal, the powder could spill out everywhere. When opening, open slowly and lightly—and by lightly I mean lightly tap your brush, swirl and tap the excess off in the cap and then apply to the face. I went in and did my usual bronze, blush and slight highlight and I loved the way it looked.

Final Thought

Here’s how my foundation lasted through my mini wear test.

I would recommend the foundation and the powder. The foundation is great for those no-makeup makeup looks and while the price tag is up there, it is a luxury brand and the foundation performed for me. Please note that I have combo-oily (normal/oily) skin so it worked for me and I’m sure if I touched up every couple of hours, it would be beautiful. I do hope that Pat McGrath comes out with a pressed powder version that would be more travel friendly because I don’t see myself carrying the powder in my makeup bag. The primer is not something that I will purchase again, but it’s nice. I will say that customer service needs to be worked on. I mean I ordered the system directly from the Pat McGrath site the day that it launched and did not receive it until two weeks later (normally it should have taken a week). On top of that, the packaging on the primer and powder was very lackluster for the price tag. I really feel they should revisit that. The sticker on the primer should have either been a plaque or directly printed on the bottle. They could have also gone with a more substantial component. At first I thought I was being overly critical (I work in beauty and closely with package development) but when I heard other people saying the same thing, I realized that I wasn’t. The packaging of the foundation was beautiful. It had a very expensive feel and I expected that same level of detail to be carried throughout the collection. On a scale of 1-10 with 10 being absolute perfection, this collection is a solid 7.75 for me. 1.5 points off for the packaging and the rest is because I wasn’t in love with the primer.

Have you tried the Sublime Perfection Collection? What were your thoughts. Leave a comment below.