…and downloaded the Matchco app after seeing the ad on Instagram.

A custom-tinted foundation, from an app on my iPhone? Yeah, that’s exactly up my alley. But none of the beauty bloggers I trust* had reviewed it yet, so… somebody had to do it.

*trust

Fact: I have not bought a new beauty product (excluding lipstick/balm, etc., my weakness) in years without its having been pre-screened by either Jane or Gaia (’cause why waste time/money?), so this was a big-deal for me.

Mucho skeptical, despite my undying love of technology, I installed the app. When you first open it, it explains with a video how to do all the things that will be expected of you to successfully use the app. I watched the video, but to be honest with you, I kinda ignored the instructions. I did the calibration per instructions, and I followed the spirit of the instructions, but since there IS NO indirect lighting in my loft, and I wanted daylight-skin captured, I violated the instructions on at least that point. Also, while my skin was makeup free, it wasn’t fresh washed, and quite frankly, it was looking kinda gross.

Moment of truth: I wanted it to fail. In the daze of frisky, pre-PMS haze that descends upon me with relentless vigor at routine intervals, my thought process was something like, “I DARE you to work.” And by “work,” I mean a bottle of perfectly matched, custom formulated foundation delivered to my door approximately 3-5 days from clicking submit your order.

I got what I wanted, which was to keep being pissy. The order took forever to ship, and even longer to arrive. The Priority-Mail tracking suggested it would arrive on the 26th, and it still said that on the 29th… so where the frack was my miracle? I contacted customer service, and they were helpful and prompt, offering to remix & resend if it didn’t arrive within a few days.

And then it did arrive, and it did so with a perfectly fitted box over a pretty little presentation. And I was still skeptical, and felt personally offended at how long it took to prime the pump to get the stuff out.

Is it my PERFECT match? No, it’s not perfect. If I had followed instructions to the letter, it might have been. But what it legitimately is, is better than anything else out there. I was actually eager to return it, get my fifty-bucks back, and restock my Chanel Vitalumiere. But my Chanel will not be re-stocked, and I am looking forward to using up this bottle and doing it all over again.

But, what’s it like, you ask?

There aren’t many reviews out there yet on MUA, but I did notice a complaint that it doesn’t offer much coverage, and that it’s quite dewy. My response to that is to say that it’s actually better coverage than most of my favorites, like the Chanel (which I have in the regular & aqua formulations), or the Chantecaille Just Skin (which I LOVE, but no shade fits my skin-tone well, which is NC30ish, for reference). I find it to be about the coverage/consistency/finish of Armani’s Luminous Silk, but with a nicer, more hydrating feel. I wore it ALL FREAKING DAY yesterday, and it looked great the whole time. …Aaaand, I didn’t even bother with a primer, or setting powder.

Usually I kinda hate makeup (as my IG will confirm); today, when I got home from the stables, I actually looked forward to cleaning up & putting on my face.

**UPDATE 7/19/16**

First: the instructions say it’s so easy to apply that you don’t even need a sponge or a brush to put it on. What that actually means is that it goes on best with your fingertips. I’m not a chemical engineer, so I can’t explain to you why this is, it just is.

The first bottle I ordered wasn’t a perfect match, as I disclosed above, but I was really happy with it. So happy that when they sent me an offer for 30% off the next bottle, I did it all over again. But the second time, I took EVERY POSSIBLE PRECAUTION to ensure that I’d get a perfect match the second time ’round– I acknowledged my laissez–faire attitude in the first installment of this post. So I was super bummed when it arrived, and it was a less good match than the first time around. Oh well. You win some, you lose some.

I didn’t bother to send it back; I enjoyed the first round, but now I don’t feel like I can count on consistent results, so I’ll go back to my reliable Chanel standard. Still love the formula, but not interested in dealing with the reality of having to return & remix every other batch.