Max Factor Pan Cake dupes

After years of never having bought another Max Factor Pan Cake when the brand was discontinued for awhile, my mom set aside enough to splurge on one for herself to use for my brother's upcoming wedding. Sadly, it's a shade too light for her, but just dark enough to work for me if I had a light tan, or decided to contour.

I want a base foundation that's nearly identical to the Pan Cake. So far, the only two options I've seen are Max Factor Miracle Touch and Max Factor Creme Puff. I did my best to search these forums, then Googled in case others found something, but nothing that looks workable. What have some of you found as the best replacement? I could have sworn I read a discussion on this before, but it's been awhile. If there are enough options, I'll edit this post so that others can quickly view brands and find what they're looking for.

Well, for now I guess I'm answering myself. I stumbled across Mehron Makeup StarBlend Cake. This makeup is actually for costuming, but they have a good range of neutral/natural tones. This is great for women with darker skin who have trouble finding something darker than what most cosmetic companies offer.

Reviews I've read say that it's very close to MFPC, enough to make many people happy. It can be water activated or used with a kabuki brush. It goes on darker when wet, but dries to the expected color. It can be layered on like we're used to when wet, but when dry, acts more like a pressed powder.

One big disclaimer: because this is actually theatrical makeup, you need apply this lightly. It's heavily pigmented. When you use a wet sponge, barely pull color from the cake. Learn to work with it. If you find the right color, it'll last you awhile. The great news is that prices range from $6-$11 on Amazon, so you're saving a lot of money compared to getting lucky and finding a $40 Max Factor pan cake.

This sounds like a great substitute. I was lucky enough to find two cakes if MF Pancake in my shade -- it happens to match exactly. I was lucky enough to know my shade number & found both cakes on ebay.

That should last me for a good many years.

I still have a couple of cakes from when I was doing stage acting -- it was the best stage makeup I ever used. Last I looked mine were still in usable condition, even though they were at least twenty-five years old. Store them carefully, and you'll get a very long life out of them.

From what I've noticed, there still are classic Max Factor pan cakes out there. The sad thing about the new pan cakes is that they're about half the size of the classic version. It's still the same, but the method of pressing is different too. I noticed a cross-hatch pattern, while the original was smooth. I plan on ordering Starblend to test out and post photos of the product and results. But... after the wedding. Right now, every penny is going towards last minute purchases, lol.

LizzieMaine said:

I still have a couple of cakes from when I was doing stage acting -- it was the best stage makeup I ever used. Last I looked mine were still in usable condition, even though they were at least twenty-five years old. Store them carefully, and you'll get a very long life out of them.

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wow, that is amazing, lucky you! My mum also had it, but now it's broken and I don't want to buy a new one.

I had it before, but I lost it when I moved a to new flat, so sad

Has anyone tried the Ben Nye Pancake foundations?

I've used both and honestly Ben Nye is a close second for me. The Nye colors are a little less muted than Max Factor so it's just harder to find the right one than it was with Max Factor