Review: MAC Mineralize Skinfinish Natural in Medium Dark

Here's a review on MAC's Mineralize Skinfinish Natural in Medium Dark

PRICE: P1,650.00

PLACE BOUGHT: M.A.C, Powerplant Mall, Rockwell

OTHER LOCATIONS: M.A.C branches in: Glorietta 2, Makati City, Rustan's Shangri- La Mall Ortigas, Trinoma Mall, Ayala Center Cebu, SM Mall of Asia

THE VERDICT:

One impulsive day, I impulsively went to Rockwell to roam around the mall because I was really bored at home. (And I wanted to take advantage of the mall's air conditioning because it was frakkin' hot that day) While moseying around, I found myself right in front of the M.A.C store and as you guys have predicted, yes, I went in. I told myself that I will just look around but alas, I ended up buying something. Argh! Self- control got lost for a moment there! So I left the store hurriedly before I murdered my atm card completely.

So this is what I got: MAC's Mineralize Skinfinish Natural pressed powder. Now allow me to justify my purchase: I've noticed that a couple of my favorite liquid foundations tend to look a little light on me, and the sheer loose powder I'm currently using is not helping at all because it emphasizes the white cast even more. This pressed powder will help adjust these foundations to my overall skintone. So I guess the purchase is truly worth it!

Ingredients

M.A.C said that this product contains minerals, although it can't be considered as mineral makeup because it still has Talc and Mica. It has beneficial minerals in it, but it's not purely mineral makeup.

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I like the packaging because it allows me to see the actual product. It helps me gauge whether the shade will fit me or not. It's also lightweight, although I wish it had a mirror and a brush.

Medium Dark is a warm beige shade with strong olive and hints of yellow undertones. The Mineralize Skinfinish powder line comes in a good array of shades. However, it's unlike the Studio Fix Powder Foundation line that has specific shades for specific skin tones but rather, it has a smaller range with select shades that can fit a variety of skin tones.

It is baked, which explains why it has micro shimmers and marbling all over. If you're bothered by the fact that it has shimmers, fret not because the micro shimmers are not really noticeable, unless you look closely. In fact, it doesn't appear at all in flash photography.

The powder has a semi- creamy texture, and there's minimal fall out during usage. It's unscented, too, which makes it great for people who are allergic to perfume additives.

Here is Medium Dark on me. It matches my skin tone, given if I blend it evenly onto my skin. To be honest, it goes on a little dark on me (due to the strong olive undertones) most especially if I go overboard with the application, so I use a very light hand when I'm applying this onto my skin. But I still love it because it yields a very soft, almost skin- like finish with a hint of glow. This is what I love about baked powder products: They look more natural than pressed ones!

Staying power is pretty good too: It doesn't fade, and it can control oil up to 3- 4 hours.

Regarding the brushes I use, I use either Charm's Stippling Brush or Angled Kabuki brush because I find them the best tools to use on this product.

MY TECHNIQUE: Using any of the Charm brushes I've listed above, I swirl it lightly on the powder, tap off the excess, and buff the powder onto my skin using a light, swirling motion. The powder is quite pigmented, and this technique helps me achieve a lighter coverage and a more even finish.

A little word of caution: Since I've mentioned that this powder is a bit creamy, it's not the best thing to use on cream foundations because drying time will take forever. If you're going to use it on this type of foundation, let the foundation dry for 2- 3 minutes before setting with MSF. It's also a bit tricky: Since it yields an almost invisible finish, you may have the tendency to pile it on thinking that you're not getting enough coverage, then you'll realize later on that you have applied more than enough! So my advice, apply it thinly and gradually to ensure that you'll get the right amount of coverage.

Overall, I like it because it can set foundation and I can use it on its own at the same time. And most importantly, it has served its purpose: it works so well in taming down those nasty white casts!