Review: MAC Mineralize Skinfinish Natural

It's a powder! It's a foundation! It's MAC Mineralize Skinfinish Natural! *phew* That was quite a mouthful. Didn't quite fit in the dramatic quote, did it? This product is not to be mistaken with the MAC Mineralize Skinfinish which are bronzers/blushers/highlights depending on the color. So their packaging and dome shape are practically identical as with all of MAC's baked cosmetics but the featured product for this post is a actually a powder-cum-foundation (Lol! Cum -- sorry).

Got it? Now, moving on to the review...

"A luxurious domed face powder with minerals, slowly baked to provide a dimensional yet natural-matte finish. Provides perfect low coverage. Use to set and fix foundation or as a touch-up throughout the day."

As mentioned in the introduction, the MAC Mineralize Skinfinish Natural is a powder-cum-foundation (Lol, cum). You can either use it to set liquid foundation as you would with a loose powder or layer on for coverage. Quite a nifty product, this is.

When I was considering this product, I was looking for an alternative to my HG Giorgio Armani Loose Powder. You see, I'm quite picky when it comes to setting powder because some will tend to cake on my face ruining my foundation altogether. Several MakeupAlley reviews and You Tube videos later, I decided that the MSF Natural was for me.

The finely-milled mineralize powder is pressed into a dome shape that's quite fragile though it's cute. Using a kabuki brush, there wasn't much fall-out when the brush was swirled. A decent amount of the product is picked up and buffs into the skin very easily. With this powder, I don't worry about uneven application or over-applying. That's how well it blends! If you're into contouring with powder, a darker shade of this product would be ideal too.

To match my NC35 skin tone, I got the MSF Natural in Medium Plus which is a pretty good match. The color is neutral with no overpowering undertones thus giving a completely natural coloration. The color's so neutral that it made my slightly pinkish Revlon ColorStay Foundation (Golden Beige) match better to my skin tone.

Two things that concerned me about this powder based on the description was "matte finish" and "low coverage". From the before-after picture I'm sure you can tell that those worries are out of the window. The powder blotted off the excess shine without inhibiting skin's natural glow. When layered on, the coverage is sufficient enough to very naturally conceal minor imperfections and discolorations. I was rather impressed, to say the least.

This has got to be one of my favorite products from MAC and I'm certainly not bothered to hunt for another setting powder for a long time to come. At RM115/10g (I think!), the price may seem steep but since it gave me more bang for a buck, it's totally worth it. Although, mine came from the US so it was USD$25... even better value! :D Comes in 8 shades.