MAC Mineralize Perfectly Finished – review, photos & swatches

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A reviewer’s love letter to MAC foundation and a look at their latest mineralized collection

photos: we heart this

Finding the right foundation LITERALLY changed my life and how I felt about myself. That seems like it might be an exaggeration, but thanks to MAC Cosmetics it’s absolutely true. Foundation (and concealer too) are so fundamental; and while they’re rarely exciting, getting the right one makes all the difference in the world. It’s like finding the perfect bra, or the perfect pair of jeans – it’s about discovering what really works for you.

Yet it’s a surprisingly difficult task. As with jeans and bras, many women are wearing the wrong size, or style, or color. It’s not that they want to, it’s just hard to find the perfect fit. Some gals just don’t know any better, some settle for things that are just ‘good enough’ and some get worn out trying to find the right match. But finding the right bra, or jeans, or foundation can be so satisfying and when it’s The One, you look and feel effortless.

After years of wearing the wrong finish and wrong color of foundation, I walked my butt over to the MAC counter and practically begged them to find me foundation and concealer. At the time, I felt absolutely terrible about my skin because I had cystic acne, hyperpigmentation and really oily skin. Everything seemed to melt off my face, and nothing seemed to hide my skin issues without making it obvious that I was trying to cover it up. I was tired of wearing products that felt heavy on my skin and oxidized and looked terrible.

And they did. It was practically a miracle. I looked like me. Not like a girl who was trying to cover up her acne, but ME. The shade was perfect, the finish was perfect, and the length of wear was amazing.

Mineralize Foundation Loose Powders

Since that day, I’ve tried my hardest to convince people to try MAC foundation, concealer, and powder. And I feel that MAC’s newest products are especially user-friendly. As a result, I was really excited to try out the Mineralize Concealer and Mineralize Foundation Loose Powder from the new Perfectly Finished collection.

Both the MAC Mineralize Foundation Loose Powder ($30) and Mineralize Concealer ($19) are designed to care for your skin while giving buildable coverage and a natural finish, in addition to providing nourishing minerals. While I’ve never been mineral-obsessed, I’m really happy what MAC’s Mineralize line is doing for my skin!

Mineralize Foundation Loose Powder in Light and Medium

The Mineralize Foundation Loose Powder comes in a screw top jar with a sifter, and it’s very easy to swirl my brush around into the product before applying it onto my skin. I tested Medium, and had a pale friend test out Light. Both of us loved the length of wear (it held up even through a workout!) and the coverage.

It’s technically a powder foundation, not just a setting powder. It doesn’t feel too heavy, but it still helps hide redness and dark spots. And even though my friend is pink-toned and I’m yellow-toned, this powder worked well on both of us. My friend also has combination skin, while I have oily skin, and it tackled all of our skin problems equally well!

Mineralize Concealer in NC20, 25, 35 & 42

The Mineralize Concealer is also long-wearing, and is easy to apply with the brush-tip applicator. It is decently moisturizing, and has medium coverage as well. I tested out the NC35 and NW25 concealers (my skin tone is approximately NC30 at the moment). I would say that these concealers run a little darker than their foundations, so plan accordingly.

Mineralize Concealer in NC20, 25, 35 & 42

Honestly, these Perfectly Finished products have gotten me even more excited about MAC’s foundations, powders, and concealers. Even if you feel like your foundation is doing a decent job, I highly recommend that you go and get color matched at MAC, especially with these new products. Whether you wear foundation and/or concealer, I strongly recommend that you have MAC in your makeup bag.

we heartsters – have you found foundation and concealer nirvana at the MAC counter? Share your experience in the comments!

MAC Mineralize Perfectly Finished
Mineralize Concealer
nw15, nw20, nw25, nw30, nw35,
nw40, nw45, nw50, nc15, nc20,
nc30, nc35, nc42, nc45, nc50
$19 U.S./$22.50 CDN

Mineralize Foundation/Loose
Extra light, light, light plus,
Medium, medium plus, medium dark,
Medium deep, dark, dark deep
Suggested retail price
$30 U.S./$36.50 CDN

Marilyn is a makeup maniac and slow but stubborn runner. She loves color coding her day planner, reading celebrity gossip and drinking good wine. Marilyn blogs about makeup and fitness over at her blog, Lipgloss and Spandex.

Disclosure: This review includes products that were provided by the manufacturer/PR firm for our consideration. For more info, or any questions, please see our disclosure policy.

Author

  • Marilyn

    Marilyn is a makeup maniac and slow but stubborn runner. She loves color coding her day planner, reading celebrity gossip and drinking good wine. skin tone: NC25 Skin type: oily, acne-prone Favorite beauty product: eyeshadow

6 Comments

  1. I was thrilled to get to try out these products, and I’m even more thrilled with how well they perform. MAC has yet again proven that they are ABSOLUTELY FABULOUS, especially when it comes to foundation and concealer. If you love mineral makeup, or you feel like you want more out of your foundation, go to MAC. Right now. Seriously. Don’t get overwhelmed by all of the bottles and tubes–just tell them about your skin type and coverage needs, and they will hook you up. I especially love all of the gals who work at the NW 23rd store–they’re very knowledgeable and competent, and always make me feel pampered.

    The concealer works better on blemishes and other skin issues than it works on under eye circles. It’s a bit spendy for the tube size, but I think it’s a great product. No creasing, good length of wear, and medium pigmentation. 4 stars.

    As for the powder foundation, I love it. I used to use MAC Blot (which I still love), but have been using the Mineralized Foundation every day and have been very happy with it. It goes especially well over my MAC oil control lotion and Prep+Prime primer, and ProLongwear foundation (I have oily skin, huge pores, and a lot of other skin issues, so I like getting more coverage). My friend using the light shade still loves hers too, and has been wearing it daily as well. It is a smidge spendy, but you get a LOT of product, and the quality and color selection make it worth it. 5 stars!!!

  2. I have yet to buy any MAC foundations but I’m definitely ready to try now! I hope I have the same luck as you! xoxo

  3. Good to know about concealer working better on blemishes than for under eye. I’ve been looking for one just for my breakouts, since post pregnancy, nursing hormones have literally messed up my skin big time!

  4. Summer makes me really, really want to whip out the powder foundations because it’s just too warm for a full face. Mineral powders are the best because of the amount of coverage provided, but I’ve often had the same problem you’ve had with oxidization. There’s nothing worse than catching a glance at your forehead mid day to see an obvious foundation disaster!
    Having had great luck matching MAC foundations in the past I’m willing to bet the Mineralize foundations could be a home run. Thanks @Lipglossandspandex !

  5. so happy you liked this because it’s in my shopping bag at Nordstrom’s ready to be bought! Would you be able to tell the ingredients? It’s not listed on mac’s website and nordstrom beauty told me to call a local counter, nothing like someone rolling off ingredients on the phone! is there any scent? love the glitter box, too bad the jar isn’t like that!

  6. I didn’t think about getting their loose mineralize foundation, but I’ve been eyeing the compact cousin (msfn) pretty heavy! I have the mineralize concealer and I like it a lot,I think the prolongwear concealer is better for me in the winter, with my more moisturizing foundations, and the mineralize seems to be a great potential for the hotter months…But I’m trying to figure out how to get it to mesh with a loose, powder foundation. I just haven’t gotten the knack for the two formula types to be harmonious…yet!

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