:REVIEW: MAC Mineralize Satinfinish - mild thumbs down
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free skin care · Wed Jan 09, 2008 5:20 pm

I had a MAC Attack late last year - None of my natural botanical brands [Dr. Hauschka] have enough pop or dramatic eyeshadows, so I made an appt. at my local Nordstrom's for MACover. I felt like I was getting in a cosmetics rut, you know what I mean?

To the review! The MA paired me with Mineralize Satinfinish because I told her I have oily skin and prefer mineral makeup. I have no idea what is in this stuff; ingredients are only listed on the box so you have to read the packaging or buy before you can find out. I suspect this contains ingredients I don't even want to know about! Laughing

She selected NC30, even though that looked too dark but I went with it. She applied a primer first, then the Satinfinish and finished off with some powder. I asked for a sample to take with me. I looked great inside the store, but when I got outside in natural daylight I looked yellow and I have a lunch date, disaster! Embarassed

Thank God I had my trusty Dr. Hauschka translucent pressed powder to deal with this mess! Oh, and I also got the shiny shines after a couple hours to boot.

Day 2: I tried my sample of Satinfinish over the pearl paste I've been using for the last 6 months to see if that would help control the shine better. It still looked really yellow under natural light and I got the shines within a couple of hours.

I went back to the MAC counter and asked for a sample that wouldn't make me look so yellow. I think I'm a neutral, because it's difficult for me to find a match. She gave me a sample of both NW30 and NW25. The NW25 actually looked the best; it was lighter and a little more cool than the NC shades but it still got very shiny very soon.

On the plus side, this didn't break me out and it blended in very well. It's not heavy and feels very natural and "unmakeupy". The texture is quite lovely

Unfortunately there were more negatives than positives for me.

1. Getting shiny after only a few hours? I experienced that back in my Almay drugstore foundation days and for much less money!

2. The price - although I didn't pay for it since I was using samples, anything that's gonna cost $26.50 for 1 oz. had better work!

3. The color system MAC uses is another downside for me. This probably isn't a big deal for experienced MAC fanatics, but it's backwards from the rest of the cosmetics world. Very Happy

NC which should imply COOL actually means it leans toward the warmer side, because NC means Neutralizes Cool so it's actually Warm. And NW means it Neutralizes Warm, so it's on the cooler side. MAC claims this follows the artists color wheel, which would mean that yellow is warmer than red, but I beg to differ. The artist's color wheel indicates that any red with a bias toward BLUE is cooler than a red with a bias toward Orange.

I'm giving it a mild thumbs down because I think those with more yellow tones and dryer skin would probably like this better than I, but it's not the one for me. I'll stick to my liquid MMU and powdered MMU for foundation.

free skin care · Thu Jan 10, 2008 2:22 am

I think MAC has a limited range of suitable colors for the skin. If I look at some mineral makeup companies, they provide a huge range of all hues of skin: from peach to beige, from olive to warm...

However, it is such a good thing to hear that the MA gave you samples. I usually do not like the service from MAC (they are really snooty or they try to impose weird colors on you), but your MA seemed really helpful.

free skin care · Fri Jan 11, 2008 8:16 am

londonfan wrote:

I think MAC has a limited range of suitable colors for the skin. If I look at some mineral makeup companies, they provide a huge range of all hues of skin: from peach to beige, from olive to warm...

However, it is such a good thing to hear that the MA gave you samples. I usually do not like the service from MAC (they are really snooty or they try to impose weird colors on you), but your MA seemed really helpful.

LOL, the first time getting the sample was easy, since there's a $50 minimum purchase when you make appt. for a makeover. Getting the second samples the following week was a little more difficult. Granted, they were busy [the first week after Christmas] and the girl was a little snooty but I didn't pay any mind to that. She claimed that they didn't have any sample jars left; I suggested she find something, unless they really want me to have to bring something back? Once I made it clear that I was not moving, she took about 10 minutes and finally came back with some very stingy samples.

Persistence paid off Rolling Eyes

free skin care · Fri Feb 01, 2008 2:05 pm

I had been using the MAC select SPF 15 foundation for years- then I switched to the studio fix fluid- the studio fix fluid, give amazing coverage, but it may be break out.

I then switched to Estee Lauder dual wear- it good coverage, doesn't make me break out, but isn't a perfect match for my skin shade (it looks too pink for my yellow skin). The MAC shades match me much better.

So a couple of days ago I went into my local MAC store and decided I was going to switch back and asked about their different foundations- particulary the mineralize satin finish. The SA told me that the statin finish should NOT be used on oily skin. It is made for more drier or normal skin that needs moisture and I will get very shiny from it.
The Select SPF is for normal to combo skin and the Studio fix fluid is for oily skin.

So athena123, i can see why you are getting the oilies so soon after applying. Try the select SPF- it has moderate coverage and I found it to be a better consistency than the mineralize satin finish, also the even though the shades are the same, the texture of the select SPF blends better into the skin so you get better color matching.

free skin care · Wed Feb 06, 2008 11:52 am

Hi Canadian girl, thanks for the tip but after reviewing the ingredients in MAC foundations, I'll never use them on my face. I'll stick to Everyday Minerals and NCN liquid minerals instead.

free skin care · Sun Apr 06, 2008 11:54 am

That's the problem with unnatural light. You think you look amazing until you get outside. I end up always looking to pink. It drives me nuts!

free skin care · Wed Apr 09, 2008 12:32 pm

Ever since I purchased a whole line of facial makeup in high school, I have been a MAC devotee (when I can afford it!). I love their AIDS awareness campaigns, the fact that they don't test on animals, and that their products are mostly oil-free and non-comedogenic/acnegenic.

I have Mineralize [i}Skin[/i]finish in Medium (the powder version). It adds a really lovely, natural "sheen" to the face. But because I have oily skin, I find that this works much better with a primer. I currently use Smashbox, but I'll be exploring other options once it runs out. I think this product is worth it.. plus it lasts quite awhile!

free skin care · Thu Apr 10, 2008 5:23 am

Ooh jadkin, I love MAC's MSF but I haven't tried any of the more natural shades that can be used in place of foundation. I do, however, have Lightscapade [limited edition, purchased from a member on another forum] and I use it as a highlighter across cheekbones. It's soo very purty, I just like to look at it sometimes with all that ooh la marbling effect Smile

free skin care · Thu Aug 14, 2008 6:22 am

Hey, thanks for the review, I should have read this before buying my Mineralized Satin Foundation, I am also NC30, which I, too, find it is a little too yellow for me and I get oil breakthrough after a while. I did not realized it is for Normal to Dry skin, I am combo leaning towards oily, so shine came out soon. Very Happy

I need to set it with loose powder, I guessed.

But yes, it gives me shinies and a tad too yellow for me. I am confused about the NC = warm and NW = cool :S

Thanks once again for the review!

free skin care · Mon Sep 08, 2008 6:17 am

Hi mrspiggy, how are you? Looks like you had a similar experience as I did. It's too bad the MAC makeup artists don't know their own product as well as the knowledge ladies on this forum! When I first tried this out, I told the MA that my skin was oily but I had a preference for mineral makeup. I guess she went with my preference first and downplayed how my preference and reality may collide? I mean, I expected HER to be the expert and let me know that mineralized skin finish is better suited for combo-dry skin. Confused

TBO, I've learned not to expect too much from makeup artists as far as foundation matching as it relates to skin type or matching shade to skin tone. I've also had the impression that ingredient knowledge isn't part of their training, either. As with anything else, an educated shopper who asks questions and reads ingredient labels will be less likely to return something. One good thing I've seen in the last few years.... if the SA and MA don't know ingredients that well, at least they're less likely to "poo poo" you when you tell them that yes, talc really clogs my pores, really! Smile

So, for makeup artists, sorry if I've offended you, I'll still take your advice when it comes to great new looks in eye shadows, but for the rest of it I'll take it with a grain of salt. Or, perhaps the MA's I meet at Sephora and MAC are all new.... Wink

free skin care · Tue Sep 09, 2008 9:51 pm

I find all MAC powders/ foundations give me huge clogged pores.
I do like their eyeliners & eyeshadows.

Im hooked on Fusion Beauty...Glow Fusion & the Mineral Bronzers & Poweders.
THE BEST

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