MAC Barely Dressed Mineralize Skinfinish Review, Photos, Swatches
Barely Dressed
MAC Barely Dressed Mineralize Skinfinish ($34.00 for 0.35 oz.) is a pale white with subtle, warm undertones and a soft, metallic sheen. It was comprimsed of four shades–white with pink shift, white with violet shift, white with green-yellow shift, and white with yellow shift–but blended together it just came a warmer white but didn’t really seem to shift.
Each quadrant would be larger enough to get the point of a tapered highlighting brush in if used with great care, but it would be more likely to concentrate a highlighting brush with two or more of the quadrants due to the size. The consistency was smooth, soft, and blendable with just a touch of dustiness in the pan (but it did not appear powdery on my skin). It had opaque pigmentation that was easy to sheer out or to apply with a lighter hand for more adjustable coverage. It wore well for eight hours on me before fading slightly.
FURTHER READING: Formula Overview for details on general performance and characteristics (like scent).
Top Dupes
- OFRA Glazed Donut (P, $29.00) is more shimmery (95% similar).
- Burberry No. 01 White (LE, $68.00) is cooler (95% similar).
- Physicians Formula Pearl (P, $10.99) is less shimmery (90% similar).
- Becca Pearl (P, $38.00) is cooler (90% similar).
- Wet 'n' Wild Glow Watcher (LE, $4.99) is more shimmery, cooler (90% similar).
- Wet 'n' Wild Where the Dreamers Go (LE, $2.99) is cooler (90% similar).
- NYX Ice Queen (P, $5.00) is cooler (90% similar).
- LORAC Fortune (LE, $23.00) is darker, warmer (90% similar).
- Chanel Perles et Fantaisies (Left) (LE, $80.00) is cooler (90% similar).
- Dior Strobe White (PiP, ) is cooler (90% similar).
Formula Overview
$34.00/0.35 oz. - $97.14 Per Ounce
The description has changed over the years--the most current description (as of 4/21/2018) is that it is a "slow-baked, velvety soft, domed face powder with a radiant finish" that can be used to highlight "the high points of the face" or blended "all over for a sheer luminous polish to the skin." The sheerness seems to be more in referenced to the finish than the coverage, as the usage now states to use the product damp for an even stronger sheen.
In general, the Mineralize Skinfinish formula tends to be more metallic to glittery with medium to opaque coverage--it really depends on the shade. The texture of the formula has been refined over the years with current editions being fairly smooth, blendable, and easy to use. The wear has varied from six to eight hours on me with newer shades and variations lasting closer to eight hours on average.
Browse all of our MAC Mineralize Skinfinish swatches.
I love this formula so when I saw new shades I was like #gulp. But this is too white for me. I’ll just carry on with Lightscapade.
Same here
I saw this at a counter the other day, and each of the quadrants really strongly reminded me of KVD’s Alchemy quad, but in much larger quantities. I know it’s supposed to be a highlighter, but it looks like it could be usable in the same “transformer” manner as Alchemy, over top of eyeshadow or lip color. Since I’m not buying KVD anymore (due to some of her personal behavior) and since Alchemy has so much less product than this, I really suggest looking into this if you’re into that kind of shifting, transforming look.
I might grab this instead of KvD Alchemist. Each quadrant seems very wearable while being different enough. I had been considering KvD for a while but it looked a tad too extreme for me to actually get a lot of use. On top of that, I prefer things to be small and compact 🙂
Blingy bright glow! Like a lightning flash! Love it, but I do have Fenty Metal Moon, plus a few other light, bright as a bolt highlighters around here. The dupe in the ABH x Nicole Guerriero cheek palette is one I have yet to use.
Each quadrant used separately, how does this compare to similar shades in Anastasia’s Moonchild: Lucky Clover, Pink Heart, etc.? Is it whiter? Does it show skin texture less? I like the subtle shift in each of the 4 parts and would consider buying it for that. All swirled together I have too many of the dupes. Thanks!
The finish is different!
Thank you!