MAC Mineralize Lip Balm Reviews, Photos, Swatches (Apres Chic)

Christine — Fri, 28 Dec 2012 11:00:53 +0000

MAC Nice & Simple Mineralize Lip Balm

MAC Apres Chic: Mineralize Lip Balm

MAC Mineralize Lip Balm ($19.50 for 0.33 fl. oz.) is a new lip formula that is supposed to give a tint of color with “mirror-like shine” that is also hydrating and moisturizing. It is available in five shades: Nice & Simple (bronzy gold with multi-dimensional pearl), Pure & Tender (plummy creamy nude), Rosy Romance (bluish plum with subtle pink pearl), Slightly Nude (nude coral and subtle pink pearl), and Stay Warm (creamy light pink).

Nice & Simple is a sheer, warm, yellowed orange with golden orange shimmer. This one gives a noticeable tint and shimmer to the lips. Bobbi Brown Canary has a lot more golden shimmer/sparkle. NARS Luster is similar.

Pure & Tender is a sheer, light-medium rosy beige. On my lips, it really just adds a glossy shine and helps to even out the natural coloring, but it doesn’t impart much color. There are a number of sheer glosses that have a similar effect (color-wise).

Rosy Romance is a darkened fuchsia pink with a dusting of pink micro-shimmer. This is the most pigmented shade of the five, and it noticeably tints lips to a darker pink. MAC Astral is more opaque. Urban Decay Jilted is lighter.

Slightly Nude is a yellowed orange. It is like Nice & Simple without the shimmer. This adds some warmth and a tinge of tangerine to my lips when I applied it. Any yellow-tinted sheer gloss will be similar.

Stay Warm is a light-medium, yellow-toned pink. This shade was a bit milky, and it lightened the natural lip color noticeably, but because of the milkiness, it did not apply as evenly as the other four shades. Tarte Darling is similar but has some shimmer. Chanel Imaginaire is a touch brighter.

The consistency of the balm is lightweight, mostly non-sticky (it develops a slight tackiness after three to four hours), and almost gel-like when applied, then creamier as it wears. The formula is very comfortable to wear, somewhat moisturizing, and wears a solid three to four hours. I tried Nice & Simple, Rosy Romance, and Stay Warm for wear, and each wore four, four, and there hours respectively. They come in a squeeze-tube with a slanted-tip applicator, and they have the same vanilla scent as MAC glosses and lipsticks have, though this seemed a little stronger. They’re reminiscent of MAC’s Lip Gelee formula, only this is not as thick and wears a bit longer. They are only moisturizing so long as you wear them; about a half hour after it’s mostly faded away, I need to apply more balm.