Review: MAC Mineralize Skinfinish in Soft and Gentle

It's been a while guys (about a year and a half), but here I am! Working full time is tiring and draining, but I think I have gotten the hang of it now... sort of. Highlighting seems to be all the rage at the moment, especially as we are welcoming the trend of strobing (usually done with cream or liquid products as opposed to powder). Prior to the purchase of this MAC Mineralize Skinfinish in Soft and Gentle, the only dedicated highlighter I had was theBalm's Mary-Lou Manizer. The Mary-Lou was probably the first of the best highlighters out there, before the likes of Becca and Anastasia followed suit. As much as I loved my Mary-Lou, it isn't one to be used on a daily basis- it is instead the one you gravitate towards for a dramatic highlighting effect. I had a look around at other more subtle options for a highlighter, and the more I heard about Soft and Gentle, I knew I had to get it.

She's beautiful, isn't she? MAC describes the Mineralize Skinfinish as a "luxurious velvet-soft powder with high-frost metallic finish". Coming at $47 a pop it isn't exactly your most affordable option, but given you get a nice 10g of product, it's not bad. (Especially compared to Becca Skin Perfector which is a whopping $60 for only 5.5g). In photos Soft and Gentle leans very rose-gold and coppery in the pan, however on my skin it appears very subdued. The colour is definitely not overly dramatic, and is beautiful for a ethereal glow that can work for everyday use. Application was nice and smooth, although the texture of Soft and Gentle is not as finely milled as Mary-Lou. I'm also yet to find the perfect face brush to be paired with it- if you have any suggestions, definitely feel free to comment below! At the moment, Real Techniques' Setting Brush from the Core Collection will suffice.

I'm very happy that I have finally tried the MAC Mineralize Skinfinish, as it is the first MAC powder I have delved in and it didn't disappoint. Soft and Gentle will suit light to medium skintones best, giving the skin a lovely rose gold sheen.

Have you tried the Soft and Gentle? What is your favourite highlighter?

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Review: theBalm Mary-Lou Manizer

Highlighters. A product that isn't crucial for your everyday makeup look, yet when introduced, you cannot turn back. I first heard about theBalm's Mary-Lou Manizer from Essiebutton and never really thought about buying it, I just thought it would have been something nice to have. Then came along a few more reviews and I couldn't resist. The tipping point was when David Jones had a fantastic offer- spend $27.95 on any theBalm products and receive a Shady Lady Eyeshadow Palette worth $49.95 for free! Must I say, after parting with $34.95 for the Mary-Lou Manizer, I came home with not one product, but a Shady Lady Vol. 2 palette as well, which I will review another time. Today it's all about Mary-Lou.

L-R: Shady Lady Eyeshadow Palette Vol.2, Mary-Lou Manizer

Packaging wise,  Mary-Lou presents itself well. The 8.5g of beautiful highlighter is encased with a sturdy click case which I have no doubts of failing me, if I were to tote it around. The Mary-Lou Manizer is described as an innocent honey-hued luminizer which can be used as a highlighter, shadow and shimmer, giving either a subtle glow or a sexy sheen, depending on the amount you use. I found the champagne colour of Mary-Lou absolutely gorgeous and I can see it being very flattering on all skin tones.

The first swatch of the Mary-Lou Manizer was amazing- this finely milled highlighter is unbelievably smooth, buttery soft and pigmented! There surely couldn't be anything that could feel any more luxurious than this beauty. The best thing was that it provided such a beautiful shimmer without any chunks of glitter. The results were effortless- even though it is quite pigmented, it is hard to go wrong and nothing couldn't be fixed with extra blending! The perfect brushes to apply the Mary-Lou with would be Real Techniques' Contour Brush from the Core Collection, great for highlighting the cheekbones to make them pop, and the Real Techniques' Blush Brush for the perfect sheen.

No other makeup here except some Garnier BB Cream for Sensitive Skin and theBalm's Mary-Lou Manizer. You can definitely see what a difference this beautiful highlighter does, and it gives such a healthy glow to the face. Mary-Lou can also be used as a highlight to the inner corners of the eyes too, and wow, does it impress. Longevity is stunning and is also my favourite way of brightening and opening my eyes.

I am glad that theBalm's Mary-Lou Manizer found its way into my beauty collection, and I have no regrets whatsoever. However thank goodness for the David Jones offer, as without it, I wouldn't have had that extra incentive to purchase such a multi-purpose, luxurious and impressive highlighter.

Paired with Real Techniques Blush Brush for a lovely sheen

Have you tried theBalm's Mary-Lou Manizer? What other highlighters do you use?

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