MAC Semi Precious: Mineralize Blushes and Skinfinishes Initial Swatches and Review

Here are initial swatches and first thoughts on some of the products from the MAC Semi Precious collection. I will swatch the rest when the collection launches in stores on July 7, 2011.

For Semi-Precious Mineralize Eye Shadows Swatches and Review click here!

Mineralize Skinfinishes:


Semi Precious Rose Quartz





Swatches and review after the jump



Semi Precious Pearl






Semi Precious Crystal Pink







Mineralize Skinfinish Swatches:


Semi Precious Rose Quartz: base, inner circle, blended






Semi Precious Pearl: base, inner circle, blended


Semi Precious Pearl


Semi Precious Pearl


Semi Precious Crystal Pink: base, inner circle, blended


Semi Precious Crystal Pink



I am a sucker for mineralize skinfinishes and these are the products that got me hooked on MAC in the first place. I collect MAC MSFs and at some point I had all the MSFs MAC has ever produced except Pleasureflush. I noticed that during the past few years, MAC has decided to put a new spin on every MAC MSF they launch. There is always some variety and the MSFs are now multi-colored and multi-faceted instead of one just plain orb with swirls of colors.

In this Semi Precious collection, there is a base color with a multi-colored core. Semi Precious Pearl has a base of beige champagne with an inner coe of white, plum, and bronze. I think Pearl is my favorite out of the three in terms of it being a highlighter. I used the base color as my highlighter today with a 188 brush, and it gave a very nice champagne highlight on my cheekbones.

What I like about these new mineralize skinfinishes is that there is a lot less glitter that accentuates pores.  The highlight seems softer, more ethereal as opposed to the old MSFs in which there is a ton of glitter/shimmer.  These new MSFs provide a more natural-looking highlight instead of a discoball sheen. (Edit: I tried these on the cheeks, and the effect is that it DOES still give a wet-looking sheen, but LESS of that kind of sheen that accentuates pores, and there is no glitter at all.)

Semi-Precious Crystal Pink has a base of pink champagne with a center of pink, dirty green, and bronze swirls. I think this would go well with medium to dark skintones, or if you want a softer highlight instead of a more noticeable champagne shimmer.

Semi-Precious Rose Quartz has a rosy pink base with a center of silver, lime, white pink and copper swirls. This works better as a blush than a highlighter because of the pink base, and it gives a pretty rosy flush.

All in all, I think this MSF collection will not surpass the hype and clamor for last year's Stereo Rose MSF. It has basic highlight colors but not much originality in terms of shades. If you want a nice highlighter, though, Pearl and Crystal Pink are good choices. The inner cores also provide different nuances that you can play with to go with different looks.

Mineralize Blushes:


Top: Warmth of Coral
Bottom: Feeling Flush, Pressed Amber




Pressed Amber




Warmth of Coral




Feeling Flush



Mineralize Blushes Swatches:


Pressed Amber (light, heavy)




Pressed Amber (light, heavy)




Warmth of Coral (light, heavy)








Feeling Flush (light, heavy)





The mineralize blushes are actually melanges of shades that are not the shimmery, uber-glittery ones of old (thank goodness). Pressed Amber is my favorite, a melange of nude, brown, and beige. It doesn't look muddy on my cheeks but just the perfect pop of color. I will post a look using this soon.

Warmth of Coral is the sheerest so I layered it on my cheeks for a nice pop of coral flush. It is a melange of coral and peach that is perfect for summer.

Lastly, Feeling flush is a melange of pink, deep blue, pink, and soft brown. The blue in it makes it a blue-based pink, but I like that soft brown was infused in it to provide a deeper color to the base.

All in all, this is a solid group of mineralize face products, although this collection pales in comparison to the MAC In the Groove collection last year where MSF superstars Stereo Rose and By Candlelight were repromoted. I would like to think though that the Semi Precious Pearl and Semi Precious Rose Quartz will be stars themselves as they offer nuances of color not found in the MSFs from In the Groove.

The blushes are okay, but I already saw some of these mineralize blushes shades as well. My favorite, Pressed Amber, stands out as it is the only neutral non-shimmery mineralize blush in my recollection that was released by MAC.

My recommendations for this group would have to be Semi Precious Pearl, Semi Precious Rose Quartz if you like skinfinish that also acts like a blush, and Pressed Amber.

Pros: Softer, glitter-free sheen for both blushes and MSFs, variety of nuances

Cons: not very many unique shades

Watch out for swatches and review of the eyeshadows, cremesheen glasses and lipsticks from this collection.

Note: Media samples were provided by a representative of the company for consideration. All opinions are completely mine.