New HG Face Powder: MAC Blot Powder vs. MAC Mineralized Skinfinish Natural

I've been meaning to post this a while ago, but I finally have a chance to share with you guys my new HG face powder from MAC. After reading and hearing so many good things about the MAC Mineralized Skinfinish Natural, I had to give it a try and see if it lived up to its hype.

Here's a brief intro about my skin:
I would consider myself very fair skinned for being Asian.  Lots of my friends say that I'm paler than a lot of their white friends. LOL. I am about shade NC 15-20 for foundations from MAC.  Let's just say, I lean more towards NC 15.  I hardly get tan, even in the summer because I try not to go outside much because I have sensitive skin that burns really easily (even with using high SPF products).  Also, I have sensitive, mainly combination (occasionally dry), acne-prone skin, and I tend to get somewhat oily on my t-zone (forehead and nose).

Anyways, my goal when looking for a powder is something that will set my foundation and concealer well, not oxidize too much into a dark color, not too cakey, and has long-lasting power.  To add to that, I also look for something that will control oil and not break me out.  In other words, I've been on the search for that "perfect" powder that would do everything that I mentioned before.

I've tried several powders before, but the powder that I've been loyal to has been my Maybelline Dream Matte Powder - Cream, which is the lightest shade that they have.

As you can see, I've hit pan!

The reason why I liked the Maybelline Dream Matte Powder - Cream was because it had nice coverage and felt great on the skin.  Also, it helped set my foundation and gave a nice matte finish.  It seemed to control oil on my face and the price was my favorite part about it! Under $10 it was a great buy!  The only problem I had with this powder was that it wasn't long lasting/wearing.  After going out for a little bit, I noticed that the powder seemed to be doing nothing for my skin.  

I decided to be a little adventurous and try out some MAC powders.  At first, I was slightly hesitant because MAC face products such as their primers and foundations tend to break me out. :(  The only thing that really works for me are their concealers (which I really love).  Anyways, I decided to go with the MAC Mineralized Skinfinish (MSF) Natural because so many people love it and people have been saying that the Maybelline Dream Matte Powder is a great alternative to the MSF Natural.

I went to the MAC store and looked at their MSF Natural shades and the makeup artist there told me that I would be better off with Light Medium.  I thought I may need to go with Light, but she said that it would be too light for me.  Being slightly weary, I tried it in the store, but just decided to try it and test it out when I got home.

At first glance, I noticed that the powder looked very similar to the Maybelline Dream Matte Powder and it had the same consistency.  The product itself is very powdery so I took note that I will not be needing much on a powder brush when I apply it.  However, when I looked at the powder, the powder appeared slightly darker than the Dream Matte Powder in Light.  When you apply this powder, remember to not use too much because it will appear cakey.  

Lot of people have claimed that this powder gives a almost flawless and natural finish and some people use this as a foundation itself.  For me, since I was looking for a setting powder, I applied this after my foundation.  

Here is what I experienced with this powder after using this for about 2 weeks:

The powder was slightly too yellow/dark for my skin when it oxidized after a few hours.  When I first applied it after foundation, it was a decent color match, but the powder kept getting darker and darker.  The MAC makeup artist explained that this is because when the powder mixes with oils, it will oxidize into a darker color.  My face ended up looking a lot more yellow throughout the day.  Another thing I noticed with this was that it did absolutely nothing for oil control on my face.  If I may say it, I actually thought that this powder may have contributed more oil to my face.  Because of all the oil, the powder also didn't seem very long lasting and at the end of the day, my skin didn't look good at all!  To add to that, I was beginning to see little bumps on my forehead and this is a big "no no" for me.  I don't think the MSF Natural was the main reason for these little bumps, but I got scared and stopped using this powder.

I'm not exactly sure why this product didn't work for me because I had high expectations and hopes because of all the good reviews that it was getting from other people.  However, this being $26 (which isn't exactly cheap) I decided to return this, thanks to MAC's 30 day refund/exchange rule.

Feeling slightly disappointed with the MSF Natural, I decided to give MAC another try and bought the pressed MAC Blot Powder.  Several people have expressed their love for this powder and said that they used this to control the oil on their face and to set their foundation, hence the name: Blot Powder. 

What's nice is that it comes with a sponge applicator, but I don't use the sponge applicator for hygienic reasons. I don't like the idea of putting the oil on my face back into a product. >.<

As you may see, I purchased this product in the color "Medium" and I have to say it's still very light and is close in color to my Dream Matte powder.  The MAC makeup artist told me that the Blot Powder in "Light" would be too light.  I actually agreed with her.

Here's a side by side comparison of the three colors:

The blot powder looks like the lightest, but it's very similar to the Dream Matte powder in real life.

Reading and watching some reviews, several people say that the MAC Blot Powder gives no coverage or very minimum coverage.  To be honest, I think that this gives a great natural coverage.  I make sure to press my powder brush into the product and instead of swirling it around my face, I press the product onto my face.  This way, it gives a smooth coverage.  I definitely prefer this coverage over the MSF Natural.  Also, because it is very light, you have to make sure to not over-apply this powder because then it could look cakey.  Just remember that less is more with this product! :)

My favorite part about this powder is that it is long-lasting and also it controls the oil on my face well.  I'm writing this blog post at around 7:30 pm and I applied this powder at around 8:00 am.  To be honest, I didn't have to blot the oil on my face at all, which is very surprising for me because with other products, I would have to use my oil blotting sheets to remove excess oil.  I wouldn't say that my face is completely matte right now, but it is not so oily that I can get away with not blotting.  Also, my skin still looks smooth and decent.  I would take a picture right now, but I kind of look like a mess so I'll make sure to post pics next time.

This powder doesn't seem to oxidize into a darker color and I have to say that I don't have any weird bumps or break outs from it.  Could this be my new HG powder? During my last couple weeks I've been using this powder, I must say that I am very satisfied and happy with every use of it.  I would say that this is a very good $22 purchase and I will definitely be re-purchasing it.  If I change my mind, I will let you know, but this has taken my place for being my new HG powder!!! :)

If you guys want to purchase this, check out your local MAC store or check online at www.maccosmetics.com.

I am planning on making a video about this in detail and how I apply it, but for now, I think I am done with this post! :)

I know this was super long, but I wanted to share this with you guys so that you can check it out and share your experiences with these products! Let me know if you would like to share anything! I would love to hear.

Love,

Mindy