Home
About
Beauty Links
Contact
Disclaimer
FOTDs
Press
Laura Geller Baked: MAC Mineralized Skinfinish Alternatives
12 Comments
»
Hi guys! Long time no see! I've been a busy bee since school has started, and I've had nothing to blog about because it's just been way too hot to wear any makeup, and the lightest bit of foundation feels like it's melting off of my face the minute I step outside. So in situations like these, less is more! :) As for ketchup-ing on posts...well, we'll talk about it another day, lol.
My post on MSFs previously received some questions as to whether there were any alternatives, as many MSFs are now discontinued and hard to find as you'll often have to pay an arm and a leg for them. Laura Geller's baked products have often been said to be great alternatives, so I thought I'd take the chance to mention them and swatch what I own.
Balance-N-Brighten in Fair
These Balance-N-Brighten powders are designed to balance and even out skintones. It's a baked foundation that contains color-corrective pigments that adjusts to skintones, and evens out pigmentation and whatnot. I was skeptical at first because it seemed to contain a lot of pink and peach undertones which I know does not suit my skin, but it provides sheer coverage so the color doesn't look off on my yellow undertones. It comes with a retractable brush, which I'm not too impressed by, but is usable when I'm in a hurry. The compact also contains a mirror, which is extremely useful not just for applying the powder, but also for eye and lip makeup when there are no mirrors nearby.
It's different than MAC's mineralized skinfinish because it also provides color correction, which MAC's does not do. They both give a glow to the skin, and while MAC's is $25 for 10g, Laura Geller's is $29.50 for 9g but provides you with a retractable brush mirror on the lid, which I think is worth the extra $5. 1g of product doesn't make a difference to me - I've been using Laura Geller's everyday, and have yet to flatten the dome. I like both products, so I can't say I favor one over the other, but if you have time, go to both MAC and Sephora and test them out in stores before deciding. You should keep in mind that both are not designed to be full coverage foundations, so if you're looking for something with more coverage, this is not going to give it to you. However, both work greatly over foundation to give you a healthy glow and acts as a setting powder to help it last longer.
Blush-n-Brighten in Roseberry (Rose/Copper/Pink)
While I love MAC's MSFs, the one thing I don't like is that they're lacking in pigmentation. Don't get me wrong - I love the gorgeous glow that MSFs give as a blush, but there are days when I'm looking for more of a blush while achieving the glowy effect, too. So after testing Roseberry, I fell in love with these Blush-n-Brighten blushes. They are much more pigmented than MSFs, and provides the same healthy glowy-ness to the cheeks that everyone's always after. Some people may think that it's too shimmery, but I'm personally a fan of shimmer, so I can't complain.
The downside to these (and as is with MSFs), is that because they are baked indivudally, no two compacts will be the same. So even if you purchase the same color twice, one may contain more gold and less pink than the other.
Once again, these are about $5 more than MAC's MSFs ($29.50), but same as the balance powder, it comes with a retractable brush and half mirror (I'm guessing to show the color if you're looking for it through your stash). I still, and always will, love my Shimpagne MSF and the glow it gives, but I would highly recommend these Laura Geller blushes if you're looking for something that gives color and glow.
And in case you're wondering - yes, these are just as fragile as any baked products, as you can see!
Baked Marble Eyeshadows
L-R: Mauve, Mint Licorie, Devil's Food
Bottom: MAC Mi' Lady Mineralized Eyeshadow
It's different than MAC's mineralized skinfinish because it also provides color correction, which MAC's does not do. They both give a glow to the skin, and while MAC's is $25 for 10g, Laura Geller's is $29.50 for 9g but provides you with a retractable brush mirror on the lid, which I think is worth the extra $5. 1g of product doesn't make a difference to me - I've been using Laura Geller's everyday, and have yet to flatten the dome. I like both products, so I can't say I favor one over the other, but if you have time, go to both MAC and Sephora and test them out in stores before deciding. You should keep in mind that both are not designed to be full coverage foundations, so if you're looking for something with more coverage, this is not going to give it to you. However, both work greatly over foundation to give you a healthy glow and acts as a setting powder to help it last longer.
Blush-n-Brighten in Roseberry (Rose/Copper/Pink)
While I love MAC's MSFs, the one thing I don't like is that they're lacking in pigmentation. Don't get me wrong - I love the gorgeous glow that MSFs give as a blush, but there are days when I'm looking for more of a blush while achieving the glowy effect, too. So after testing Roseberry, I fell in love with these Blush-n-Brighten blushes. They are much more pigmented than MSFs, and provides the same healthy glowy-ness to the cheeks that everyone's always after. Some people may think that it's too shimmery, but I'm personally a fan of shimmer, so I can't complain.
The downside to these (and as is with MSFs), is that because they are baked indivudally, no two compacts will be the same. So even if you purchase the same color twice, one may contain more gold and less pink than the other.
Once again, these are about $5 more than MAC's MSFs ($29.50), but same as the balance powder, it comes with a retractable brush and half mirror (I'm guessing to show the color if you're looking for it through your stash). I still, and always will, love my Shimpagne MSF and the glow it gives, but I would highly recommend these Laura Geller blushes if you're looking for something that gives color and glow.
And in case you're wondering - yes, these are just as fragile as any baked products, as you can see!
Baked Marble Eyeshadows
L-R: Mauve, Mint Licorie, Devil's Food
Bottom: MAC Mi' Lady Mineralized Eyeshadow
First of all, let me just say that I thought the Laura Geller eyeshadows looked tiny when I first saw them, since I was so used to seeing the large MAC mineralized eyeshadows. However, when I compared the sizes, they're actually only 1g smaller, same as with the face/blush powders.
Mauve - a luscious lavender shade with a hint of gold shimmer.
Mint Licorice - a charcoal shimmer with icy green swirls.
Devil's Food - a shimmery golden brown.
Like mineralized eyeshadows, these are okay, but not anything spectacular. Mauve is one of the more special ones in my opinion, because it has green (I know it says gold, but I swear it has green) swirled with pink, and the swirls in mine are so distinct that I'm actually able to pick up two different colors. Mint Licorice is a pretty blackened green, but you can easily achieve the same effect by layering green eyeshadow over a black base. Devil's Food is definitely a winner, though - the color reminds me of MAC's Mulch eyeshadow, but the gold and copper veining gives it a "kick" instead of a flat brown shade. I swatched Mi'Lady to the left of the Laura Geller eyeshadows, and you can see that the color payoffs are about the same (no base).
These are also $23, while MAC's are only $16.50, but I don't think they're special enough to merit the price difference. These eyeshadows are pretty, but it's not necessarily a must-have, so unless you've got money burning a hole in your pocket (in which case, you should spend it on shoes! :D), you can definitely pass on these.
I hope these reviews and swatches have helped! There are so many products out on the market today that do the same thing, and the best part is that lower-end companies are also creating similar products, so if you can't afford to spend $30 on a blush, you should take a look at your local drugstore (e.g. Milani)!
Mauve - a luscious lavender shade with a hint of gold shimmer.
Mint Licorice - a charcoal shimmer with icy green swirls.
Devil's Food - a shimmery golden brown.
Like mineralized eyeshadows, these are okay, but not anything spectacular. Mauve is one of the more special ones in my opinion, because it has green (I know it says gold, but I swear it has green) swirled with pink, and the swirls in mine are so distinct that I'm actually able to pick up two different colors. Mint Licorice is a pretty blackened green, but you can easily achieve the same effect by layering green eyeshadow over a black base. Devil's Food is definitely a winner, though - the color reminds me of MAC's Mulch eyeshadow, but the gold and copper veining gives it a "kick" instead of a flat brown shade. I swatched Mi'Lady to the left of the Laura Geller eyeshadows, and you can see that the color payoffs are about the same (no base).
These are also $23, while MAC's are only $16.50, but I don't think they're special enough to merit the price difference. These eyeshadows are pretty, but it's not necessarily a must-have, so unless you've got money burning a hole in your pocket (in which case, you should spend it on shoes! :D), you can definitely pass on these.
I hope these reviews and swatches have helped! There are so many products out on the market today that do the same thing, and the best part is that lower-end companies are also creating similar products, so if you can't afford to spend $30 on a blush, you should take a look at your local drugstore (e.g. Milani)!
