MAC Mineralise Skin Finish Soft and Gentle Review

After searching for what feels like a lifetime for a fail proof highlighter - I need look no further! Soft and gentle adds the perfect luminosity to cheek bones and other high points without looking too over powering and feeling like a disco ball. Tried it for the first time tonight and got so many compliments on my highlighter! I found the formula to be beautifully silky when applying and you can definitely build it up to the pigment you're after without being scared to go too far. I used a fan brush and then a big fluffy real techniques brush to sweep over my cheeks and other highlighting areas. I would recommend this shade to most skin tones as a trusty highlighter. Not chalky. Not difficult to blend. Gives a beautiful flawless finish and can definitely be used all over for super intense glowy, dewy and give you that 'pregnancy glow' without the pregnancy. Can't rave enough about this pretty pearlescent shade.

I couldn't decide between a whole lot of highlighters and when the husband got a trip to Melbourne, I decided to make him get this for me in duty free. I do not for one second regret making him do this! This highlight lasts all day. It isn't overly glittery and doesn't emphasise pores. It blends so easily and is buildable so you can go either subtle to hello disco ball and anywhere in between.

I did find that the powder is quite fine and like the Hourglass AL powders, it does kind of go everywhere, but the packaging is also really nice - the magnet keeps it very much closed (the new packaging that is).

This has worked its way into my every day makeup and I just love love love the subtle glow it gives - it really is a soft and gentle highlight!

This is such a stunning highlighter. I use most days just applying to my cheekbones but after reading some awesome reviews I will definitely find some new uses for it! It provides a beautiful subtle glow but is definitely buildable for a more intense look. I currently just apply with a powder brush but look forward to purchasing a blusher brush or something more suitable to make application that much easier. You only need such a small amount of product, I literally just lightly tap my brush and that’s all I need. A family friend purchased this for me while in America, and although much cheaper there I would definitely repurchase this product here in NZ. Yes it’s definitely quite expensive but I was given this I am guessing a year and a half ago and it still looks full. Which is insane! My sister steals this whenever she can and wants to buy one for herself! Definitely recommend purchasing you won’t regret!

Im very pale and i wasn't sure this highlighter would be light enough for me, but it is! It has a very light bronze tint to it so you have to be careful if you are very very pale. It makes you look so healthy and glory, i love to put it on my cheekbones to make them stand out, it has a bit of glitter in it so it really does make you glow!

 This is a gorgeous peach champagne highlighter with a frosted sheen and fine shimmers.  I generally don't mind fine shimmers but this product has A LOT of it and if you're from the chocolate club it'll be more evident on our skin tones. In the pan and under natural lighting it doesn't look like it has a lot of shimmer but shine your phone torch on it (yes I know judge me later haha) and voila c'est disco ball.  

Once your makeup starts to fade along with the frosted sheen from the highlighter guess what will still be there? The shimmer.  Don't get me wrong I really like this product but it's not anything too different to the bajillions of highlighters that are out there that we haven't seen already.  

What makes me happy to have it in my collection is that it has a finely milled texture which helps the highlighter glide on smoothly and leaves you with a beautiful glow  (if applied with care) where you can't really pinpoint what is it that's making that person glow (until you see the shimmer).  It's stunning but I have to show restraint when applying it.  With highlighters I love to apply them on my cheeks as well however this highlighter is strictly for cheekbones and nothing more (FOR ME) - for a highlight lover that is NOT cool.

The frosted sheen begins to fade by the 5th hour so I tend to be left with more shimmer than highlight but to manage that I layer it over another highlight with a richer champagne colour (i.e. Laura Mercier in Indiscretion).  The shimmer transfers so just be mindful to keep your hands away from your face.  Would I recommend this highlighter hmmmmm yes but it wouldn't be my first option - with this highlighter I think application is key. 

Another product I brought purely because of reviewers highly recommending it along with vloggers use of it in videos.

Packaging wise this mineralised powder comes in a slightly larger rounded compact that the regular blushes and powders, in it's MAC black tone and easy to use click to open and shut. In the centre of the lid is a domed clear acrylic insert that allows you to see inside at the marbled effect of the powder.

Formula wise this powdery blend of mineralised powders that have been baked into place, giving the champagne, pinks, creams and brown marbled effect that is visible on the surface. It is a dry powder with no hint of creamy effect to it. Applied using a big fluffy brush sees this leave a thin veil of soft shimmery glow to your skin, be more precise with a smaller brush for a more higher impact beam of intensive champagne gold shimmer.

The shimmer comes from the powder itself there is no hint of glitters in the product or on the face after use, it is easily blendable and buildable I can see why this is a firm favourite amongst the makeup community.

I love this product. Perfect to gently brush a small amount over your face it is great for a higher under your brows on your cheeks and above your Cupid's bow. I love this product. The packaging is beautiful the pigment is stunning, a little goes a long way, it doesn't make your face look to shimmery all and all a gorgeous product

This is my third purchase of soft and gentle, and I don't think I will be able to survive without it out.

I use both to highlight my cheeks, and also use in corners of my eyes, as an eyeshadow and even mixed with lip gloss. The uses are endless.

The only thing I don't like is that they have changed the packaging from a clasp/clip to a magnet- since then I am always fumbling and it seems to open a lot more in my makeup bag

For the longest of time I've been lusting over Macs Soft and gentle skin finish, every time I saw people posting with their beautiful highlights it reminded me how much I needed it in my life. It took me a long time to justify the price compared to most of my $10 highlighters, I could buy 8 more! But I was certain to purchase this for my 30th, I wanted to spoil myself and this was on my lust list.

I finally got this baby in my hands and opened the compact, it looks like a marbled bronzed ball pressed into the compact. Swatching this was pure sensation, when you slide it on your skin it glistens in the light. The gold and champagne shades make a really beautiful highlight.

I was disappointed when I tried this on my cheeks, it didn't really show up as well as the swatches did on my hand. My first thought was then to slide my brush into the compact a few times before adding it to my cheeks which was too much, I looked like I had been sitting in the sauna for 10 minutes.

After a few months of testing this product I have learnt to use this. The powder is very very fine, and you have to add a small amount at a time to prevent the sweaty look. It is a beautiful highlight on my cheeks and under my brow bone, then I use the rest that's on my brush to dust my nose lightly. I used to like adding this above my cupids bone until my husband told me I keep sweating under my nose, when it was actually highlight. (Lesson learned)

Since purchasing this product, I use it less than what I imagined I would, but it is one of my favorite highlights, I don't know if I would repurchase this again.