MAD Minerals Aloe Veil review & comparison

I had my first taste of mineral make-up little over three months ago, when I ordered at MAD minerals. One of the powders that caught my interest was Aloe veil, a finishing powder that is fairly new in their catalog. I was really frustrated by the fact that I couldn't find any reviews or swatches, but decided to give it a go because I liked the fact that it contains aloe vera powder. Today I'm comparing it to translucent veil, another one of Mad minerals' finishing powders.

Read on for my review and swatches!


I purchased a 20gr jar of aloe veil and a sample size jar of satin glow, and received a 1/4tsp sample of translucent veil, so I was able to try and compare the three. To me, satin glow is more of a highlighting powder than a finishing powder because it's a tad too glowy for that. I won't include it, but I have swatched all three for you below so you can see the difference. Unfortunately I still haven't bought a flash for my camera yet, so all pics were taken in daylight.

Left to right: Satin glow, Aloe Veil, Translucent veil

First of all: what MAD minerals says about these finishing powders:

• Aloe veil enhances and adds soothing silkiness to your skin's appearance giving you a smooth flawless, semi-matte finish. Can be used alone, or over foundation application. Great for sensitive skin! Ingredients: mica, aloe barbadensis (aloe vera) powder, titanium dioxide, iron oxides

•  A dry, matte finishing powder that helps to cut excess oil on the skin and give a matte appearance. Ingredients: Kaolin Clay, Mica

Aloe veil does seem to be a bit oil absorbing and works great for fixing cream products like concealer under your eyes. However it also gives you a very subtle healthy sheen, which makes it less apparent that you are wearing make-up. It feels light on the skin and has no noticeable smell. Translucent veil has a distinct smell of clay, and feels less comfortable on my dry sensitive skin.


Swatches:

I swatched both powders heavily on the following pictures for it to show up better on camera. On a daily bases I would lightly dust my face with it, but I would only build up the shine on my cheekbones to this level if I wasn't wearing a separate highlighter. Apart from the finishing powders, I was only wearing a tad of concealer under my eyes and on some blemishes.

Left: Aloe veil - Right - Translucent veil

Translucent veil

Aloe veil

I think this is a good powder for people with dry sensitive skin. It slightly mattifies but sheen is buildable where wanted. (I am not sure how well you can build up the sheen on a tanned skin though, it has a slight white cast) Translucent veil is more suitable for oilier skin, or for those that like a very matte finish.

Have you tried any MAD mineral products yet? If so, which are your favorites?

Silke