It has been like this for most of the time I’ve owned it.The soft, light-reflecting pearl finish makes me look almost like I got a good night’s sleep.

You can see that the product is definitely dry, and peeling away from the edges of the jar. I tend to reach for MAC Paints FAR more often, because they’re creamier and not as rough on mature/dry/uneven skin, and they’re a bit easier to apply and blend. When I think an ordinary primer would be too sticky, or make the end look too vibrant, or when my lids are stained from other makeup and I need the opacity(The ARE more opaque than Paint, or UDPP). Bare Study works on fairer tones(like mine) but Painterly, the paler nude shade is STILL too dark and pink to really look “natural”, though it is nice on the lid with more daytime looks. Also, the colors may not suit all skin tones. All of those colors are now discontinued. I also have Delft, Moss Scape, and Green smoke. I have paintpots in Painterly(matte pale nude w/some pink undertones), Bare Study(pale pearly nude with an almost gold sheen). I noticed even 6 weeks after purchasing, it had dried to the point of making application feel really difficult, with it tugging on the skin, flaking off, etc. You have to blend fast, and you will probably never use the entire jar of product before it’s ruined. If there’s even a hint of dryness on the lid, they tend to make the skin look crepe-y and rough. They are pretty nicely pigmented, but it is possible to build up coverage, or blend sparingly, for different levels of opacity. They do NOT crease, and shadows over top do not crease. You can use paintpots as a base for more natural looks, for a more even lid color. I like my darker paintpots, even if I rarely use them.

I’m still a bit sad that MAC has gutted the brighter/darker color selection, except for Limited Edition releases. I’ve had these a while, as well as a few other LE or Discontinued shades, but I rarely use them, and so forget about them, except when I see MUA forum posts asking about them. I think I wrote a short comparison shortly after I began blogging, when I purchased MAC Paint, and wanted to compare it.

Mac paint pot painterly vs. bare study