Eric Ries's MVP: smallest thing that lets you LEARN whether the hypothesis is true. Not smallest thing that's shippable, not your minimum-acceptable-quality v1. If you're polishing features instead of putting it in front of users, you're past MVP and into v1 territory. That's not wrong, but call it what it is, and don't claim you're "validating" anymore.
What I'm calling an MVP for [product] might actually be a v1. Apply Eric Ries's definition, the smallest thing that lets me learn whether my hypothesis is true. Ask me what hypothesis I'm testing, then tell me honestly whether I'm validating or just polishing, and what the real MVP to ship this week is.