12 Must-Have MAC Blushes
About the Temptalia Must-Haves Series
A series of posts showcasing must-have products from MAC Cosmetics’ permanent line of products. Selections are based on quality, universality, uniqueness amongst the line, and the like. Limited edition shades are deliberately excluded to make buying easier. Readers’ comments act as a supplement to these lists of their favorites and must-haves. You can find the entire series here.
Powder Blushes
- Well Dressed blush is a confection of cool, baby pink with a satiny smooth texture. I love to wear this shade (even with my warmer coloring) with cooler toned looks, especially with cool purples or smoky eyes.
- Dollymix blush is a bolder, brighter dirty pink with a light shimmer. This is one of those blushes that makes the cheeks really stand out and become a focal point.
- Margin blush is a dirty peach with a little bit of berriness to it. It’s an incredibly flattering color on a variety of skintones, and it is, by far, one of my favorite everyday blushes.
- Plum Foolery is a dirty plum-berry shade with slight shimmer. The pigmentation is amazing, and the color is incredibly versatile.
See eight more must-have MAC blushes!
- Ambering Rose blush is deep, lightly sihmmered rose shade. It works really well to accentuate cheekbones and color, especially with more neutral eyes.
- Springsheen blush is a light, coral-peach shimmer shade that works extremely well on warm tones, but it is light enough to be worn by cooler skintones, too. I love this shade for just a little bit of color on cheeks without overdoing it.
- Sunbasque blush is a dirty peach-bronze shade that just shimmers in the sun. It’s kind of like a bronzer, but it has a bit more color in it.
Blushcremes
- Posey is a creamy, soft rosy pink. I love to wear Posey during the summer and layer it with a powder blush or highlighter for long lasting cheek color.
- Lilicent is a coral-y, peachy shade with warm undertones. It’s very creamy and easily blended on cheeks for a natural look.
Mineralize Blushes
- Dainty mineralize blush is a sheer and soft light pink shade with gold shimmer. This is a great blush for barey-there color.
- Gentle mineralize blush offers a soft, raspberry shade with gold shimmer laced through it. Absolutely stunning in color!
- Warm Soul mineralize blush is a peachy color with a little bit of dirty red to it. It has gold shimmer flecked in the color, and it works really to brighten skin.
What are your favorite MAC blushes?
I absolutely love my Intenso Grand Duo’s Blush! It is so gorgeous and gives my skin such a beautiful glow!
I second that! Intenso is a fantastic colour. I love all the Grand Duos, but Intenso is definitely one of my favourites.
I 3rd that! Intenso is my fav of all the mineralize blushes!
INTENSO is a must have!
Love rock and Grand Duo are my other faves!!! Loves loves loves them
Hopefully MAC repromotes these, since they seem popular
I love Intenso as well! Usually I just stick to pink blushes, but I love that it is slightly redder.
i 5th that. haha
Too bad it was LE, so I couldn’t put it on the list!
My favourite blush of the moment ist actually a Pro-Colour, Salsarose. I have cool toned skin and this blush works so great on it! It gives me a natural cheek colour and is just perfect for spring make up!
How pigmented is it, Martha? I had to pass on a lot of PRO blushes, because they were just TOO pigmented!
i don’t have any of the ones you’ve mentioned….though i keep considering well dressed and dolly mix everytime i check out the mac blushes! i’ll have to try some of these out!
favourite finish is sheertone….
my fave shade is probably emote, because i seem to be able to use it for contouring or as the actual blush, depending on the look. i also really like stark naked and enough said…oh and blushbaby is really good for understated cheeks when doing strong lips!
Emote is a great contouring color
I used to use it all the time. Stark Naked and Enough Said are two of my fave LE blushes, too.
I’ll b e honest. Since falling in love with NARS blushes I haven’t even touched a MAC blush. But when I did I LOVED: Format. Such a pretty shade!
What are your fave NARS blushes?
dainty is one of my absolutely favourite blush. it give the barely there colour and keep me from looking too pale haha..
Glad you like it, Pinky!
I have several favorites blushes…MAC ones are Love Thing, Love Joy, and Merrily mineralized blushes I just can’t chose between them. I also love the beauty powder blush in Feeling, it just gives me a pretty pink blush even on my dark coomplexion… also NARS’s Taj Mahal its just a gorgeous shimmery burnt orange.. I love it!!
Good choices, Megan!
I agree with you on Gentle, it was my first mineralize blush. I use it a lot. I also love all the Grand Duos, esp Intenso, Grand Duo and Love Rock. My other favourite is Honour, it’s such a gorgeous highlighter.
Oh and Fun & Games, it’s exactly the colour I thought Enough Said should/would be (I bought ES because you really praised it on here, but didn’t like it, but I love F&G).
It’s too bad the Grand Duos were LE, so they couldn’t make the list!
I don’t have Honour — never thought to use it as a highlighter! I’m sorry Enough Said didn’t work out
I don’t care so much for Fun & Games, ha!
My fave MAC Blush is from the Hello Kitty collection in Tipsy, it’s a bright pink it’s great on tan skin for the summer!
That is a bright one! Glad ya like it, Emm!
I have still to try out MAC blushes. I always want to, but have been overwhelmed by the selection & trying to find out the right color for me. I am picky with blush as i love a pop of healthy color on my cheeks without looking like a clown or a shimmery disco ball. Presently, I use NARS Amour as my go-to blush. However, this post gives such great suggestions & the perfect description of what the color actually is & will do for your cheeks, that I think I can now head back to MAC with a few colors in my head to try out. Thanks Christine!
I hope you’re able to find at least one that works for you, Nicole!
Margin is my ALL TIME favorite, though. Check that one out first
I absolutely agree with all of you on the Margin blush. Amazing!! I purchased mine about 3 wks. ago. One for myself and one for a friend. I am NC30 and my friend is NC45. That is what is so amazing about many of MAC products, they are so versitile. They look great on so many skintones. Margin is a must have for everyone, imo.
So happy to hear you’re enjoying it, too, Tiffany!!
Margin is really one of my fave, fave products by MAC or ANY brand.
I’m really loving Moon River from the Grand Duos Collection. (:
I wish it showed up better on me!
I really love Emote for contouring, Prism as a neutral and Melba for the perfect peach shade. Useless to say, I prefer matte blushes!
Emote is a good contouring color for sure!
My two favourites are Stark Naked and Devil. Stark Naked is a gorgeous pink with a golden shimmer and Devil is a very pigmented reddish orange – a litte goes a long way.
Of course, I forgot to add Stark Naked! It’s a great colour!
I think gentle mineralized in my opinion is very similar to stark naked blush….i actually bought stark naked and returned it after i compared it to gentle =)
Interesting! I like the texture of Stark Naked better, but I’m not a big fan of the mineralize products!
That’s a good one!
I adore Stark Naked, too! One of my favorite LE blushes!
My favorite blushes are Dainty and Margin. As far as LE blushes, my faves are Tippy and Love Rock. My fave NARS blush is Deep Throat.
Yay for Margin fans! I just love that blush so much!
I prefer the mineralized blushes to the powder blushes… my favorites are dainty and nuance!
What do you like best about mineralize blushes, Jackie?
My 3 fave mac blushes are: fun and games, coy girl and nuance. i also love nars angelika.
Good picks, Pia
Nuance is a nice one!
Wow, I actually have 3 of these must have blushes (only have 5 blushes total!). Dollymix, Plum Foolery (which I never hear mentioned) and Gentle mineralized are all a must have for me. Great picks girl!
Nice! Plum Foolery is pretty, though I often reach for LE plummy blushes instead.
Love (Dame) a nice neutral pink! and (Love-rock mineralized)! Waiting to try margin, my closest mac store is always sold out
I hope you can try Margin soon, Liana!
I have a couple skinfinishes, but I’m blush-shy, I’ll admit it.
However.. I love the Just a Pinch gel from the Rose Romance! Put a little on and blend in before you put foundation on (if you use powder, it peeks through. Looks good!).
I also use Dallas, Perfect 10, and Georgia from Benefit lol
What MSFs do you have, Jessie?
I just got Perfect 10!
Can’t forget Sweet William! Such a gorgeous rosey color that really makes your cheecks dewy and glowy!
I think it’s no longer permanent
I was going to put it on, but it looked like it wasn’t perm.
I like
plum foolery
azalea (pro)
perfect topping msf
petticoat msf
intenso msf
pink swoon
pleasantry mineralised blush
Good picks
Pink Swoon is intense!
I love Well-dressed for a allday wear. And I like the Grand duos for the pigmentaion the best is love rock and grand duo.
Nice! I love it with smoky and cool toned looks.
I love my blushes!
some of my faves by mac are plum foolery, peachykeen, sunbasque, ambering rose, don’t be shy (barbie), and joyous
Nice picks! Don’t Be Shy is one of my all time fave LE blushes!
Strada. Pinch o’ peach. Moon River Grand Duo. Pink Swoon. Summer Rose Beauty Powder.
Strada is a good one!
For blushes I usually use NARS (lots of their shades are just so lovely) but my fav’ from MAC is peachykeen.
What NARS blushes do you like?
I reach for mac’s “dame” a lot.
Awesome! I have to check that out again!
I’m been lemming Ambering Rose forever…. I think it’s time to cave in!
Oh yeah, it is! ;P
Well Dressed, Moon River and Dainty are my favs. Also Gentle.
I see you like your pinks
I LOVE petticoat! (:
That’s an oldie
I love Peaches. I love sheertones because you can build up layers and avoid a strong look if you want it to be this way. I’m looking for a pinker blush, in the same spirit knowing I don’t really like bright cheeks or blue-pink colors and that I’m NC15 most of the time (any suggestion welcome!)
Awesome to hear! I’ll have to look at Peaches again
Peachykeen! I wear it everyday.
And my absolute favourite is Eversun beauty powder blush, so glad it’s coming back for Style Warriors!
Peachykeen is great. I find it so similar to Springsheen, what about you?
My fav are Nuance and Dainty. Looks like I should check out Sunbasque and Springsheen too though… and Ambering Rose sounds really pretty.
If you like Nuance, I think you’ll like Sunbasque
My go-to blush has been plum d’bois from cult of cherry
There’s a blush I always forget to use!
I really like Prism, Harmony, Gentle, Blooming (COC), Stark Naked (Red She Said)and Moon River (Grand Duos).
Harmony used to be one that I used all the time!
I love Stark Naked & Blooming, too!
I really love Fleur Power. it doesn’t get enough love from me theese days, but it is the perfect soft, bright pink color.
My go to blush on a daily basis is a Mark. blush in SunLove Glow.
What kind of color is the Mark blush?
Nearly Naked blush &
Redhead MSF are my favorites, particularly the Redhead one
Nice, Abi!
Moon River is gorgeous and intenso it also my favorite
Too bad they’re all LE!
Blushbaby works with everything!
That one goes on sooo light for me, I wish it was more pigmented
I really want to tell you how much I love looking up your updates that are tagged “five ways”. Its helped me look for items that I have never considered buying and how to use them all in one simple shot. Keep them up!
Thanks, Izzy D
I just bought perfect topping mineralize skinfinish, and wasn’t too crazy about it. Does anyone have any suggestions for a good highlighter? I usually use orgasm by Nars or the cream blush from the emanual ungaro collection (which is a pretty pinkish stain).
Try MAC’s Trace Gold as highlighter. Or, I use Laura Mercier Secret Brightener. It doesn’t really show up to the naked eye, but you’ll appreciate it more in photographs.
I like Dior’s skin shimmers, personally!
Oh wow, I have way too many blushes, even though I’ve given some of them to my Mom and sister-in-law. I agree with most of your favorites, I have most of them too LOL!!!!
Well, I really love red tones. MAC blushcreme in Laid Back, Frankly Scarlet, Mineralize Blush in Merrily and Joyous BP (more coral than red)—all of them are amazing and give my cheeks a really healthy color/glow. I apply them with a Fan Brush (similar to MAC184), this helps with a light application. If not, I could easily look like a clown, hahaha.
Haha! I loveee MAC blushes, LOL.
Love your choices, Christine! My favs are Margin, Blushbaby, and Refined msf from Sugarsweet. I never/rarely blush naturally, so I like colors that give my NC15 skin a nice cheeky glow.
Gotcha
Blushbaby doesn’t do much on my skintone, unfortunately!
Brunette MSF is the only one i own
But I’m going to buy some pinky and peachy ones aswell as some darker ones
Which ones are you thinking of getting, Faheema?
I love blushbaby and spaced out from mac and hoola bronzer from benefit! i want to try dainty or gentle =)
You should definitely try Dainty, Allison!
I’m obsessed with my MSFs (Brunette, Light Flush, and Petiicoat come to mind as a few of my favorites), and my other favorite blushes are Blooming (Cult of Cherry), Eversun beauty powder blush, Dollymix, Blushbaby, and the Warm Soul, Nuance, and Gleeful mineralize blushes.
Blooming is nice!
Pretty Baby BP from the HK collection.
At first i couldn’t get it to show up on my nw15 skin, but i found a much denser brush and now i love it for a natural looking cheek.
What brush do you use, Jill?
My fav M-A-C blush is the Grand Duo in Love Rock. It goes on so smoothly and I love the way it looks on me
Sounds like this is a popular LE fave!
I love Dollymix blush so much. I also adore Fun and Games beauty powder blush as well.
Dollymix is just a staple, yeah?
i love this tag, can u do one on must have lipsticks and lipglosses ?
I will be in the future, thanks!
I have Warm Soul and Sunbasque, both options are great when I just want a little bit of color. I also love the Hello Kitty beauty powder blushes Tippy and Fun & Games. And of course the Grand Duo blushes are amazing! I got all of them, except Hot Planet, which I am sure I will get really soon. =) Out of the Grand Duos, my favorite is Intenso for a classic glamour look, 2nd is Moon River when I’m doing a cooler look.
Sunbasque is so perfect
OTHERWORLDLY!!!
Yes!! I’d say Otherwordly too!
I love that one! I just wish it photographed well.
I love Tippy blush (hello kitty), enough said (red she said), and prism (:
Good picks! I love Enough Said, too, Camellia!
my two favourites were LE products… beauty powder blush in “Secret Blush” (its a mauve with coral shade if i had to describe it with low shimmer). and “pink glow” (closest i can find is pink swoon) not sure which collections these were from. recent picks would be the MSF from BBR in Brunette degrade and the two beauty powders from rose romance and just a pinch gel blush. I also like the golden bronzer for summer. this topic really helps because i need to expand my blush collection.
I am totally blanking on those two blushes! They sound like they’re from old launches!
my go to blushes: Mocha (it’s awesome- doesn’t get enough publicity! lol) and Dainty….I’m also a sucker for MSF’s for blush usage…Light Flush is my everyday one if i want to look all cute and sparkly lol
I’m gonna look at Mocha again
I love Stark Naked and Tippy!
Stark Naked for sure!
I’ve become a flat out whore for blushcremes. I lovelovelove brit wit, it’s my everyday blush when I don’t want to think about what might match or clash, it just comes out gorgeous on my skin. I have and love posey too and fell in love with blossoming recently. I think it might be the first item I actively seek out having alllll of them.
LOL! What do you use to apply the blushcremes with, Kacie?
margin has been a staple of mine for, forever! i also love hipness from the fafi collection. thanks for this though, im plannin to by a mac blush pallete and ive been debating on colors!! yeyyy cant wait ^__^
Margin is a staple for me, too
All I NEED now is to check out Well Dressed blush to complete the Must-Have Powder Blushes!
Oh, wow!!
My favorite blush is Dame. When I put on foundation, it washes out my natural cheek color. Dame is a satin and looks just like my normal cheeks, but better. This was my everyday blush until I discovered Moon River from the Grand Duos collection. I had to learn how to highlight because of Moon River, but my cheeks just keep getting better!
Ohh, very nice, PK!
spaced out from the neo-sci fi is my hg blush! i have 2 back ups i got from my cco!!!
I love Spaced Out, too!
I feel like no one mentioned this blush, but I love Mocha. Its such a unique color, and looks so nice on my skin!
At least one other reader did
I really like Dollymix – it gives a great natural flush. I really like how I can either apply it subtly for a more subtle flush or layer it for a bolder cheek colour. I also really like Dame – it’s a nice subtle pink colour and it has a really nice texture too.
Dollymix is great
Well Dressed of course
others include
1)Cubic
2)Blossoming
3)Peechykeen
4)Pleasantry
5)Margin (thanks to christine)
6) Pinch o peach
Good picks, Michelle
Well Dressed! Cubic, Peachykeen, Tenderling, Blooming, and Margin. I got Margin due to a rec by Christine LOVE IT! Blooming is a LE, gorgeous. LOVE Well Dressed. Cubic, nobody else mentioned. I adore it.
Yayyy! I have to pass the Margin love around
I’ve got Blooming too! It is pretty
Yay! I’m so glad I picked that shade up!
I often wear Love Joy Mineralize Blush, Warm Soul and Sunbasque.
Nice choices, Dawn! Sunbasque is great!
I absolutely love the grand duos for blush! Since they came out, my other blushers hardly see the light of day! My picks: Intenso, Grand Duo, Hot Planet and Love Rock.
I’m curious to see if MAC will bring these back!
I just recently bought Fleur Power, and it is such a great blush! It has quickly become a new fave.
Awesome to hear it, Karen!
Sunbasque is the best on so many different skintones. I love this amazing shimmery brown pinky peach blush! It’s so well pigmented. Frankly Scarlet is a must have too. Pink Swoon is perfect and rounds out my top blushes from mAC
Agreed, Arika! Frankly Scarlet is frankly, scary, LOL! It’s just too much for me.
I have Gentle, Warm Soul and Blooming (LE from Cult of Cherry). I think I’ll get Dainty now
And maybe Well Dressed some day.
You’ll like Dainty, I think!
I love gentle! It’s my favourite blush! With moonriver on the top it’s wondeful! I really like also: springsheen, hipness fafi, X-Rocks, and a new entry… ambering rose! Now I would try cantaloupe and a Nars Blush!
So glad you’ve found a way to rock the blushes!!
My favorite MAC blushes:
1. HK Tippy
2. Azalea (Pro color)
3. Coppertone (HG!)
4. Ambering Rose
And I pretty much love all the MAC mineralize blushes!!!
Though, I must admit, I’m falling in love with NARS blushes!!! My fave NARS blush? It’s a tie between Taj Mahal & Torrid – they’re both so beautiful!
NARS blushes are hard to resist!
Here are my favs MAC blushes.
Pink: toss btwn Pink swoon and Dame
Peach/orange: Melba. Its a matte blush and turns out true peach on me!
Red’ish: Merrily mineralise blusher. A little goes a long way. I use a stippiling brush for this.
Brown/bronze: toss btwn Sweet as Cocoa and Eversun BPB. Tho Sweet as cocoa is more true brwn.
Neutral: Warm soul mineralise blusher. This is great as a light bronzer or worn on its own w a dark/smoky eyes. I use to tone down too bright blushers or too flat colors too!
Plummy: X-rocks, great shimmery plum.
I need more plum/rosy blushers…any thoughts on Fluer Power? versus Plum foolery? Thanks!
Those are some great choices! Thanks for breaking it down so well
MAC is discontinuing my blush… Strada. Darn-it. Hopefully I can find something like it. It’s the perfect Matte contouring shade… Sigh…
OH NO!
My must haves (NW10):
Blushbaby
Mocha (these two are my neutral go-with-everything)
Well Dressed w/light hand
Style -great pop of color
fav LE’s:
Afterdusk
Stark Naked
ooops, forgot Strada for contour shade
I loveee both Afterdusk & Stark Naked. Two LE faves!
My fave blushes are Peachtwist,love love intenso and gentle, and i loved neo sci fi’s Spaced out. Gorgeous color for my nc35 skin:)
Those are nice picks, Tina! I love Spaced Out, too!
I’m studio fix powder N4 and mineralized skinfinsh natural powder light medium (so decently pale) with slightly rosy cheeks. I’m looking for a sheerish-matteish-pinkish/coralish color and a sheerish-matteish-peachish color. Preferably in MAC’s original, non-LE powder blush.
Help?
Try Peaches for a peach blush, then try Springsheen for the coral, though it’s not really matte!
Hello,
just read this article, I used to read only.
But this article is GOOD.
For me, I used to use MAC Mocha Matte, and now trying some Nars blushes, but seems no pink on me.
Can you suggest for me, an NC30~35, for pink shades for MAC.
I have Love Joy from MAC and Peaches sheertone blush..
and several Nars blushes.
Thanks, Itie!
I love, love Dollymix and Well-Dressed. I also love Margin, which isn’t pink, but AMAZING, especially for NC30s.
Hi Christine!! see lots of people like dame, pink swoon, well dressed and coygirl. What would be more suitable for an NC30? i mostly wear pinks and purples. Thanx so much
Well Dressed, IMO!
hi cristine..just a quick question, has the just a pinch gel blush from the rose romance colection been discontinued?
It was limited edition
Sorry! I mispelled your name! oh and my fav blush is style demon from the mineralize collection
Would Sunbasque be ok on NW15 skintone with yellow undertones? I really want to try it as a summer blush but I’m afraid it’ll be too orange on me.
I think it would be OK, but use it with a light hand.
which of the these three would look better on my skintone (i’m nc20)
dainty,gentle,warm soul…(you may even say all of them i don’t mind!)
i like not so pigmented blushes that i can control though…
Gentle & Warm Soul
I went to my mac store a few weeks ago and tried dainty, and it was beautiful! I’m super freaky pale, the NC 15 foundation darkens my skin hahah, so dainty gave me a natural pink color without it looking clown pink!
I am torn between Mac’s Posey and Ladyblush. I used to have the Stila Convertible Color in Petunia but it showed up as a hot pink on my cheeks and was impossible to blend. I have light/medium skin and brown hair. Between Posey and Ladyblush, which one do you think would look best on me? Thanks!
Posey!!
Maybe someone can help a recently blush obsessed girl over here! I’m looking for a true peach blush, preferably matte. Can anyone tell me the difference between MAC Peaches and MAC Gingerly? My head is spinning! Also, are apricot and peach any similiar?
That aside, MAC’s Lilicent is my first cream blush and I really love it. I feel like it offers the beauty of a natural glow, but also a pop of color.
Gingerly is browner, less peachy!
which one better for medium skin tone, Margin or Sunbasque?
Either works well, but I prefer Margin!
I love your tutorials and reviews! and I love MAC blushes! I am tossing up between dainty and gentle – I am after a nice pink with golden undertone, similar to Stark Naked which I couldn’t pick up at the time – any reccommedations?? Thanks!
I think you’d like Gentle if you liked Stark Naked!
BERRY blush is AWESOMEE as well!
My all time favourite is ambering rose and gingerly…
My skin tone is nc44.Ambering rose and gingerly compliments my skintone pretty well. Perfect for daily use.
i have pink swoon, bite of an apple (LE), margin, mighty aphrodite(LE), stlye, feeling flush (LE), utterly game (LE).
i kinda have a thing for collecting LEs
I have a lot of favorite MAC blushes. They include Fleur Power, Gleeful, Buddy Up, and Bi Tone. I especially like mineralize blushes, as you can see.