MAC Cremeblend Blushes — Lip Swatches

Here are quick & dirty lip swatches of the four Cremeblend blushes. When applied to lips, they can have a decent amount of slip. They almost seem to sit on lips and take quite awhile to sink in. The more pigmented ones (e.g. Florida) will stain lips if left on for long enough. I put about two or three layers of product on with a lip brush to get these, then I blended with my finger.

So Sweet, So Easy looked the worst, because it came off frosty and showed off lip lines, while Joie-de-Vivre and Florida seemed to look the best. My apologies in advance for the ultra close-up of Optimistic Orange – it was the only photo that was remotely in focus, and I didn’t want to keep delaying this post so hopefully it still gives you an idea of it on lips, even if it is uber close.

The taste is borderline tasteless to slightly plastic-y. It’s not delicious by any means, and there’s no real scent, but I probably wouldn’t recommend licking your lips with it. It’s not as bad as some of MAC’s Tinted Lip Conditioners, which definitely have a sunscreen taste to them.

See more swatches…

MAC So Sweet, So Easy Cremeblend Blush

MAC Joie-de-Vivre Cremeblend Blush

MAC Optimistic Orange Cremeblend Blush

MAC Florida Cremeblend Blush

5 Minute Face: Joie-de-Vivre Cremeblend Blush

As promised, I wanted to show you how to use MAC’s new Cremeblend Blushes in a look. They can be worn on lips (yes, I’ll do lip swatches — probably today or tomorrow!) or cheeks, and the intensity is very buildable; you don’t need much to get a little color on the cheeks, but it really depends on what you’re going for. I was kind of bummin’ a bit on Friday, so I just wanted to do something quick, easy, and minimal.

Forgot to tell you the most important piece of the puzzle… it wore well.  I was running around the house a bit re-organizing my makeup, and it lasted pretty well.  I’d say it did fade a bit by hour six or so, but it was noticeable even when I went to remove later in the evening.  I do, typically, prefer to use a cream blush as a base and then lightly apply a powder blush or else a powder highlighter on top, then set my entire face with loose powder.  In this look, I just set with loose powder at the end (wanted to make sure you could *see* Joie-de-Vivre on its lonesome!).

How have you been wearing the new Cremeblend Blushes?  What application method are you using?  Share your tips & tricks with me and your fellow Temptalia readers!

You will need the following…

• Eyes: MAC Plushlash Mascara (black)
• Face:  Kiehl’s Tinted Moisturizer (medium)
• Cheeks: MAC Joie-de-vivre Cremeblend Blush (coral-pink)
• Lips: MAC Lush & Bright Lip Gelee (coral-pink)
• Brushes: MAC 188 Brush (small stippling brush)
• Substitutes: Joie-de-Vivre = NARS Lokoum; Lush & Bright = Enchantress

For eyes, simply coat lashes with one or two light coats of Plushlash mascara for a very minimal, but noticeable, effect.

For cheeks, apply Joie-de-Vivre blush to the apples of the cheeks and sweep upwards towards the temple with the 188. Use the a fluffier blush brush like the 116 to gently blend color out.

For lips, apply Lush & Bright lip gelee for some sparkle.

MAC in Lillyland Collection: Cremeblend Blushes Review, Photos, Swatches

Even though my personal favorites from this collection are the lipgelees (review is forthcoming, promise!), I really think the Cremeblend Blushes really stand out. All four are intensely pigmented, rich in color, and really will pop on your cheeks — if you so desire. What’s nice about these is you can use a stippling brush like the 188 (smaller brush-head than the 187, so it’s ideal for cheek color) for a softer, less color-rich look, or you can layer and build up the intensity for a bolder cheek look as well. These seemed thinner and more pigmented than MAC’s Blushcremes as well.

Note, I can’t comment on the wear of these, as I haven’t had them for more than a few hours! I will definitely do my best to use these in a look in the next week.

Cremeblend Blush ($18.50 U.S. / $22.00 CDN)

• Optimistic Orange is a bright pop of orange. It’s not quite neon orange, but it is pretty bold and bright. Definitely a true orange, though; this is not coral on me whatsoever.
• Joie-de-Vivre is a bright pink-coral; it leans more pink than orange, which is why it’s predominantly pink, but it’s obvious it’s not a bubblegum pink. MAC described it as a “peachy coral,” but I’d say it’s more like a pinky coral.
• So Sweet, So Easy is a bubblegum pink. It’s a medium pink with barely-there yellow undertones. It’s the lightest and softest shade of the four.
• Florida is a bright fuchsia-purple. It’s creamy, ultra pigmented, and WOW-za, you know? This is the kind of the color that can easily scare you away. Again, try a stippling brush, use a light hand, and you may even find using fingers to blend out the color (after the initial brush-based application) may give you the right level of intensity.

See photos and swatches!

MAC Joie-de-Vivre Cremeblend Blush

MAC So Sweet, So Easy Cremeblend Blush

MAC Florida Cremeblend Blush

MAC Cremeblend Blushes: Optimistic Orange, Joie-de-Vivre, So Sweet So Easy, Florida