MAC Artificially Wild Blushes Reviews, Photos, Swatches
MAC Next to Skin Blush
MAC Artificially Wild features three blushes. Two of them are more contour-hued shades, while one is a blush. Two are shades that have been released previously in some capacity (see below for details). I really loved seeing these three; I feel like they’re colors we don’t see enough of.
MAC Next to Skin Blush ($20.00 for 0.21 oz.) is described as a “soft beige [with a Matte finish].” It’s a light-medium, gray-ish beige with a matte finish and neutral undertones. It had good color payoff with a soft, blendable texture that could be blended out for a sheerer application or applied more intensely for true-to-pan color. I think this works really well as a contour shade on fair to light-medium complexions. When applied heavily, it was still visible as a shadowy contour on my skin tone (NC25/NC30). It’s a lot more foolproof for fairer skin tones who want a subtle contour. On me, the color wore well for eight hours before fading. I couldn’t think of any dupes for this shade.
MAC Taupe Blush ($20.00 for 0.21 oz.) is described as a “soft beige brown [with a Matte finish].” It’s a medium, warm-toned taupe–there’s a mix of brown and gray, but it leans warm overall–with a matte finish. It had excellent pigmentation, and the texture was soft, finely-milled, velvety without being powdery, and blendable on the skin. The color wore well for eight hours before fading. This used to be part of the Pro range, but I didn’t see it on MAC’s site presently. Surratt Beauty Grisaille (P, $32.00) is warmer. Inglot #504 (P, $15.00) is cooler-toned. See comparison swatches / view dupes.
MAC Pink Cult Blush ($20.00 for 0.21 oz.) is described as a “mid-tone dirty neutral pink [with a Matte finish].” It’s a light-medium, neutral pink with a matte finish. It had nice pigmentation that went on evenly and smoothly without looking powdery or totally flat. The consistency was soft, velvety, and blendable, while the color didn’t start to fade until after eight hours of wear. This is a repromote. Makeup Geek First Love (P, $9.99) is lighter. Dior Rose (001) (LE, $56.00) is brighter. Hourglass Ethereal Glow (P, $35.00) is lighter. NARS Sex Fantasy (LE, $29.00) is cooler-toned, brighter. Illamasqua Naked Rose (P, $26.00) is darker. See comparison swatches / view dupes.
Next to Skin
LELimited Edition. $24.00.
Taupe
PPermanent. $24.00.
Pink Cult
LELimited Edition. $24.00.
See more photos & swatches!
MAC Next to Skin Blush
MAC Next to Skin Blush
MAC Next to Skin Blush
MAC Next to Skin Blush
MAC Next to Skin Blush
MAC Next to Skin Blush
MAC Taupe Blush
MAC Taupe Blush
MAC Taupe Blush
MAC Taupe Blush
MAC Taupe Blush
MAC Taupe Blush
MAC Taupe vs. Next to Skin Blush (as a contour)
MAC Pink Cult Blush
MAC Pink Cult Blush
MAC Pink Cult Blush
MAC Pink Cult Blush
MAC Pink Cult Blush
Pink Cult seems a little lighter for my skin tone but Taupe is definitely on my list!
Yay!
OMG these are beautiful! I am NC15 in MAC, which one do you recommend me for contour Christine? I have nyx taupe but it has a very subtle reddish/pinkish tone that I don’t like
If you want a more defined contour, Taupe is your best bet. If you like a barely-there contour, Next to Skin may be better!
Next to Skin looks quite a bit like my skin colour.. I’m guessing this one would virtually disappear on my face. I love Taupe blush and use it as a soft contour, rarely actually using it as a blush, but think it’s a really versatile product.. I know I’ve worn it as an eyeshadow as well. Pink Cult is pretty, but heavily reminds me of one of my existing staples; Illamasqua Naked Rose and I like the texture and pigmentation in Illamasqua powder blushes far more than MAC.
Pink Cult is like the lighter sister of Naked Rose!
I LOVE all three! First MAC release I’ve coveted in a while!
Woohoo! 🙂
Next to Skin looks interesting. I wonder if I should choose it over Taupe. Taupe looks pretty warm on my laptop screen, less so on my phone screen.
Taupe has warmer tones than Next to Skin, though it is not orange!
Vampire here. I am PSYCHED for Next to Skin.
YAY!
Pink Cult looks pretty! Does it have a tendency to turn ashy on deeper skintones Christine or do you think it will show up just fine! Thanks
I think it should be okay – MAC’s mattes/satins always seem to darken/adjust slightly once on the skin.
I’m SO excited for these blushes to come out, they’re all coming home with me! Can’t wait to use Taupe as a contour.
Enjoy! 🙂
Wow… all three “Temptalia Recommends”?? Well done, MAC.
I’m really glad MAC seems to be improving the quality of their products with all of these collection releases (generally-speaking), AND changing up the colours to bring something a bit different to the table.
I’m definitely grabbing Taupe, and probably Pink Cult too!
These are really great shades if they’re the type one would wear!
As much as I love the look of these blushes, I’ll have to pass. I doubt they’d work on my NC42 skin 🙁
You look great, Christine! That lip color really suits you! 🙂
Thank you, Aditi!
YES!!!!! Thank God ! Love these and someone stated in another entry that they are for fair skin. Thank you Christine, I am going to be broke before Christmas! Lol lol
Now, if only they had just released one more blush (contour) that was darker than Taupe, they would have been covering a good bit of the skin tone spectrum!
Hmm, I just don’t know about this collection. I think Next to Skin might lean too grey for me, I hardly have time to learn how to contour this days so Taupe is too much work right and now and Pink Cult could maybe work but I’m not really feeling it. All in all, I think I can safely say I’ll be saving my money!
Sounds like a good plan to skip, then, Cat!
I’m really glad to see Pink Cult repromoted! I bought it when it first came out years ago and used it completely. I’m even happier to see that the texture is good. The old one was a bit dry on me and maybe a little flat, but MACs matte textures tend to be like that for me.
I’m excited that there might be a contour shade out there that looks good on fair skin. I hate the warm toned ones, even though many claim to be taupe/grey, but they just look muddy and dark on me. Chanel’s Notorious works with an extremely light hand, but it’d be nice to have one that I could throw on quickly. Nars Olympia was fine, but just a smidgen too pink! This looks like a happy medium!
Fingers crossed Next to Skin is all that you want it to be 🙂
How is this Taupe against NYX Taupe?
NYX Taupe is darker, cooler-toned – they’re not similar at all, IMO.
Pink Cult will be mine! 😀
Yay! Enjoy, Liesbeth!
Next to Skin didn’t catch my eye initially, but now I’m more interested in it than the taupe! I’ll have to try to swing by and grab it before it’s all gone at the counter after the release. Nice to see a recommended product on a MAC release. 🙂
Haha! I look forward to hearing your thoughts when you see them in person!
Love these! I might need these…or at least the first two. The rest of the collection I can skip but these work….
Ooh! Hope you can check ’em out!
If they don’t sell out before I get to them…right….?
Exactly!
Wow, I really love how Taupe looks on you, Christine! It’s super subtle but it really gets the job done! As weird as my first impression of this collection was, the products are actually pretty nice!
I think they work, but if you don’t like your earthy, brown-ish tones, I can see this collection not being your cup of tea!
Nooo the first two look amazing to me but Mac blushes break me out!!! :'(
Oh no! 🙁 Bummer!!
Wow, I love this new collection from MAC! The muted shades really do it for me. Did you like using the Taupe blush as a contour. I thought it looked good in the photos
Yes, it’s nice as a contour! 🙂
Anyone have any INDIE or mineral dupe ideas for these colors, especially Next to Skin and Taupe??
Hope someone can help you out, Cat!
I picked up a loose mineral eyeshadow a few years back at Whole Foods, and the brand is Larénim, the shade is Deja Vu. It is on the grayer end of taupe, but isn’t too dark. It makes for an excellent contour powder. You can also check out Bare Minerals; I know they had a nice, matte taupe shadow at one time, but I don’t recall the name, or if it was LE…
I just want to add that Deja Vu isn’t exactly a dupe, in fact the color is quite a bit different, but if you’re looking for a mineral contour product, it’s worth a try! It’s also under $15 USD, and a little goes a looong way. HTH
Thank you so much for your reply and thoughtfulness!!
I liked Taupe, actually.
Yay!
Taupe is gorgeous for a subtle yet natural contour! I love cool toned shades for contouring, you don’t see greyish ones so often, which is why I end up using a taupe eyeshadow to contour. Works pretty well too 🙂
What taupe eyeshadow do you use?
It’s this dark taupe shade called ‘Go, Charlie Brown!’ by a German drugstore brand, Catrice. They make really good products at a very low price-point! It’s fairly dark but works well for my NC42 complexion.
Ooh, nice! 🙂
I would of appreciated if MAC came out with blushes in this collection for each skin tone. I feel like this collection is targeted for very very fair skin tones, not saying that’s a bad thing, I’m happy for whoever can wear these products, Its just its better for business if they create a collection that can be suitable for multiple skin tones. But that’s my opinion, Thank you for the review
It would have been great if they had put out one additional blush “contour” shade that was darker than Taupe.
There are already blushes that would work for deeper skintones & contouring, as well as the sculpting powders. MAC DC’d Strada & Emote, and apparently Taupe, which were popular among the fairer set. I’m actually quite happy that MAC focused on products that would work for us, a) because that cuts out a bit of competition to get these products, and b) it gives us something to work with. Of all the MAC blushes I’ve seen over the years, there are literally less than 10 I would wear, and 3 have been DC’d…
Not everyone will like, or be able to wear, every product, from every collection, from every brand; trust me, I feel “neglected” in 90+% of blush shades from every collection. These happen to be the types of shades I’m constantly looking for, yet they never tend to end up in the permanent range.
I can’t say that I agree – I find most of what you said to be the opposite of my experience. However, I’m glad you’re enjoying this collection.
Even the Sculpting Powders, from what I can tell on my screen, tend to run dark, warm, or pink. Harmony & Blunt seem to be popular shades for contouring in the blogosphere, but again, too dark/warm, yet work for many. That’s a total of 6 medium-deep shades, and yet there are only 3 here…
Definitely loving shades like these as of late, so I will absolutely be picking up Taupe and Next to Skin. MAC, you’re killin’ me with the blushes lately!
Woohoo! Glad you’re liking these, Kadie!
Pink Cult reminds me quite a bit of MAC Brit Wit, but in the powder form I’ve been searching for. The other 2 look like they’d be nice contour shades. Hopefully this collection will be flanked by the Marge Simpson one…
Hopefully!
These are very interesting and especially as far as Next to Skin and Taupe are concerned I can definitely see them gaining a cult status among those of us who love contouring… Personally, I want all 3 and back ups of the contour shades. I can see me getting mad at myself if I miss them and have to browse ebay for these beauties only to find out their price tripled -as it was the case with other LE items. Must-haves for me.
Hope you can get all the shades you want, Anna!
I actually like the first two a lot.
That’s great!
Ooh, Taupe does look interesting! I wonder if it’ll look too grey on me. A lot of browns turn too rosy on me to contour with, so it might be worth checking out.
It definitely has a warmer undertone, so it’s not super gray!
I just want to roll of joy. I want all three, weeeeeee!
Haha! I hope you can get one at least!
Hm, I knew I wanted to get Pink Cult, but this is making me think I might want Next to Skin as well. I love a subtle contour and most pull too warm/ orange for me.
You’ll have to let me know if Next to Skin works for you as a contour!
Do you know how Taupe compares to MAC’s sculpting powder in Sculpt? Particularly in terms of undertone & pigment level.
All three of these look great to me, honestly!
Sculpt is a lot warmer! http://www.temptalia.com/submit-dupe?sbs=1&pid=164729&dupe=108909
Thanks! I actually looked at this comparison earlier, I really like the feature! i was just not sure if it was coming up correctly because Sculpt looks way warmer on you than it does on me. I am super excited about Taupe, might be my first MAC in quite a long while.
I think Sculpt is more neutral-warm so on me it leans warmer than it looks in the pan, but it looks more neutral on someone with cooler-toned skin 🙂
Next to skin is very nice. It’s going to be a big hit I think.
I hope so!
I guess I won’t be very original when I say I am really excited for Taupe because it looks like it will be a perfect contouring shade for me!
Yay!!
You make me want to order the Next to Skin. lol Cross my fingers it won’t sell out online before Monday. 😉
I hope you can get it!!
I’m NC25-NC30. Would taupe be too light for me to use for countouring?
No, I don’t think so. I am NC25/NC30.
Taupe looks like a nice contour product. I missed out on Sculpt. Years ago, I always used Symmetry eye shadow. That was my favorite contour for face/eyes.
If you’re ever near a Pro store, Sculpt is part of the permanent range!
Thanks!
I forgot to ask you if Pink Cult looks exactly like the other releases. It could just be foundation you’re wearing this time, but it looks just a smidgen more pink than the previous releases.
Different lighting/space!
You always look different but like a goddess! May I ask what IS your skin color/tone? W N C ? light/Medium? What? I’m a curious one! Thanks! It helps me to count up or down with shades on myself when I can base a scale around others. 🙂
NC25/NC30 – light-medium leaning towards medium with light warm, yellow undertones. Medium is almost always too dark and/or too yellow, but true light-medium is too light.
So excited for Next to Skin! I’ve always wanted to try contouring, but as an ultra-pale person (NC05) all contouring products I’ve seen have been too orange, too brown, or just too harsh on my skintone. Fingers crossed it doesn’t get sold out in a flash.
I’m crossing fingers and toes for all the fairer skin tones trying to get Next to Skin!
I really thing I may have to get one of the contour-esque shades because I’m so ridiculously pale that it is rare that I find anything that looks subtle enough that I even consider venturing into contouring.
Score!! Hope it works for you, Sara 🙂
Yess! Definitely nice to not see some bright pink/coral shades and Taupe is luvly!
True, haha!
I think the blushes are the big hits from this collection. I really like all three of these. They look pale-girl friendly, too.
I think so, too!
Taupe looks like a wonderful contouring powder but it would never work as a blush for me. And Next to Skin looks like “next to nothing” – I can’t see that it actually imparts anything in terms of what a blush usually does. But Taupe really looks promising for a contour (though I rarely contour) and Pink Cult is just pretty.
I’d say Next to Skin is more contour than traditional blush in the same way that Taupe is more of a contour shade, though both could be worn as brown-ish blushes!
I have and really like Pink Cult, so I think I might try Next to Skin and Taupe as eye shadows. I love matte, subtle shadows and it would be great that they could work as blush, too.
Hope you can try these, Kelley!
OMG Naked skin is just so pretty, I think it would be a great contour for me (nc10)!!!
Yay!
I love these.. Dammit dammit!!!!!!!!!!! why! WHY?! Sheet. Like I need blushes to use as eyeshadows or whatever.. But.. I LOVE these OMG GORGEOUS! Any dupes for the lightest one? Can you please tell me how NYX blush in taupe compares? What’s that? Oh of course you can send these to me!!!! 😀
So NYX Taupe is wayyyyy darker and cooler-toned!
IT IS BLUSHBABY again! YAY!
Yay!
I’m looking at Pink Cult and thinking…hmmm, I’ve recently been scraping pan on my box of BeneFit Dandelion blush (which looks great on my super fair, cool-toned complexion) and wondering… could this product be a worthy successor? Thanks for any input!
yes, I think so! 🙂 It is a bit cooler than Dandelion!
Well, having seen Taupe and Next to Skin I think I’ll actually get one of the two. I’ve yet to find an ideal contour shade, so far I’ve used bareMinerals The Indecent Proposal as a weird pinky contour because it looked more natural than any bronzer I’ve tried.
Fingers crossed one will work for you as a contour!
Dammit MAC! Why did you have to realease a taupe that looks like it would be good for vampires to try contouring with!? 😉
To torture you, obviously!
Next to Skin and Taupe look like they could almost be finishing powders. I like all three a lot (NtS and Taupe as contour because I’m pretty fair). I don’t usually get too interested in MAC, but I think I will go check these out. Thanks, Christine! Pink Cult looks very pretty on you.
No prob, Pteetsa! I think both are contour options if you’re fair!
I think Next To Skin and Taupe mixed together will be awesome contour option! The shades are so unique..loving them! I think Next To Skin can give very subtle and natural contour? What do you think Christine? Is Next To Skin buildable enough?
Yes, I think Next to Skin can be a subtle and natural contour for very fair to light-medium – it is going to be very subtle on light-medium skin tones, though.
Hey, Christine! How would you compare Pink Cult to Pink Swoon? Are they similar?
Pink Swoon is a lot brighter, but it is also darker – and much, much bluer based!
I love all of these!!
I think this collection is a surprise hit!
I want Taupe so badly. It’s perfect. I’ll try and get the Surratt dupe for contouring instead, if this is unavailable which I’m already assuming because I don’t have “home” advantage.
Fingers crossed you can get your hands on Taupe, Ammara!
I wonder how Taupe would look on me, I think it’s a must try at a counter. I might get a SA to contour me 🙂 I really like how Pink Cult looks.
this is a very interestin little collection. At first i didn’t like it at all, and now I love quite a few products. Poor wallet!
Worth a try!
Next to Skin looks kind of like Benefit Dandelion… at least it does on my computer monitor. LOL
I’d say less pink!
Taupe was available in pan form on the site, but I can’t seem to find it either! Wonder if they’ve pulled it for the collection launch or something? *ponders*
Once upon a time it was… No idea why it’s MIA, though – other repromotes from the launch are still there (e.g. Photo lipstick).
OMG! Taupe and Next to skin need to go on my cart asap! Next to skin will be a little harder to pull off, but Taupe is just the kind of colour I’m looking for!
Haha!
these are all so subtle and pretty, just the types of colors I like to have for blushes. This collection is definitely going to cause my budget some harm!!
Poor budget!
When you first featured this collection I thought the blushes would be the stars, and from this review, seems that they are! I’d probably consider picking up all three if I have access! 🙂
I think they are!
I’m pretty much obsessed with soft pink blushes, so Pink Cult looks to be right up my alley. I so do not want to deal with the whole “waiting room” drama from mac.com though, so I’m hoping I’ll be able to find this when it hits stores. Thanks Christine for your awesome swatches!
I don’t think you’ll get a waiting room with this one since it’s more like a regular release, but I hope you can get it!
Christine–Do you think Next to Skin is similar to NARS Nico, by chance (except without the sheen/slight shimmer Nico has)? Nico is WONDERFUL, and a great multitasker! I’m going to try to pick up Next to Skin either way, but I was just curious.
Next to Skin is grayer, a bit cooler-toned 🙂
Oh my goodness, I might just have to cry tears of joy–that’s even better. I’m very fair and have that kind of skin tone where most contouring products just turn orange on me OR are just too dark/dramatic, so if this shade doesn’t disappoint, my contour product dreams may have just come true! 🙂 I’m officially on a mission to make this one MINE, haha. Thank you!
I have my fingers crossed for ya, Kat! I hope it is exactly what you need!
Hi, Christine! I saw that someone asked about the Taupe blush versus Sculpt contouring powder. I have a similar question regarding the Next to Skin blush and Bone Beige contouring powder. I’m in the process of building a contouring “pro palette” and I already own Bone Beige. There’s no comparison photo for Bone Beige, but I wondered if you know how it compares to Next to Skin?
Also, I actually ordered Sculpt at maccosmetics.com a few weeks ago (the pan-only, permanent pro contouring powders are available there, for readers who might not know), and it’s back ordered (which is fine; I’m not in a rush), but after looking at the comparison photos between Sculpt and Taupe I wonder if I should cancel it and order Taupe instead, as it looks like it might be slightly less dramatic than Sculpt, but still more visible than Bone Beige on my very-neutral, tans easily, N4 skin? Bone Beige shows up as a very, very subtle contour on me, which is why I had ordered Sculpt–to have something a little more dramatic for evenings and such. I am just wondering if these two Artificially Wild blushes might suit my skin a little better than either of those pro contouring powders (though I like Bone Beige for daytime and wouldn’t return it, regardless). Going to the counter is not an option for me for health reasons, so I am grateful for opinions from you or other readers! Thanks! 🙂
PS: On an unrelated note, these blushes are listed at $22.00 each at maccosmetics.com, not $20.00. I’m not sure why, but I thought I’d mention it. 🙂
I think Bone Beige is actually lighter… If you’re N4, I’m thinking that you may prefer Taupe over Sculpt, but I would probably skip Next to Skin!
I’m very pale (nc15 + white), so I’m really looking forward to trying Next to Skin. I normally use mac’s Omega eye shadow to contour my face… Do you think they’re similar?
I think it is grayer than Omega!
Hi Christine! How does Taupe compare to Emote?
I think Emote is warmer!
I’m loving taupe! Looks like a great contour colour to me. Can you tell me how it compares to Anastasia’s Fawn from the contour kit?
Sorry, I don’t have that!