Archived Post

Marc Jacobs Beauty Kink & Kisses (504) Air Blush Review, Photos, Swatches

Marc Jacobs Beauty Kink & Kisses (504) Air Blush
Marc Jacobs Beauty Kink & Kisses (504) Air Blush

Marc Jacobs Beauty Kink & Kisses (504) Air Blush ($42.00 for 0.28 oz.) is soft, medium pink-coral with warm undertones and a luminous finish. It is comprised of a shimmery, very light, rose pink and a medium-dark pink-coral with a more satiny sheen.Kevyn Aucoin Rose Cliff #2 (PiP, ) is less shimmery (95% similar). NARS Day Dream (LE, $30.00) is warmer (95% similar). NARS Fervor (Left) (PiP, ) is more shimmery, lighter (90% similar). Make Up For Ever B210 (P, $23.00) is cooler (90% similar). ColourPop Flower Tender (LE, $12.00) is less shimmery (90% similar). Charlotte Tilbury Pillow Talk Fair-Medium #1 (PiP, ) is less shimmery, warmer (90% similar). Too Faced Love Hangover (P, $26.00) is darker (90% similar). Patrick Ta She's Passionate (P, $32.00) is less shimmery, darker, warmer (90% similar). Wet 'n' Wild Pearlescent Pink (P, $2.99) is more shimmery, warmer (90% similar). ColourPop Holiday (P, $8.00) is less shimmery, lighter (90% similar). Dior Rose Frisson (353) (LE, $48.00) is lighter, cooler (90% similar). Charlotte Tilbury Pretty (LE, ) is lighter (90% similar). NARS Divine (LE, $30.00) is more muted (90% similar). Essence Cool Coral (P, $5.99) is lighter (90% similar). Chanel Rose Bronze (02) (P, $45.00) is less shimmery, lighter, warmer (90% similar). Charlotte Tilbury Seductive Beauty (Cheek Pop) (LE, $40.00) is darker, warmer (95% similar). Cover FX Pink Dahlia (Right) (PiP, ) is lighter (90% similar). Essence Shimmery Rose (P, $5.99) is lighter (90% similar). ColourPop On the Horizon (LE, $12.00) is more shimmery (90% similar). Hourglass Luminous Flush (LE, $40.00) is less shimmery, darker (90% similar). Top 20 dupes listed, see the rest. See comparison swatches / view dupes side-by-side.

According to the brand, Air Blush is supposed to offer buildable coverage with a “luminous finish” that wears for “24-hours.” Each shade consists of a lighter and deeper shade, designed to be used together (each section of product is quite narrow, so it’s not feasible to use a blush or highlighting brush to get a single color). In general, I found the lighter color to have more shimmer/luminosity and acted as the “highlighting” shade within the palette, even though some variations are such that both shades are more blush-like in color and depth. Please note: It’s pretty hard to test a cheek product for 24-hours, since inevitably, most of it will end up on my sheets if I go to sleep, and I can’t tell you if or when I’ve ever pulled an all-nighter on purpose. To that end, I am rating by considering how it looked and what (if any) break down of product occurred between 14 and 18 hours of wear and then extrapolating to determine a “final” wear-time.

Kink & Kisses had semi-opaque color payoff that was buildable to opaque coverage or easily applied with a light-to-medium hand for sheerer coverage. The consistency was very soft, smooth, and silky on the skin, while the blush blended out with little effort. It had a soft sheen that gave my skin a natural glow, but it didn’t emphasize my skin’s natural texture or read as shimmery. This shade was still going exceptionally strong after 18 hours of wear (as long as I could wear it before needing to sleep!).

Worth noting, during July, 25% of sales of Air Blush will be donated to amfAR when purchased through Marc Jacobs Beauty. (I wouldn’t use it as an excuse to purchase something you’re not interested in but would consider purchasing directly vs. through another retailer if you were planning to buy. I have ordered direct from MJB a few times, and they have always packed well and shipped efficiently–no complaints!)

Marc Jacobs Beauty Kink & Kisses (504) Air Blush
Marc Jacobs Beauty Kink & Kisses (504) Air Blush

Marc Jacobs Beauty Kink & Kisses (504) Air Blush
Marc Jacobs Beauty Kink & Kisses (504) Air Blush

Marc Jacobs Beauty Kink & Kisses (504) Air Blush
Marc Jacobs Beauty Kink & Kisses (504) Air Blush

Marc Jacobs Beauty Kink & Kisses (504) Air Blush
Marc Jacobs Beauty Kink & Kisses (504) Air Blush

Marc Jacobs Beauty Kink & Kisses (504) Air Blush
Marc Jacobs Beauty Kink & Kisses (504) Air Blush

Marc Jacobs Beauty Kink & Kisses (504) Air Blush
Marc Jacobs Beauty Kink & Kisses (504) Air Blush

Marc Jacobs Beauty Kink & Kisses (504) Air Blush
Marc Jacobs Beauty Kink & Kisses (504) Air Blush

Marc Jacobs Beauty Kink & Kisses (504) Air Blush
Marc Jacobs Beauty Kink & Kisses (504) Air Blush

Makeup Look
On face:
  • Tarte Rainforest of the Sea Foundation
  • Guerlain Les Voilettes Loose Setting Powder
On eyes:
  • Laura Mercier Eye Art Caviar Palette
  • NARS Last Frontier Velvet Liner
On lips:
  • Dose of Colors Playdate Lipstick

31 Comments

Comments that do not adhere to our comment policy may be removed. Discussion and debate are highly encouraged but we expect community members to participate respectfully. Please keep discussion on-topic, and if you have general feedback, a product review request, an off-topic question, or need technical support, please contact us!

Please help us streamline the comments' section and be more efficient: double-check the post above for more basic information like pricing, availability, and so on to make sure your question wasn't answered already. Comments alerting us to typos or small errors in the post are appreciated (!) but will typically be removed after errors are fixed (unless a response is needed).

We appreciate enthusiasm for new releases but ask readers to please hold questions regarding if/when a review will be posted as we can't commit to or guarantee product reviews. We don't want to set expectations and then disappoint readers as even products that are swatched don't always end up being reviewed due to time constraints and changes in priorities! Thank you for understanding!

Comments on this post are closed.
Katherine T. Avatar

Hmm, out of all the colors in this line, I think this would be the most versatile for me, but it’s fairly dupe-able. I do like how you get a highlighter/blush and option to lighten or darken coverage. Will await to see what the last one looks like, Flesh & Fantasy, before deciding.

LindaP Avatar

I bought this color, sight unseen, the other day based on the high marks in the review of Lines and Last Night. I am in the market for a powder blush, and this color seemed the best suited for my skin tone. Now that I see it on Christine, I feel even more confident it was the right choice. I’d rather buy one good quality product that wears well than have a drawer full of stuff I’m “meh” about–hence, the decision to drop $42 for a blush (which is well beyond my normal $ threshold). As much as I love makeup, I do try to keep what I purchase to a dull roar. 🙂

Looks so nice on you, Christine!

Amber Avatar

This is right up my alley. Watermelon or pomegrante type colors look best on me. Finding the right tone is hard though. Hopefully this is just as pretty in person as on my phone screen. I can see this being a go to color.

Amber Avatar

Got to play with these blushes at sephora. This one was ok. Actually the lines one and the flesh one looked the best on me very natural looking blushes. Will be getting those two for sure.

Marie-Estelle Avatar

This blush is really lovely! From the swatches it was already one of my favorites. I really think I could make it work on my fair skin. I don’t own anything similar -at least I think, and won’t check further :P-. Certainly a great way to indulge myself later on this year :)!

The wear time is truly impressing. Can’t thank you enough for your devotion and efforts in testing those!

Tracey E. Avatar

Hi Christine, this blush looks lovely and would be one of two (Flesh & Fantasy) that I’d like to swatch in store. I have at least 3 dupes listed, but like the luminosity of this palette.

We try to approve comments within 24 hours (and reply to them within 72 hours) but can sometimes get behind and appreciate your patience! 🙂 If you have general feedback, product review requests, off-topic questions, or need technical support, please contact us directly. Thank you for your patience!