Archived Post

MAC Film Noir Blush Review, Photos, Swatches

MAC Film Noir Blush
MAC Film Noir Blush

MAC Film Noir Blush ($17.00 for 0.21 oz.) is described as a “rich warm chocolate [with a Matte finish].” It’s a very deep, dark burgundy brown with warm, reddish tones and a matte finish. I couldn’t think of any dupes based on products I’d reviewed in the past; it’s much, much darker than anything I was considering (Chanel Plum Attraction, MAC Pressed Amber, NYX Taupe).

This is one of the new (and permanent!) blush shades, and I imagine it’s inspired by Film Noir lipstick. The color is so cool, and I love that it is a more unique blush shade, too. It was mostly opaque in terms of pigmentation, but the texture was drier and a little firmer, which made blending it out a real challenge. No matter what brush I used, it was difficult to correct once applied. The only way I could correct it at all was to use a damp sponge or foundation brush that had a little foundation on it to help buff the edges. I had the best luck applying with a very, very feathery brush and just lightly swirling it out. Once diffused, it looks more like a cooler-toned plum than a really deep brown/burgundy, but it is certainly a blush best for someone who is willing to take their time to get it just right. It lasted for eight and a half hours on me.

See more photos & swatches!

MAC Film Noir Blush
MAC Film Noir Blush

MAC Film Noir Blush
MAC Film Noir Blush

MAC Film Noir Blush
MAC Film Noir Blush

MAC Film Noir Blush
MAC Film Noir Blush

MAC Film Noir Blush
MAC Film Noir Blush

Makeup Look
On face:
  • Kat Von D Lock-It Foundation
  • Urban Decay Naked Loose Setting Powder
On lips:
  • NYX French Kiss Lipstick

88 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.
Tessa Avatar

Juuuuust kidding! Revisited the swatches of Cola Pop and it’s like the difference between red Twizzler and black licorice.

Okay, maybe not THAT stark, but wildly different. Never mind!

kwmechelle Avatar

Wow, this looks really awful. Sad face 🙁 I was excited about it when I came to this page but the swatches are a real miss. Oh well. Thanks for the review.

xamyx Avatar

Sometimes a color is just worth the effort… I’m thinking this would not only be a great contour shade for deeper complexions, but mixed with a bit of translucent powder, it could also work for fairer tones (and the additional powder might help with blending). I definitely plan to look into it!

Kat Avatar

This is such a disappointment. This would have been a stunning color on very dark skin tones and a GREAT addition to an artist’s kit for that very reason. You might be able to find some dupes if you looked in eyeshadows…

Nancy T Avatar

Too bad that MAC didn’t get the formula right for this shade, as I could certainly envision this being a lovely shade on deeper toned WOC! However, on your lighter end of medium skintone, I am sorry to say, it really looks like your cheeks are badly bruised up! Sorry! I couldn’t wear this either, it would look just as awful on me, too. Ugh, this makes me worried for the rest of the upcoming shades….

Brenda P Avatar

Beautiful, beautiful colour for dark skintones!! Happy to see 🙂 (Even though I’d have to use it as a contour or eyeshadow lol!)

Brittany Avatar

When I saw your blended arm swatch, the coloring kind of resembled that of a bruise. It looks like it could possibly be used lightly as a contour shade but otherwise it seems like another interesting blush that doesn’t translate well in application.

markiebamboo Avatar

I was hoping this would be a great one. Blush is my favorite cosmetic product. I have an old MAC blush called Reed that is very similar in color. It is from around 1999-2000. It was a very plummy dark brown color. Very rich and awesome for WOC. I wish they brought that back. I was excited to see new blushes, however I think it was a missed opportunity to round out thier selection of plum blushes. They need to bring back Dirty Plum. I am dying to get my hands on that and Prom Princess from the Archies collection.

Rachel R. Avatar

Once you did get it blended out on your cheeks, it looked really gorgeous. It’s such a great color; it’s a shame it applies so patchy.

KP Avatar

I’m no darker than NC25 and wear very pigmented blushes, albeit with a light hand. I could do this, I think. I love unconventional blushes. How does this compare to Fever?

Ashleigh Avatar

Wonder why they could get this color right in an eyeshadow formula but not a blush formula. I would love to see this on a person with a deeper skin tone to see what it looks like. On your skin it definitely pulls the red undertone, which is a plus.

Zainab Avatar

I’ve got to remind myself that I’m fair skinned and impatient and heavy handed with products usually, because this colour is tempting and so unique but I just can’t see me wearing it without looking bruise for clownish. It’s like MAC Fever. I’m always so tempted and then remember that by the time I get it to look somewhat blended on my skin it won’t be anywhere near as intense as it is in the pan.

Still intrigued by Devil and Swiss Chocolate though.

AnnaLiese Avatar

I think this would be nice on the medium toned, darker skinned person. I think on someone like me, lighter medium (pasty video gamer, is that a skin tone?) it would look too harsh, like a bruise. But for those with the medium to dark skin toned people, it might show up very nicely as a blush or contour. Or maybe for some kind of editorial look for the lighter tones.

Amalia Avatar

If I use this blush on my cheeks, I am afraid that my husband will be unfairly arrested, accused for domestic violence! LOL! Thank you for this review Christine!

fancie Avatar

I hate that this turned out to be so patchy buuuut I want it anyway lol. I know it’ll look great on my complexion and a blush this deep and rich in color is hard to come by. Plus it’ll look insane with edgier lipsticks like Stone, Matte Royal and Instigator

Ellen Avatar

I would use this as an eyeshadow, not a blush. And that seems to be the case with most of MAC’s new release blushes. Its great to see that they are catering to a market hat needs the darker colors, but that dark???? Anyway, Il like any brown with red or purple undertones, so I would definitely check out the consitency to see if it could be used as eyeshadow as well. A long time ago, MAC made a line of eye shadow/blushes. They came in a singel package the size of a current blush (or maybe a drop smaller), and could be used as either. I stil have the package of the one named Spice, because it was the perfect blush for me. When I have tried to dupe it with another MAC eyeshadow, the closest I got was soft brown, and that was darker. So there may be double use in these as well.

Marlene Avatar

I actually said ‘WHOOOOOOA, PATCHYYYYYY’ out loud and my mother asked wth did I just say because she doesn’t speak English. But whoa, it applies horribly! Such a beautiful colour and one of the very few that is going to suit dark toned beauties, and it’s this patchy mess?? I mean, there’s a shit ton of blushes that cater to light to medium people, and the very few that cater dark to very dark skin apply like that! Shameful, such a disgrace.

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!