MAC Freshen Up High-Light Powder (Wash & Dry) Review, Photos, Swatches
MAC Freshen Up High-Light Powder
MAC Freshen Up High-Light Powder ($35.50 for TBA oz.) is described as a “color wave ranging from coral to neutral.” Mixed together, it’s a lightly brightened, peachy tangerine with warm, reddish-orange tones and a very, very fine shimmer-sheen finish. (Keep in mind, most of the gold sheen on the surface is an over-spray, which I removed prior to swatching!) Urban Decay Kinky (P, $26.00) is darker. Urban Decay Indecent (P, $26.00) is peachier. Laura Mercier Rosegold Shimmer (LE) is more shimmery, darker. Too Faced Luminous Peach (LE) is more shimmery. Chanel Caresse (180) (LE, $45.00) is less orange. YSL Rebelle (7) (P, $47.00) is darker. MAC Style Cast (LE, $21.00) is more shimmery. Makeup Geek Smitten (P, $9.99) is lighter, less shimmery. Surratt Beauty Cantaloup (P, $32.00) is brighter, yellower. Guerlain Orange Blush (LE) is darker, less shimmery. Dior Amber (002) (LE, $56.00) is lighter. MAC Fresh Honey (LE, $27.00) is darker. MAC Blazing Haute (LE, $25.00) is more shimmery. MAC Ripe Peach (LE, $32.00) is darker. See comparison swatches / compare dupes side-by-side.
It’s a tri-colored powder that consists of a deeper, medium-dark coral with warm orange-red tones, yellowed tangerine, and a light yellow beige. As you might expect, it can vary in how light or dark, how yellow or red it is based on where you concentrate your brush. It tends to lean lighter than darker, as the lighter sections make up a greater amount in the compact. I don’t know how much is in the compact, but it is the same size as MAC’s face powders (Beauty Powders, High-Light Powders, Bronzing Powders, etc.) and those typically hold 0.35 oz. or so. The texture is soft, fairly smooth, and doesn’t have the thinner, firmer texture that some of the more recent limited edition cheek/face powders have had. That being said, the texture of the lightest shade seemed a bit firmer compared to the other two shades. I dug through the sections, and the three colors appeared to go all the way through.
On my medium complexion, it is subtle, and the finish is satiny, so there is only a smidgen of sheen. It had semi-opaque pigmentation that was easily used semi-sheer to semi-opaque depending on application methods/tools. For reference, on my medium skin tone, the color itself is subtle with a low level sheen that didn’t emphasize pores. It lasted for eight hours on me before fading. Though labeled a “High-Light Powder,” this is a product type that rarely seems to act like a traditional highlighting powder, and for fair to medium skin tones, this is more of a blush than a true highlighter, while darker skin tones may need to concentrate their brush towards the darker coral shade to get more of a blush out of it.
The Wash & Dry Collection will launch online on May 14th and be available in-stores on May 21st.
Freshen Up
LELimited Edition. $35.50.
MAC Freshen Up High-Light Powder
MAC Freshen Up High-Light Powder
MAC Freshen Up High-Light Powder
MAC Freshen Up High-Light Powder
MAC Freshen Up High-Light Powder
MAC Freshen Up High-Light Powder
MAC Freshen Up High-Light Powder
MAC Freshen Up High-Light Powder
MAC Freshen Up High-Light Powder
MAC Freshen Up High-Light Powder
MAC Freshen Up High-Light Powder
Yeah! This was one of the few items I liked in this collection. Hopefully, I can get a hold of it!
Good luck! I have a feeling this is going to go fast!
OK, so, I’mma let you get back to your makeup swatches, but WHERE did you get those awesome earrings?!
Here you go! https://www.etsy.com/shop/BellaAnelaJewelry
Aren’t they amazing? I keep looking at the jeweller’s Etsy shop and daydreaming, lol.
$35.50? Does anyone else think that’s pretty expensive for MAC?
MAC has been raising prices a bit faster than the average brand, so they’re not as mid-end as they used to be on many products, especially if they put them in LE packaging.
I really like this on you, Christine…sort of a bronzy, sun-kissed blush. Not sure that it would work on my fair, pink-toned skin though.
Thanks, Jess! You may be surprised – it has a lot of peachiness to it, so I bet it would work!
Hmm, maybe! I’ll have to try to check this out in person. I own Chanel Caresse, so I’m no sure if I need both!
If you have Caresse… well, I don’t think you NEED this, and you’ll probably prefer the texture of Caresse.
Oooh, that looks… weird. But in a good way! Weirdly pretty! Am I making any sense here?
LOL! I thought it just look weird, so I’m half-way with you 😉
Is this similar of the LE Proenza Schouler Ocean City Blush?
No, I don’t think it’s similar — Ocean City is a medium-dark orange-red!
Well, the packaging and the look of the colors in the pain is so pretty that it’s tempting even though not 100% that this would be flattering. Is the texture better than Ripe Peach? Because even though the color is pretty, did not like the powder consistency on that one.
I think it is better than Ripe Peach, but the texture is average.
It’s gorgeous, but definitely looks more like a blush to me.
Definitely more blush, IMO!
Why call a product a highlighter but make the shimmer an overspray? 🙁
I think I would have liked it better as a shimmery powder.
I swear, the “High-Light Powder” is practically a catch-all for “a limited edition cheek/face product we want to release.” A lot of them do tend to lean less shimmery (at least lately), though.
wow this looks gorgeous, the overspray thing is a bit annoying though I really hate it when companies do that.
I wish they didn’t!
I really wish the top shade was a bit bigger. It’s the prettiest one of the bunch! And definitely the only shade that’ll even show up on me lol. I was excited for this a while back but it looks like a skip for me
Me too! I wish it had at least been the same size as the lightest shade.
Sigh, me too. I thought that color was gorgeous. I just thought it would have more shimmer. Saved some money!
This is the only piece on my must get list! I have a stupid question, sometimes when u review mac products you have TBA for the size. When u receive things from the company are they not packaged/labeled the same as the ones that we buy from the store? Thanks for answering my weird question. 🙂
Sometimes, they have sample labeling on them, so it’s not a consumer label, and the box that comes with it may not be final.
Not as sure as I was about it before the review. It looks really beautiful on you, but I’m a bit darker of a medium at MAC C4.5 (liquid, not that greenish powder), and in the summertime it goes to C5 even with sunscreen. So I just don’t know?
I don’t know if it’ll show up :/
This may be worth stalking the website for. (MAC’s, not Temptalia!)
Haha!
If it had more of the sheen instead of just overspray, I think I’d like it much better. My wallet is happy, tho.
It would have been more highlight-y!
Eh, it’s not for me.
Is it still ‘highlighty’ when you wiped the overspray?
All swatches are shown without the over spray!
I LOVE your blog…you put so much detail in all your swatches and reviews….and I really appreciate that.
I had high hopes for “freshen up” and now that I’ve seen it Im passing..Its not what i was expecting.
Not trying to say you help me prevent purchases ..lol
Your blog has definitely helped me make many…and I mean “many” purchases.
Basiclly want you to know I appreciate all your hard work. 🙂
Are they’re any dupes for the coral part only? I love the color on me by itself:l I fear I will run out quickly.
http://www.temptalia.com/swatch-gallery?sg=195680,190883,190877,167579,158833,123564,120554,112558,98468
Hi, I was wondering what happened to the powder, does it break easy?
I dug through it to show that the colors go all the way through.