MAC Modern Mandarin Blush

MAC Modern Mandarin Blush ($20.00 for 0.21 oz.) is described as a “red-orange” with a satin finish. It’s a muted tangerine orange with a soft sheen. I don’t catch a lot of the red in it myself, but it’s there in a very subtle way–it’s what turns it down from being true orang. In the copy, MAC said “go hip in bright red-orange” – there’s actually a lovely muted quality about Modern Mandarin that actually makes it different than a bright pop of orange would be. Becca Damselfly has a similar softness but it’s more orange and has a golden sheen. Shades like Illamasqua Expose and MAC Optimistic Orange are too orange to be similar. Make Up For Ever #5 is the closest, though it is a touch more intense because it has a matte finish, so there’s no reflective qualities to the finish to give it a lighter look.

This is one of the more pigmented shades out of the six, and you can easily get full color coverage if so desired, but a softer look is fairly easy to get as well. I could see this particular one not being as foolproof as some of the other shades, just because it has more pigmentation. It layers and builds up well, so you can begin application with a lighter hand and build up to ensure you get the right level of color you’re aiming for.  Modern Mandarin has a soft, natural finish that’s not frosted at all, so it looks natural and luminous on the skin and doesn’t emphasize pores or other skin imperfections/textures.

It has a soft feel, and the softness translates to application, where it blends out pretty easily, though perhaps not quite as easily as the other shades.  I’d still say there was no troublesome blending with it either way.  I’ve tested numerous MAC blushes in the past, and overall, they hold up between seven and eight hours. Out of this particular launch, I have only specifically tested Full of Joy (which stayed true to the average) but this morning, I applied Immortal Flower on the apple of one cheek with Modern Mandarin on the rest of the cheek (almost like a gradient–that way I can test both shades while testing out Glorify on the other cheek).  I will update this post if the wear of Modern Mandarin falls inside or outside of that seven to eight hour average.

This shade would be especially beautiful on deeper complexions (not to say it couldn’t work on lighter ones), because it offers enough pigmentation to show up but still has that softer quality that one is usually after in a springtime blush.

MAC Modern Mandarin Blush

MAC Modern Mandarin Blush

MAC Modern Mandarin Blush

MAC Modern Mandarin Blush

MAC Modern Mandarin Blush

MAC Modern Mandarin Blush (right)