MAC Solar Ray Mineralize Blush

MAC Solar Ray Mineralize Blush ($23.50 for 0.10 oz.) is described as a “peach and gold melange.” The colors swirled together create a warm, peach-shimmered orange; reminded me of apricots. The individual shades are a orange-gold and a pink-peach. It’s surprisingly similar to MAC Warmth of Coral, which is nearly identical in color but has a much more matte finish. Illamasqua Lover is slightly darker and matte.

The finish isn’t over-the-top once applied, though there was some emphasis of pores/texture, because it has a more metallic sheen. I did not care for the overall texture of the blush, as it was a little gritty from the excess sparkle (see the golden orange vein–you can see the roughness of the vein itself in the photos!). A lot of the individual sparkles seem to get lost in the bristles of the brush rather than being applied to the face, which may be good or bad, depending on your tastes.

I had to build up the color quite a bit to get it to show up enough for photos. There’s just something about the texture that makes it all too easily blended out, so you might want to use a flatter and denser brush for application. Solar Ray didn’t perform well when worn; it only lasted for six hours before I saw separation and fading. It was interesting to see the different timelines of all four cheek products!

MAC Solar Ray Mineralize Blush

MAC Solar Ray Mineralize Blush

MAC Solar Ray Mineralize Blush

MAC Solar Ray Mineralize Blush

MAC Solar Ray Mineralize Blush

MAC Solar Ray Mineralize Blush (Diffused Flash)

MAC Solar Ray Mineralize Blush (Studio Lighting)