MAC x Padma Lakshmi Melon Pink Powder Blush Duo Review, Photos, Swatches
Melon Pink
MAC Melon Pink Padma Lakshmi Powder Blush Duo ($33.00 for 0.35 oz.) is a new, limited edition blush duo with a muted orange paired with a pink-coral. They both had fine shimmer but very little sheen on the skin with semi-opaque to opaque pigmentation.
Melon Pink
LELimited Edition. $33.00.
Melon Pink (Top)
Melon Pink (Top) is a soft, light-medium orange with warm, barely-there golden pearl. It had good pigmentation with a smooth, but denser and slightly firmer consistency that required a heavier hand to pick up product with my brush. It applied evenly to my cheeks and diffused nicely along the edges. It stayed on well for eight hours on me.
FURTHER READING: Formula Overview for details on general performance and characteristics (like scent).
Top Dupes
- Kosas Tropic Equinox (Blush) (PiP, ) is darker (90% similar).
- Sephora Shine Bright (P, $14.00) is lighter, cooler (90% similar).
- ColourPop Dash Zero (P, $8.00) is less shimmery, lighter (90% similar).
- MAC That's Peachy (LE, $30.00) is less shimmery, cooler (90% similar).
- YSL Rebelle (7) (P, $47.00) is less shimmery, darker (90% similar).
- NARS Get Lost (LE, $30.00) is less shimmery, darker (90% similar).
- Illamasqua Lover (P, $26.00) is less shimmery, darker (90% similar).
- Viseart Orange #1 (PiP, ) is less shimmery, more muted, warmer (90% similar).
- Milani Sunrise Serenita (P, $7.99) is more shimmery, darker (90% similar).
- ColourPop Excuse My French (LE, $12.00) is less shimmery, darker (90% similar).
Formula Overview
$24.00/0.21 oz. - $114.29 Per Ounce
Per the brand, the formula is supposed to "provide fantastic colour with ease and consistency" that "applies evenly, adheres lightly to skin." There are five distinct finishes within the range: Frost ("iridescent, lightly shimmering color"), Matte ("flat, matte finish... builds well"), Satin ("adds subtle highlights to the skin"), Sheertone ("sheer-on micro-refined powder ... that goes on faint"), and Sheertone Shimmer ("just enough shimmer to make light dance on your cheeks"). Their permanent blushes are available in compact form as well as pan-only (the latter will be cheaper).
The following overview has been updated to reflect the most current iteration of the brand's permanent range (whether or not there's been any official change) as I repurchased the majority of the permanent shades as of June 2018. I make a point to say that because I felt that the textures of several shades, particularly the frost finish shades, was noticeably different; they were much smoother and had more slip but were less shimmery/frosted (on average) and seemed to be a bit weaker in pigmentation (but still buildable). Some of the mattes felt like I've encountered in the past (a little drier, pigmented, and fairly blendable), while some felt more velvety and finely-milled.
MAC has a solid blush range but some shades are harder than others to blend out or diffuse, and as it does for most formulas (from any brand), it really comes down to some shades falling shy of expectations. The matte finish had a tendency to darken on my skin within five minutes of application; for most shades, I would recommend applying over a powdered face and/or avoiding applying on still-drying complexion products to make blending the easiest. The matte shades seemed to be semi-opaque to opaque, buildable, and long-wearing (about eight hours).
Only a few of the shades in the permanent range seemed to be particularly frosted/metallic on the skin; most shades that had shimmer appeared more softly luminous or pearlescent on the skin to the point where there was little sheen/reflection captured by my camera (I did a double take for a few and re-did swatches only to find the same finish captured yet again!). The Sheertone Shimmer performed most consistently with this: very subtle sheen, more "my skin but better" with having a slightly more noticeable sheen than matte. There were a few shades that had a strong sheen on the skin (like Peachykeen), though. The Frost finish just seemed to have stronger, larger shimmer in it, but the effect on the skin ranged being subtle to moderate. The same was true with Satin--some were more satin-like and some seemed more like a Frost (like Modern Mandarin).
Most shades were blendable, while pigmentation varied from sheer to opaque depending on the shade, but most had decent, builable coverage. The textures were firmer than the average powder blush of current times, but they don't have excess product kicked up in the pan at all. The wear ranged between seven and nine hours with deeper, intense mattes (like Fever or Film Noir) lasted longer.
Browse all of our MAC Powder Blush swatches.
Ingredients
TALC, OCTYLDODECYL STEAROYL STEARATE, ZINC STEARATE, ISOSTEARYL NEOPENTANOATE, TOCOPHERYL ACETATE, CAPRYLYL GLYCOL, HEXYLENE GLYCOL, PHENOXYETHANOL. MAY CONTAIN: SILICA, MICA, TITANIUM DIOXIDE (CI 77891), IRON OXIDES (CI 77491, CI 77492, CI 77499), BISMUTH OXYCHLORIDE (CI 77163), BLUE 1 LAKE (CI 42090), CARMINE (CI 75470), CHROMIUM HYDROXIDE GREEN (CI 77289), CHROMIUM OXIDE GREENS (CI 77288), FERRIC FERROCYANIDE (CI 77510), MANGANESE VIOLET (CI 77742), RED 6 (CI 15850), RED 6 LAKE (CI 15850), RED 7 LAKE (CI 15850), RED 28 LAKE (CI 45410), RED 30 LAKE (CI 73360), ULTRAMARINES (CI 77007), YELLOW 5 LAKE (CI 19140), YELLOW 6 LAKE (CI 15985).
Disclaimer: Ingredient lists are as available by the brand (or retailer) at the time of publishing. Please always check product packaging, if it exists, for the ingredient list applicable to the product you're purchasing, or the brand or retailer's website for the most up-to-date ingredient list.
Melon Pink (Top)
LELimited Edition. $24.00.
Melon Pink (Bottom)
Melon Pink (Bottom) is a medium, pinky-coral with warm undertones and a soft, golden pearl. It had more of a satin finish once buffed and blended on my cheeks. The texture was drier, a bit dusty in the pan but applied evenly and blended out without much effort. The pigmentation was semi-opaque but buildable. It wore well for eight hours on me.
FURTHER READING: Formula Overview for details on general performance and characteristics (like scent).
Top Dupes
- NYX Mauve (DC, $5.00) is less shimmery (90% similar).
- NARS Unwritten (LE, $30.00) is less shimmery, cooler (90% similar).
- Zoeva CR020 (P, ) is less shimmery (90% similar).
- NYX Amber (P, $6.50) is less shimmery (90% similar).
- MAC Wall of Desire (LE, $24.00) is less shimmery, lighter (90% similar).
- Urban Decay Naked Cherry #2 (LE, ) is less shimmery, cooler (90% similar).
- Dose of Colors Statemint (LE, $22.00) is less shimmery, lighter (85% similar).
- Anastasia Kash (PiP, ) is less shimmery, cooler (85% similar).
- NARS Illusive (LE, $30.00) is darker (85% similar).
- Hourglass Mood Flush (P, $40.00) is more shimmery, lighter, more muted (85% similar).
Formula Overview
$24.00/0.21 oz. - $114.29 Per Ounce
Per the brand, the formula is supposed to "provide fantastic colour with ease and consistency" that "applies evenly, adheres lightly to skin." There are five distinct finishes within the range: Frost ("iridescent, lightly shimmering color"), Matte ("flat, matte finish... builds well"), Satin ("adds subtle highlights to the skin"), Sheertone ("sheer-on micro-refined powder ... that goes on faint"), and Sheertone Shimmer ("just enough shimmer to make light dance on your cheeks"). Their permanent blushes are available in compact form as well as pan-only (the latter will be cheaper).
The following overview has been updated to reflect the most current iteration of the brand's permanent range (whether or not there's been any official change) as I repurchased the majority of the permanent shades as of June 2018. I make a point to say that because I felt that the textures of several shades, particularly the frost finish shades, was noticeably different; they were much smoother and had more slip but were less shimmery/frosted (on average) and seemed to be a bit weaker in pigmentation (but still buildable). Some of the mattes felt like I've encountered in the past (a little drier, pigmented, and fairly blendable), while some felt more velvety and finely-milled.
MAC has a solid blush range but some shades are harder than others to blend out or diffuse, and as it does for most formulas (from any brand), it really comes down to some shades falling shy of expectations. The matte finish had a tendency to darken on my skin within five minutes of application; for most shades, I would recommend applying over a powdered face and/or avoiding applying on still-drying complexion products to make blending the easiest. The matte shades seemed to be semi-opaque to opaque, buildable, and long-wearing (about eight hours).
Only a few of the shades in the permanent range seemed to be particularly frosted/metallic on the skin; most shades that had shimmer appeared more softly luminous or pearlescent on the skin to the point where there was little sheen/reflection captured by my camera (I did a double take for a few and re-did swatches only to find the same finish captured yet again!). The Sheertone Shimmer performed most consistently with this: very subtle sheen, more "my skin but better" with having a slightly more noticeable sheen than matte. There were a few shades that had a strong sheen on the skin (like Peachykeen), though. The Frost finish just seemed to have stronger, larger shimmer in it, but the effect on the skin ranged being subtle to moderate. The same was true with Satin--some were more satin-like and some seemed more like a Frost (like Modern Mandarin).
Most shades were blendable, while pigmentation varied from sheer to opaque depending on the shade, but most had decent, builable coverage. The textures were firmer than the average powder blush of current times, but they don't have excess product kicked up in the pan at all. The wear ranged between seven and nine hours with deeper, intense mattes (like Fever or Film Noir) lasted longer.
Browse all of our MAC Powder Blush swatches.
Ingredients
TALC, OCTYLDODECYL STEAROYL STEARATE, ZINC STEARATE, ISOSTEARYL NEOPENTANOATE, TOCOPHERYL ACETATE, CAPRYLYL GLYCOL, HEXYLENE GLYCOL, PHENOXYETHANOL. MAY CONTAIN: SILICA, MICA, TITANIUM DIOXIDE (CI 77891), IRON OXIDES (CI 77491, CI 77492, CI 77499), BISMUTH OXYCHLORIDE (CI 77163), BLUE 1 LAKE (CI 42090), CARMINE (CI 75470), CHROMIUM HYDROXIDE GREEN (CI 77289), CHROMIUM OXIDE GREENS (CI 77288), FERRIC FERROCYANIDE (CI 77510), MANGANESE VIOLET (CI 77742), RED 6 (CI 15850), RED 6 LAKE (CI 15850), RED 7 LAKE (CI 15850), RED 28 LAKE (CI 45410), RED 30 LAKE (CI 73360), ULTRAMARINES (CI 77007), YELLOW 5 LAKE (CI 19140), YELLOW 6 LAKE (CI 15985).
Disclaimer: Ingredient lists are as available by the brand (or retailer) at the time of publishing. Please always check product packaging, if it exists, for the ingredient list applicable to the product you're purchasing, or the brand or retailer's website for the most up-to-date ingredient list.
While I love that bottom shade, the orange just isn’t for me. Besides, I feel like the orange I have by Fenty, Chili Mango, is my perfect orange blush. I’m passing on this duo.
This looks… OK? A little powdery maybe, and the colours aren’t particularly exciting either on their own or combined. If they’d put them in a more visually interesting pattern like a paisley inspired yin and yang or even a floral imprint I think it would be more exciting, but this just looks… bland.
The compact is nice! But then you open it and it’s ehhhhh.
Did you experiment with swirling them together to see what came out?
No, I did not.
I really like the Melon Pink bottom shade, it is so universally pretty, but pairing it with an orange based top, is a mistake – a highlighter shade would have been better.
Christine thanks for the swatches!! The orange, while lovely on you, is a bit too orange for me.
I’m ordering the other blush as I’ve been digging a subtle blush lately. Guess they can’t have my fav every time?
Not totally sure I need this, but I got it, pretty colors, and the packaging is stunning!
Love both of these colors together!
it’s really pretty
but the young sales person at Nordstrom had not heard that MAC was doing a LE with Padma 🙁 ?
they need to be reading the blogs
Thank you Christine!!! I was so curious about this blush. If it’s in the family of deeper corals like MAC’s Peaches, Melba or Chanel’s Frivole, I’ll most likely buy this. But the photographs I’ve seen so far presents this blush a bit lighter than my favorites.