Makeup by Mario Dusty Rose Soft Pop Blush Stick Review & Swatches
Dusty Rose
Makeup by Mario Dusty Rose Soft Pop Blush Stick ($28.00 for 0.37 oz.) is a medium pink with warmer undertones and a dewy finish. It had semi-sheer, buildable pigmentation when applied and blended out on my face; it was a formula that naturally sheered out, so while it may have seemed more pigmented initially, it was sheerer and more buildable as described by the brand. The product layered well for greater coverage, too.
The texture was smooth, creamy, and moderately emollient with a lot of glide, though it wasn’t tacky nor prone to lifting up base products when applied over them. It also applied evenly and blended out well on bare skin. It wasn’t transfer-resistant, as it didn’t seem to have much of a dry down, but it tended to fade over time (about eight hours of solid wear) without much sliding/migrating.
FURTHER READING: Formula Overview for details on general performance and characteristics (like scent).
Top Dupes
- Rare Beauty Hope (P, $23.00) is darker, warmer (90% similar).
- ColourPop Hotline (P, $7.00) is darker, cooler (90% similar).
- ColourPop Shell Out (LE, $8.00) is darker (90% similar).
- Fenty Beauty Strawberry Drip (P, $20.00) is more shimmery, darker, warmer (90% similar).
- Clinique Peach Pop (02) (P, $21.00) is more shimmery, darker, warmer (90% similar).
- MAC Sweet Sweet Fantasy (LE, $24.00) is more shimmery, darker, warmer (90% similar).
- Merit Beverly Hills (P, $28.00) is lighter, cooler (90% similar).
- ColourPop Snickerdoodle (PiP, $10.00) is darker, less glossy (90% similar).
- Salt New York Peach (P, $16.00) is warmer (90% similar).
- Rare Beauty Worth (LE, $23.00) is more shimmery, warmer (90% similar).
Formula Overview
$28.00/0.37 oz. - $75.68 Per Ounce
The formula is supposed to have "sheer, buildable coverage" with a "healthy and radiant" finish. If a truly dewy finish is something you love, the formula might be right up your alley; if dewy is your arch nemesis, move along as this very much lived up to its "radiant" claim. There wasn't a real dry down, so it wasn't all that transfer-resistant, though it didn't slide off my face too readily either--most shades lasted between seven and eight hours on me.
The coverage seemed quite pigmented when swiped on or when I rubbed my finger against the product and did a single, unblended swatch, but in practice, it was actually more semi-sheer, buildable as the consistency was moderately emollient, like a gel-like cream, and spreadable, which made sheer out naturally. All the shades were very easy to apply as they went on well over bare skin as well as over foundation as the formula did not lift up base products.
There is a brush on the bottom of the side (so the tube is effectively double-ended), with small raised bumps that are designed to "centralize product pick-up" for a "more even, fluid application." It definitely works for the purpose intended, though it may feel a little large depending on the size of one's cheeks. I also found that it was difficult to put the brush back in the tube without some bristles splaying/catching as I did so.
The brush head is removable, which makes more sense for cleaning, but it is hard to hold in the hand, so it wasn't comfortable to use to really pickup product (more so to blend out product, leaving it attached to the bottom of the tube).
Browse all of our Makeup by Mario Soft Pop Blush Stick swatches.
Ingredients
Diisostearyl Malate, Octyldodecanol, Polyglyceryl-3 Diisostearate, Polyethylene, Microcrystalline Wax (Cera Microcristallina), Dicalcium Phosphate, Mica, Hydrogenated Microcrystalline Wax, Synthetic Wax, Pentaerythrityl Tetra-Di-T-Butyl Hydroxyhydrocinnamate, Tin Oxide, Titanium Dioxide (Ci 77891), Iron Oxides (Ci 77492), Blue 1 Lake (Ci 42090), Red 6, Red 7 Lake (Ci 15850).
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.
I am not a cream product person, and at first I wasn’t interested in any of these. BUT, after watching Raw Beauty Kristi’s review and how it looked on her I am obsessed now with the cream contour, blush, and highlight. I’m holding back and waiting for a sale or at least a 20% discount code.
SAME GIRL SAME!!!
I have this! Mine also arrived with a dent in the top. Didn’t mind that once I put the product on. Blended in so nicely with the little brush on the other end!
So radiant and natural looking! It literally does look just like flushed cheeks. ❤️
Dual ended? Features a custom brush?
The formula and shade look lovely 🙂
Photo of the brush here – https://www.temptalia.com/product/makeup-by-mario-soft-pop-blush-stick/
Thanks! I missed that the first time around 😉
These look super great – I’m not big on cream blush but I’d make an exception for these, they look lush and very easy to blend. I’m excited to see the other shades reviewed, the swatches looked very enticing!
It’s on the list, very low on the to-do list, to find a way to incorporate some of the general product photos into the shade-specific slideshow – basically, for packaging things, I usually just take one photo and it goes to the formula page!
I’m starting to wonder who makes, and where, all these new influencer lines – for example, are we all paying for products manufactured in the same factory that the Colourpop products are made? Because it would then be hard to justify the (much) higher price point aside from the obvious…