Pat McGrath Desert Orchid Divine Blush Review & Swatches
Desert Orchid
Pat McGrath Desert Orchid Divine Blush ($38.00 for 0.34 oz.) is a muted, medium brown with a hint of rosiness and warmer, peachy-gold pearl throughout. It had nearly opaque color coverage in a single layer, which was its “con” as it wasn’t a buildable formula; I had to use a very light hand and be consciously careful of how much I was picking up to achieve sheer or buildable coverage.
The consistency was incredibly smooth to the touch, almost silky, despite having a bit of give and powderiness (in the pan). It applied evenly to bare skin, diffused as I was applying, and blended out well. The finish was subtle and luminous, so there was no fear of it emphasizing my skin’s natural texture. The color showed signs of fading after nine hours of wear.
FURTHER READING: Formula Overview for details on general performance and characteristics (like scent).
Top Dupes
- Dior Charnelle (459) (P, $48.00) is less shimmery, lighter (95% similar).
- Stellar Beauty Eclipse (P, $25.00) is more shimmery (95% similar).
- NARS Body Talk (LE, $30.00) is more shimmery, cooler (90% similar).
- Chanel Elegance (370) (P, $45.00) is less shimmery, darker (90% similar).
- Cover FX Warm Honey (Left) (PiP, ) is less shimmery (90% similar).
- Becca Amaretto (LE, $32.00) is less shimmery, darker, cooler (90% similar).
- Essence Satin Love (P, $2.99) is less shimmery, lighter (90% similar).
- ColourPop Construct (LE, $12.00) is less shimmery, darker, warmer (90% similar).
- By Terry Tropical Sunset #6 (LE, ) is less shimmery, warmer (90% similar).
- Surratt Beauty La Rosée du Soir (P, $32.00) is less shimmery, lighter (85% similar).
Formula Overview
$38.00/0.34 oz. - $111.76 Per Ounce
The formula is supposed to be "featherlight, long-wearing" that "build effortlessly from sheer to subversive." The blushes are available in two finishes--demi-matte and satin pearl--and range from more muted to more vivid in color. The biggest "downfall" of the formula was that it was rather pigmented than buildable, so one could use a lighter hand to get more buildable coverage, but I found I had to use a light to moderate hand to ensure I didn't over-apply each shade.
The consistency was smooth, silky, and lightly creamy to the touch; it was a touch powdery in the pan but had more slip than most powder blushes on the market, but it was definitely a powder-based formula. The product applied well to bare skin as well as over foundation, as it diffused well along the edges without picking up base products.
The satin pearl finish was luminous but not overtly shimmery, so it did not emphasize my skin's natural texture. They wore around nine hours on me before fading visibly.
Browse all of our Pat McGrath Divine Blush swatches.
Ingredients
Talc, Mica, Octyldodecyl Stearoyl Stearate, Dimethiconol Stearate, Dimethicone, Trimethylsiloxysilicate, Caprylyl Glycol, Diisostearyl Malate, Hexylene Glycol, Magnesium Myristate, Tin Oxide, Phenoxyethanol. (+/-): Titanium Dioxide (Ci 77891), Iron Oxides (Ci 77491, Ci 77492, Ci 77499), Red 28 Lake (Ci 45410), Red 6 (Ci 15850), Red 7 (Ci 15850), Red 7 Lake (Ci 15850), Ultramarines (Ci 77007), Yellow 5 Lake (Ci 19140).
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 do love Desert Orchid very much, but still have plenty of Essence Satin Love left. Good thing, too, because I haven’t been seeing it at Ulta for at least a year.
I did not pick this one up and I am very tempted.. but I am curious.. I do not seem to grasp the not buildable comment. Did it end up splotchy/patchy if you tried to build it up? I am a person who gravitates to sheerer blushes overall. I find super pigmented blushes a little difficult because I hate having doll/fever cheeks. Thanks! 🙂
Apologies: I should have checked dupes first. I have Cover FX warm honey and I’m solid with that one.
It’s just very pigmented with a “normal” blush brush/light-medium pressure – like you will need to use a very light hand to pick up product if you want to go sheer!
Ok.. I get it now! Thanks so much, Christine!
This color looks lovely – I have Milani’s Sunset Passione and love it.
I’m impressed by the amount of product in these. If I had a smaller blush collection and found a color in this line that was my perfect everyday neutral, I would absolutely pick it up.
Well… I “had to have it” so I ordered the nudes trio right away… turns out I have Becca Amaretto and Dior Charnelle… guess I can take cover FX warm honey off my “to buy” list. *wince* no regrets though! It’s beautiful!
That’s weird, on me Essence Satin Love is a mauve blush, a definite cooler toned neutral mauve, and nowhere near a dupe of the PML blush reviewed here. That tells you how vastly different the same color can appear on different skin tones. This PML blush is orangey coral on Christine, so now I’m not even sure what it would look like on me.
Superb.
Hi Christine,
I am wondering about the pigmentation rating. You say it’s nearly opaque but give it an 8 rating. Is the buildabillty the issue, and if so, wouldn’t that be an application issue?
Thanks
The pigmentation is supposed to be: “All nine shades build effortlessly from sheer to subversive.” This is not the case — it is very pigmented and one has to use a light hand / modified technique to get semi-sheer/medium coverage (the same technique that applies for a pigmented blush).
For clarity, this is related to pigmentation – that it has buildable pigmentation. While there is certainly an application factor, that’s true of many different aspects but since pigmentation is a specific metric pulled out, all things relating to pigmentation are points of consideration for that metric. Application tends to involve how easy it is to use, is it forgiving, does it require instructions/very specific techniques (that aren’t explicitly called out), how well does it blend/apply, and so on.
Oh I see. So the issue is the product did not meet the brand’s description of the pigmentation. Thanks for explaining the considerations for the metrics.
Yep! Pigmentation is always relative to whatever it’s described – so a sheer product isn’t penalized for being sheer if that’s how it’s marketed! 🙂
ugh this is BEAUTIFUL
I know the overly pigmentation of this blush turns some off but I actually love more pigmented blushes since I have a darker tan African American tone. Most blushes I work hard to build but I do have my favs and I think I will give these a go. Thanks Christine!!
That’s a great point Shalonda. Just by varying the application technique allows for this product to be used on a variety of skintones.
This is beautiful….I’ve got 4 dupes so this is right up my alley. I think I will get one blush in this line to try the formula out. Looking forward to the other reviews.
Gosh, this is lovely. I have the CoverFX dupe though, so I will think about it.
I bought two and can’t wait for them to come. Interesting that it’s not buildable. Thanks for the tip about a light hand. I imagine that Divine Rose will need that out of the two I bought (Fleurtatious being the other).