MAC Groovy Glow Play Blush Review & Swatches

- February 18, 2020

Groovy

MAC Groovy Glow Play Blush ($30.00 for 0.25 oz.) is a brighter, medium-dark orange with warm, reddish undertones and a satin finish. It had buildable coverage from semi-sheer to semi-opaque applied with a brush and more buildable coverage from medium to semi-opaque when applied with a fingertip, which was in line with the formula’s description.

The texture was smooth to the touch without being noticeably wet, and it felt more powder-like as soon as it came into contact with my skin, but one could gently press on the surface and leave an indent behind. I liked to apply it with fingertips as I felt like the warmth of my fingertip helped to apply it more easily–faster and more evenly–over a brush, though a brush could be used. It worked well over bare skin as well as over base products as it didn’t seem overly prone to lifting up base products. It stayed on well for nine hours before fading visibly.

Top Dupes

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Cle de Peau Persimmon (P, $60.00) is more shimmery (95% similar).
Colour Pop She's in Bold (LE, $8.00) is less shimmery (90% similar).
Flesh Beauty Fever (P, $26.00) is darker, cooler (90% similar).
Anastasia Ginger (PiP, ) is less shimmery (90% similar).
Colour Pop Main Chick (P, $7.00) is less shimmery, warmer (90% similar).
Too Faced Ginger Peach (P, $30.00) is more shimmery, darker (90% similar).
Smashbox Persimmon (LE, ) is more shimmery, cooler (90% similar).
MAC Tomato (LE, ) is darker (90% similar).
Colour Pop Monkey Business (P, $5.00) is less shimmery, darker (90% similar).
NARS Final Cut (P, $30.00) is less shimmery, lighter (85% similar).

View Swatches

Formula Overview

$30.00/0.25 oz. - $120.00 Per Ounce

The new, limited edition formula is supposed to have "eight-hour, fade-free wear" with an "ultra-blendable" formula that has "sheer" but buildable coverage with a "gel-cream texture" that is "bouncy." It's gel-to-powder blush that has a lightly emollient, slightly sponge-like quality to it--more like a smoother, more emollient clay-like texture to me--that feels more like powder as soon as it comes into contact with my skin.

The pigmentation was definitely more sheer to semi-sheer, buildable to medium to semi-opaque coverage with some of the deeper/darker hues in the range having more coverage and better building capabilities. I preferred using fingertips for application as I felt it was easier to faster to apply, though fingertips will yield slightly higher coverage compared to a brush. The formula applied well--most of the time--over bare skin as well as over base products like liquid foundation without lifting it up. They wore eight hours before starting to show signs of fading.

Browse all of our MAC Glow Play Blush swatches.

Ingredients

Talc, Dimethicone, Diisostearyl Malate, Hydrogenated Poly(C6-14 Olefin), Silica, Dimethicone/Vinyl Dimethicone Crosspolymer, Hexyl Laurate, Hydrogenated Ethylene/Propylene/Styrene Copolymer, Hydrogenated Butylene/ Ethylene/ Styrene Copolymer, Lauroyl Lysine, Mineral OilParaffinum LiquidumHuile Minerale, Triethoxycaprylylsilane, Tin Oxide, Polyisobutene, Phenoxyethanol, [+/- Mica, Titanium Dioxide (Ci 77891), Iron Oxides (Ci 77491), Iron Oxides (Ci 77492), Iron Oxides (Ci 77499), Aluminum Powder (Ci 77000), Bismuth Oxychloride (Ci 77163), Blue 1 (Ci 42090), Blue 1 Lake (Ci 42090), Bronze Powder (Ci 77400), Carmine (Ci 75470), Chromium Hydroxide Green (Ci 77289), Chromium Oxide Greens (Ci 77288), Copper Powder (Ci 77400), Ferric Ferrocyanide (Ci 77510), Ferric Ammonium Ferrocyanide (Ci 77510), Manganese Violet (Ci 77742), Red 6 (Ci 15850), Red 7 (Ci 15850), Red 28 (Ci 45410), Red 30 (Ci 73360), Red 7 Lake (Ci 15850), Red 28 Lake (Ci 45410), Red 30 Lake (Ci 73360), Ultramarines (Ci 77007), Yellow 5 (Ci 19140), Yellow 6 (Ci 15985), Yellow 5 Lake (Ci 19140), Yellow 6 Lake (Ci 15985)]