MAC Heat Index Glow Play Blush Review & Swatches

- February 20, 2020

Heat Index

MAC Heat Index Glow Play Blush ($30.00 for 0.25 oz.) is a brighter, medium-dark pink-coral with subtle, warm undertones and a semi-matte finish. The color payoff was buildable from semi-sheer to semi-opaque with a brush and more medium and buildable when applied with fingertips (the latter being my preferred application method as it was faster, more efficient, and more foolproof for lay down and blending).

The consistency felt smooth to the touch, emollient without being traditionally wet (almost more velvety in that respect), and felt more powder-like when it came into contact with my skin. Despite the brighter hue, it had more of a watercolor effect when applied and blended out on my skin, much like a cream or liquid blush might have. It applied well over bare skin and was fairly easy to work with over base products, but I would be mindful to use a lighter touch to minimize the potential of lifting up one’s base. It wore well for nine hours before fading visibly.

Top Dupes

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Anastasia Scorching (PiP, ) is less shimmery, warmer (90% similar).
Surratt Beauty Ponceau (P, $32.00) is more shimmery (90% similar).
Too Faced How Deep is Your Love? (P, $26.00) is more shimmery, warmer (90% similar).
Sephora Flirt It Up (06) (P, $14.00) is more shimmery, lighter (90% similar).
NARS Peep Show (LE, $30.00) is less shimmery, lighter (90% similar).
MAC Take Me Home (Top) (LE, $24.00) is more shimmery, darker (90% similar).
Colour Pop Mic Drop (P, $8.00) is less shimmery, darker, brighter (90% similar).
NARS I Need a Man (LE, $30.00) is more shimmery, warmer (85% similar).
Tom Ford Beauty Exotic Flora (Bottom) (LE, ) is more shimmery, lighter, warmer (85% similar).
Viseart Ablaze (Blush) (PiP, ) is less shimmery, warmer (85% similar).

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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)]