MAC Trés Cheek Blushes: Swatches & Review

I recently picked up two blushes from MAC's Trés Cheek Collection: Peony Petal and Modern Mandarin. MAC comes out with a ridiculous amount of collections that can be very overwhelming to keep up with, but these two colors really caught my eye. I'm a fan of bold cheek colors and these looked very fun and fresh, especially with warmer weather starting up.

Modern Mandarin is a soft, citrus-y orange with a satin finish. It's super silky and richly pigmented. The color can be built up for a dramatic look but also blends and diffuses extremely easily if you want something more subtle. All around, it's a really fantastic blush to work with and a pleasure to apply.


The swatch on the left is one swipe with a finger and on the right, I applied with a brush, going a bit heavy so that you could see the true color clearly.

Peony Petal is a bright, blue-based pink with a matte-esque finish. In the pan it looks completely matte but there is a very slight shimmer on the skin. Compared to Modern Mandarin, Peony Petal feels a bit chalkier in the pan but is still very blendable and workable to apply. The pigmentation is rich and flexible enough that, like Modern Mandarin, you could build the color up to pan intensity or do a lighter wash of color. (The swatch on the right below is somewhere in between.) The texture isn't quite as dreamy and smooth as Modern Mandarin but Peony Petal is still an excellent blush on its own merits.

I'm ridiculously pleased with both of these colors and can't wait to try out some new looks! My go-to blushes are NARS Orgasm and the long-discontinued MAC Merrily (I will be beyond sad when mine runs out!), so it'll be fun to have some new colors at my disposal. Either (or both!) of these blushes would make an excellent addition to your spring/summer beauty routine. They are currently available on the MAC and Nordstrom websites and you may also still be able to find them at your local MAC counter. Both shades are limited edition. Happy hunting, ladies!