Review: MAC Intenso

I'm no longer a MAC mineralized virgin! I recently bought MAC Intenso from CCO and have been trying it out for a few weeks now. It looked so irresistable on the shelves and once I swatched it, I knew it was coming home with me (the normal CCO discount of $5 didn't hurt either). I'd describe Intenso as a peachy/rose with a lot of gold running through it.

This blush is quite different from anything else in my collection. I have matte blushes from Coastal Scents, and Dream Mousse blushes by Maybelline. With those, I just need a light touch to get the color payoff I need, and I usually use a stippling brush for them. However, with this, a light hand will only give you gold specks on your cheeks. So I build several layers with a contouring brush before getting the payoff I want, and then this is the final result:

 

Applying this blush is almost fool-proof. You can't apply too much (though you can apply too little), and no matter what brush you use (contouring or stippler), you'll never get a streak of color; it'll always look diffuse and airbrushed. 

Having said that, there IS quite a bit of gold on this. It can work in the daytime, but I'd stay away from it if I was wearing very heavy eye makeup. I'd say this looks utterly stunning with neutral defined eyes and peachy, dewy lips. Its just the right flush for a youthful, natural look.