M·A·C Magically Cool Liquid Powder

M·A·C's Magically Cool Liquid Powder ($29.50) is pretty cool. I was enticed by its description to order a loose powder, even though loose powders are not my favorites - and I don't order every new M·A·C item that hits my inbox. They arrive with such amazing regularity, I tend to overlook them.

A silky, feather-light powder, formulated with 70% water, dusts on to the skin as a cooling mist to set and enhance the look of any foundation. Beyond sheer, light reflecting and translucent. A virtually invisible way to add luminosity and a soft, radiant glow to the skin.

There are three shades available: Truth and Light (yellow cream), Honey Rose (warm pink), and Cajun (brown-toned). I had to select one. I had given myself a limit! Even though Honey Rose didn't appear to be the lightest, I chose it. It appeared online to have more color - and a pink tilt - that made it potentially more interesting to me than Truth and Light.

I was so pleasantly surprised when it arrived, I wanted to show you instantly. Unfortunately, there was no sun to get a photo that day, or the day after, or the day after that. It was only this past Saturday, when the sun made an unexpected appearance, that I was able to get a swatch photo.

The powder is easy to control. The interior lid has little holes in it. If I screw on the cap, turn it upside down, and gently tap, enough powder for a few applications pushes through the holes. It's not a mess, as some loose M·A·C pigments can be.

Honey Rose is a drop-dead gorgeous warm pink on my skin. I am wearing it as a blusher - and as a finishing powder with a light touch. I am really impressed. On my arm, the powder shimmers; on my face, not so much. It adds a glow, but no discernible shimmer or micro-glitter. Figure that out! I think it's the difference between a dusting with a blush brush and a heavy application with a dense foundation brush that I used to apply Honey Rose on my arm for the photo. If I run my finger over the top of the powder, I get shimmer. On my face, I don't.

I hope you can see in my photos, with the very rosy azaleas and roses in the background, that Honey Rose is warm and sheer. It's definitely a pink shade, but it has a fair amount of brown in it, which makes it so desirable - and natural. I think the high water content contributes to its lovely appearance on the skin. It doesn't look like powder, as some powders can if you don't have moist skin.

I am more than happy with my M·A·C Magically Cool Liquid Powder - I'm delighted. I can't always say that when I buy blind online. This one's a hit!

You can find this "liquid powder" online at M·A·C's Web site and at M·A·C stores and counters, I'm sure. Check it out and see if you like it as much as I do. If you have tried it, please let me know what you think.

Photo at top courtesy of M·A·C