Review: Marc Jacobs Air Blush Soft Glow Duo in Kink & Kisses

Not gonna lie, I mainly got the Marc Jacobs Air Blush Soft Glow Duo in Kink & Kisses because it looked so pretty. The swatch seemed promising, so into the shopping basket it went. A few weeks later I’ve tested it thoroughly. Here’s my Marc Jacobs Air Blush in Kink & Kisses review!

Claims

“Customize your colour”

“Ultra-lightweight, radiant”

“Silky-soft, cream-like texture that blends effortlessly”

“24-hour blush wear”

Marc Jacobs Air Blush in Kink & Kisses review — Kinks & Kisses – such a pretty pattern inspired by a MJ dress.

“24-hour blush wear”

So let’s get the most ridiculous one out of the way right now: 24h wear. Allow me to literally rofl, and hats off to the PR team who came up with it, because it’s impossible to prove it to be true. Temptalia took one for the team and reported that the one she tested was still going strong after 18hrs (you go girl), and I can chime in and say that I wore it for about 12h and it looked fine, but come on, MJ. That’s ridiculous and you know it. (Also, who would need a blush looking great for 24h?! Inquiring minds want to know!)

“Customize your colour”

All the blushes of this range consist of two colours, arranged in stripes. It’s nearly impossible to use just one colour to actually highlight and contour like claimed (also, MJ has no idea what those words mean, because who would contour with a coral pink?!), but it’s definitely possible to use it as a lighter and a darker blush colour, rather like an ombre blush. Also, the lighter shades seem more glowy than their darker companions. In this case, it’s a lovely light pink and a duskier pinky coral. Be aware that those swatch much, much lighter than they appear on your cheeks. It’s totally possible to go completely over board with Kink & Kisses on my fair complexion. So, customize your colour? Somewhat, but not as MJ claims.

“Silky-soft, cream-like texture that blends effortlessly”

I’d get a completely different picture of the Air Blush formula just reading this description. Because this sounds like a buttery formula that kicks up a lot of powder, right? But nothing could be farther from the truth. I actually think that this could be some kind of ‘gelee’ formula (think MAC’s Extra Dimension and Nars Dual Intensity), because it seems quite firm pressed, but distributes colour amazingly well and blends like a dream. This nevertheless feels very light and airy and is indeed quite silky.

“Ultra-lightweight, radiant”

I use a carefully applied light layer of product and that’s enough. It never seems just to ‘sit’ on my skin and gives indeed a more or less radiant finish, depending on how much of the lighter, more glowy colour you have on your brush. Speaking of brushes – I tried my RT blush brush, my Hakuhodo J 505 and what do I like best with this formula? My old MAC 168. Its small head makes it easier to pick up one colour or the other, and also gives me a bit more control to distribute the colour.

individual swatches of Marc Jacobs Kinks & Kisses blush — Swatch of Kinks & Kisses – f.l.t.r. the lightest shade, the dark shade and both shades mixed

Kinks & Kisses in a nutshell

Let me just add a few words about the packaging – the case the blush comes in is very nice, has a satisfying heft and an easy to open clasp. It also has a mirror inside. The striped pattern of the blush has apparently been inspired by a MJ dress, and the whole thing has a very luxe and high-end feel to it. It’s also absolutely ginormous both in price and amount – $42.00 for 8g/0.28 oz. But get that into perspective – a MAC blush, depending on formula, is around 3,5g/0,12oz. Right now the range has five rather conservative, but well-done colours – every skintone should find a blush for them. Available at Sephora, Harrods, Manor.