PP12: MAC Powder Blush in Cubic

~ stashy

I have to first apologize, but this blush is discontinued as of last year. I was as shocked as anyone else when this was announced. I had MAC MUAs tell me they didn’t know what they’ll use now for weddings – it was their staple shade. They were stocking up on this shade themselves.
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Blushes are one of my favourite makeup items, behind eye shadows and nail polish. I own over 150 blushes… 😮 But MAC Cubic is one that I holds a special place in my heart.
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Cubic is one of the first MAC blushes I ever bought. I recalled requesting an “easy everyday shade” from the MUA and she snapped her fingers and said, “Cubic!” And it was the beginning of a beautiful relationship.  I’ve had this exact blush for no less than 7 years! 😮 I know…
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On MAC’s site, Cubic is officially described as “soft muted pink”. I would say it’s not really that pink, it’s more of a muted beigey peach shade. Cubic is that blush I pop on whenever I’m unsure what blush will match the rest of my makeup look – it never clashes with anything.
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It is a Satin finish, meaning that it has a slight sheen but no obvious shimmer. To me, this performs more like MAC’s Sheertone formula since it has quite sheer coverage but that means it is also foolproof. I could be blindfolded and drunk while applying this blush and it would look just fine.
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I’ve been primarily using my MAC 129SH brush with Cubic lately. The reason why this brush works so well is that the natural hairs are just ever so slightly more rough than say, a brush with synthetic or white goat hairs. Since Cubic is a tightly packed powder that isn’t highly pigmented, the MAC 129SH can grab more powder to deposit onto my cheeks.
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Here are some comparisons of similar blushes from my collection, from L to R:
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• H&M Pure Radiance Powder Blusher in Deep Brown
• Cargo Blush in Prague
• MAC Powder Blush in Cubic
• Tarte Amazonian Clay 12-Hour Blush in Exposed
• Illamasqua Powder Blusher in Naked Rose
project_pan_2016_mac_blush_cubic_10
Surprisingly, Cubic looks much warmer compared to the other shades I pulled. Blushes are such funny creatures – in the pan they do look quite similar but once swatched, not so much. I think out of this bunch, H&M in Soft Brown is the closest but not a dupe. Within MAC’s current core line up, I’m not sure if there’s anything that’s a dupe. I asked one of the MUA her thoughts on a similar shade and she didn’t think there was anything (she also bemoaned Cubic’s demise). In the end she said possibly Harmony could be close, but I think that’s too brown. I honestly thought I had multiple dupes for Cubic but it turns out this nuanced shade is pretty unique in my stash.
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This blush contains 6g and was made in Canada! MAC compact blushes cost C$27 and refills are C$21.

Pros:
• Flattering shade
• Neutral colour
• Foolproof formula
• Long wearing

Cons:
• May not be pigmented enough for some
• Discontinued! 😦

Stash worthiness: 9/10

This blush has not moved a single digit since the start of Project Pan even though I’ve been wearing it 5 days a week for 10 weeks now. I had high hopes but reality is sinking in: I don’t think I’ll EVER hit pan on this blush! Which is fine with me, since this is discontinued and I love it. 😉
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A significant event happened last week, I actually hit pan on one of my MAC eye shadows! 😮 Woohoo! I’ll be showcasing them next week so you can see the progress then!
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Please check out my Project Pan Pals for their updates:
• Ingrid of Curly.Spring.Blossom
• Jodi of A Brash Attitude
• Chanelle of Chanelle Hayleyyy

Do you have a foolproof go-to blush that goes with just about any makeup look?

69 thoughts on “PP12: MAC Powder Blush in Cubic”

  2. I love that it’s foolproof! And the colour is really lovely. I’ve been using an Essence blush for at least 3 days every week for six months now. You can see a few marks that the brush left, but otherwise it looks like it’s new… Sometimes I’m wondering… is it even possible to finish a blush?!

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    1. It IS possible! Because I’ve done it. My very first MAC blush. It was called Angel and it’s now discontinued. But I used that sucker up completely. It was the only blush I owned at the time too. Not sure how long it took me to work through that. Also, my coworker finished up a whole MAC blush too. Took her about 2 years.

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  3. You know, Cubic was one of my first ever MAC blushes (it came in a palette with Harmony and Honour) and I never cared much for it! I always found it looked blah on me, and used Harmony more.

    That said, MAC Buff is my fave neutral MAC blush! I think it has a peachier tone that works better for me.

    And yeah, I barely use blush so it lasts basically forever for me. If you look at said old MAC palette, it looks like I never used it.

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    1. Since you have Harmony, would you say that it’s more brown compared to Cubic?

      I have Buff too and yes, it’s a bit peachier but in the same colour family. I actually like Buff slightly more than Cubic as well. I’ve just had Cubic for longer. I also find Prism is similar. I was just surprised I didn’t have a dead on dupe. By the way, you know that MAC also discontinued Buff, right? It’s like they just decided no one deserves any of their most popular blush shades anymore. :/

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  5. It’s so sad when a beloved product is being discontinued. This shade is so perfect, why do such a thin? Every one of your blush pans look like dupes until I saw them swatched. Crazy how they vary on the skin. Nice collection!!

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    1. I don’t know why companies discontinue favourite, staple products. And it’s not like there are dupes in their core line either. I guess they just want people to get mad and turn away from the brand!
      Isn’t it weird how differently they swatch compared to how they look in the pan? I feel somewhat justified in having so many “similar” colours now! 😉

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      1. Maybe the shades/formulas become too expensive to make? Pissing off loyal customers is just stupid. YES, you are justified with the blushes, as long as you never post a pic without the swatches. Lol. Can’t wait to chat!

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    1. I know I have to declutter. Not necessarily by how long I’ve had them but how much I use them. Because I honestly use this colour quite regularly, it just refuses to get used up! I think in early 2017 I’m going to devote blog posts to do a “show down” on my blushes, eye shadows and nail polishes to do a big purge (again).

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  10. I think Cubic is the one you gave me from your giveaway…I’m like 98% sure. Either way, I can’t remember the name but it’s so great. I also thought it looked a lot like Tarte Exposed when I looked at both in the pan, but like your swatches, I thought Exposed swatched redder too. After using Cubic, I can see why you don’t like Exposed – Cubic is much more pigmented and easier to work with. I still pull out Exposed every once in a while, but Cubic has become one of my go-to neutral blush now!

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    1. Yes I sent you Cubic! 100% confirmed! 😀
      I really thought that Tarte Exposed would have been a dupe! So surprised the difference in their undertones. I’m going to give Tarte Exposed to one of my friends, I just do not need to keep that one around anymore. People go nuts over that blush and it was one of the most disappointing hyped up product.
      I’m so glad you’re enjoying Cubic!

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    1. I know. Why do companies do this?! The same time they discontinued this shade, they also discontinued 2 other popular blush colours: Buff, and Tenderling. It doesn’t make any sense.

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  15. 7 years! Wow! I’m guessing you don’t need to use much of this blush per application at all! It’s a good thing you’ve still got a lot left if it’s been discontinued, it’ll last for AGES. My go to blush is a cream blush by Dainty Doll called Billion Dollar Babies. It’s a brown-nude shade and it goes with everything 😀

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    1. Oh I remember you mentioning Dainty Doll blushes! I think those kinds of nudey shades are so universally flattering – it just depends on how dark / light they are for each skintone.
      I’ll likely have this blush for 7 more years LOL!

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  16. 150 Blushes. You blow my mind, I think I have about 20 – and still love that Estee Lauder one the most – that original one still has months of use left for sure!
    This shade looks really pretty on your skin tone – I always cast my eye over these kind of blushes but I think the only one I’ve ever finished was actually this kind of colour, I don’t think I have another in my collection any more, maybe I should hunt one out!
    Can’t believe it’s not moved a single point on the scales, insulting and brilliant all at the same time!

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  17. Wooooow, 150 blushes!!!! That’s amazingly crazy! 🙂 I just got my eleventh blush last week, Yves Saint Laurent blush volupté nr6. I love it! I had ordered one from Sigma but unfortunately the website hadn’t updated right so now it’s out of stock…so I got my money back and bought the other one instead. 🙂 Wow I’m still amazed by your blush collection! I think that you’ll have blushes for like 20 lifetimes!

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  20. I love subtle and natural looking blushes. So sad it’s being discontinued. It’s also sad that NYX seems to be discontinuing their powder blushes. I love those! I only have a couple of them still.

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      1. Thank you! I have no idea either. Maybe because the trends are always changing and they try to keep up with there competitors?

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  21. Wow, 150 blushes are A LOT haha, I need to buy a lot more if I ever want to have so much of them! I love blushes too eventhough I prefer to use only highlighter&bronzer when I’m late. My go-to blush is the Multi Color blush in the color ‘Strawberry Frappuccino’ by catrice. It’s an oldie but a goodie. It’s a cool-toned matt & pink blush and I wear it almost everytime when I wear a blush! 🙂

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    1. So interesting that you stick with bronzer and highlight if you’re running. For me, if I’m running late, I grab a blush and skip bronzer / highlight. In fact, most days I skip bronzer and highlight anyway! 😛
      That Catrice blush sounds wonderful! I wish we had Catrice here!

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  23. I love these kinds of shades!
    That’s crazy that you don’t have an actual dupe for this. I immediately thought “oh I have shades just like this” but I bet I’m wrong. This really swatches so different from what you would expect in the pan.
    I get low level anxious when I think about hitting pan on beloved discontinued items so on your behalf, I’m relieved that you aren’t making any pan progress lol.

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    1. Exactly, I thought I had dupes coming outta my ying yang, but nope!
      Yeah, I’ve spend countless hours / money trying to find dupes for a few limited edition stuff but now I give up. I’ve resigned myself to try to enjoy the limited edition stuff while they’re still usable and then move on… hopefully…

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  25. 150 blushes? I thought I had a lot haha! I have a trusty go-to blush like the MAC one you described. It’s from Lorac though. I’ve definitely made a dent in it, but I’m nowhere close to hitting pan. At this rate I doubt I’ll ever hit pan on anything. Good luck to you though! Or maybe not since it’s discontinued. 😦

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    1. I’ve not heard much about Lorac blushes – I’ve heard lots of raves about their eye shadows so it’s no surprise they make good blushes too. I do need to let go of some of the blushes I don’t wear much any more. I just re-homed one last week – the Tarte Exposed blush, since I never wear it. My friend was happy to take it off my hands! 1 blush gone… another 100 to go? 😉

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    1. Yes it’s safe to use! It’s a powder product and I’m the only one using it. 😛 There’s so much fear mongering about germs these days! Have you seen the Lisa Eldridge video where she’s using actually makeup from the 1960s? It’s so awesome, I love it!

      I’ve not tried Benefit Dandelion but I feel like it’s similar to a couple of Shu Uemura blushes I own so that’s why I don’t own it.

      I find MAC brushes to be inconsistent in their shapes sometimes – that’s why I prefer to choose my own brush from the jars instead of having the SA select for me. 😛

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  27. Isn’t it so tragic when a favourite becomes discontinued? Sigh. Cubic looks beautiful! My favourite fool-proof ‘goes with everything’ blush is Urban Decay’s Fetish! Without seeing them side by side, I’m not sure how similar it is to Cubic, but it’s probably somewhere in the same extended family.

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    1. I actually do have UD Fetish (but the original formulation) and it’s darker and more red than Cubic, but yes, in the same colour family for sure! The formula of the UD blushes are really nice – easy to blend!

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  32. I want to die when I know it
    Cubic was my favorite since I met Mac
    So, what it is the similar color if I want to buy another power brush????
    Can you recommend someone???
    Thank You so much!!

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    1. The H&M one I showed is the closest I could find. From MAC themselves, you could try Prism. It’s quite similar but slightly browner. You could also try Mocha which is slightly pinker. Good luck!

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  34. I’m NW15, and am looking for a blush to wear when I wear red lipstick.
    Cubic just looks a bit too peach to suit me, but Tarte Exposed looks promising.
    Does anyone have any other recommendations?
    Not too brown or too warm, please.

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    1. Sadly, MAC Cubic is discontinued!
      Tarte Exposed is a really great neutral option that works well when wearing a bold lipstick shade. Others that are in the same colour family: Hourglass Mood Exposure, Nars Madly, Clinique Cheek Pop in Nude Pop – might be worth a look.

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