MAC Magically Cool Liquid Powder Swatches and Review

Top: Honey Rose
Bottom: Truth & Light


Truth & Light, Honey Rose


Cajun, Truth & Light


Honey Rose


Honey Rose


Truth & Light


Truth & Light

I admit that when the Magically Cool Liquid Powders first came out in the MAC Venomous Villains collection, I wasn't too keen on using them. I just felt that it was another one of those products that does the same exact thing all my highlighters and beauty powders do well: highlight and give my skin a nice sheen. This time, I really got to play with these products and I can give more feedback on these. The Magically Cool Liquid Powders are available today in North America at all MAC locations, and they are now part of the permanent line.

See swatches and review after the jump

As you can see, they come in huge pots (net 24g or U.S. 0.84 oz) and they seem a bit heavy to me, maybe it's because it's made up mostly of water. They have these sticker seals on top of the holes that I shouldn't have removed because I read in some reviews that they evaporate?? I just placed round flat cotton pads on top of the holes to cover them and prevent any evaporation, and of course the lids are tightly shut.  The product has three variants: Honey Rose, a sheer rosy beige with multi-dimensional shimmer, Truth & Light, a sheer shimmer that reflects silver and pink, and Cajun, sheer bronze shimmer with gold reflects.


188 brush (front)

I think the reason why I didn't like the Magically Cool Liquid Powders that much when they first came out was because I technically didn't use a brush when I swatched them. I used my finger and they kinda balled up and were hard to swatch. Now, I use the 187 for Truth & Light which is very sheer on my skin, and it works a lot better for applying the product on the entire face for a sheer radiance. For Honey Rose which has a bit more shimmer than Truth & Light, I prefer to use my 188 brush (see photo above) to precisely target my cheekbones for a nice glow.


Honey Rose, Truth & Light




Honey Rose on cheeks


Honey Rose


Truth & Light







As you can see, Truth & Light is very sheer. It would be a great all-over powder when applied lightly using the 187 brush, to give a certain radiance to the skin. Honey Rose is more shimmery and would be a great highlighter on the cheekbones or anywhere you want attention when the light hits it. As I said, I apply Honey Rose with the 188 brush to target my cheekbones for that glowy look. Cajun is more of a sheer bronze that reflects gold, and would look great for summer.  Cajun was swatched with a heavy hand; it would look more sheer using a 187 brush.

The feel of these products is refreshingly cooling. I live in Arizona and it gets really warm here now, but the cool feeling on my skin when I apply this really perks me up (and my complexion as well). I love the cool feeling on the skin, although it disappears after a few seconds. Gotta love the initial swipes, though!

All in all, I can't say that this product is a must-have in your makeup stash if you already own highlighters, beauty powders, mineralize skinfinishes or bronzers. They do a similar job as those of the ones mentioned.  However, the feeling is really nice on the skin especially since summer is coming and cooling makeup is a welcome respite from the heat.

Pros: contains a lot of product per unit, refreshingly cool sensation when applied, imparts a pretty sheen or glow to the skin

Cons: not really a must-have if you already have highlighters or bronzers

The Shades Of U Rating: 4.0 out of 5 stars

Note: Media samples were provided by a representative of the company for consideration. All opinions are completely mine.