Before I started blogging, Mary Kay has pretty much managed to slip under the radar for me. Since then, I’ve realized they have some really nice makeup, and I especially loved their power eyeshadows. I hadn’t yet tried any blush from the brand, so I was pretty interested in the Mary Kay Mineral Cheek Duos, which are available in Juicy Guava*, Spiced Poppy* and Ripe Watermelon*.
The Mary Kay Mineral Cheek Duos come in the same minimal packaging as many of their powder products, which means they are depotted and ready for your favourite magnetic palette. Of course, they can also be stored in their plastic sleeves, which takes up a lot less space than traditional packaging but doesn’t look quite as pretty. 
I will start off by admitting that my favourite of the three shades is definitely the Mary Kay Mineral Cheek Duo in Juicy Guava, a ‘warm coral with a soft, golden pearl highlighter.’ This is the perfect spring-to-summer cheek shade, and I also feel like it has the best formula among the shades as the other two can be a bit chalky.
In terms of the highlighter, the one contained in the Mary Kay Mineral Cheek Duo in Juicy Guava doesn’t really show up on me because it is basically the same shade as my skin, as you can tell in the above swatch. I do like how these Duos pair a matte blush shade with a shimmery highlight, I think that’s the perfect combination for a natural look.
I shouldn’t be too shocked by the Mary Kay Mineral Cheek Duo in Spiced Poppy, given that I recently added the Urban Decay Bang Afterglow 8-Hour Blush to my collection. However this dark orange is pretty bold, but luckily like all three shades, it is also very buildable. It’s paired with a very pretty golden highlight that is quite similar to the one from Juicy Guava, but a bit more golden.
My favourite way to apply the Mary Kay Mineral Cheek Duo in Spiced Poppy is using the Real Techniques Duo Fibre Face Brush to gently dab the blush and then blend it out. The resulting look is definitely one that can work on fair skin, but obviously with a blush this bold you can get true-to-pan colour that would be visible on any skin tone (I think!)
As scary as Spiced Poppy might seem, the shade most outside my comfort zone was probably the Mary Kay Mineral Cheek Duo in Ripe Watermelon, because I reach for orange cheek shades a lot more than bright pink. It’s paired with a pearl highlighter, that’s very pretty but again quite subtle–however it would also be quite nice on the brow bone.
As with Spiced Poppy, I found the Mary Kay Mineral Cheek Duo in Ripe Watermelon to be a tad chalky, although that’s not noticable once applied. I was again quite gentle with brush when applying. Given how little product you need for these blushes, I predict them lasting…forever.
In terms of how long the Mary Kay Mineral Cheek Duos last on my face, I get about six hours of wear out of them, which isn’t quite as long as I’d expect given their level of pigmentation, but not bad either. Of course, a setting spray always helps and I know I’ll be reaching for my favourite (Make Up For Ever Mist & Fix) daily as the weather warms up!
Although the highlight shades are quite subtle, if you are looking for a buildable but bold summer blush I would definitely recommend the Mary Kay Mineral Cheek Duos, especially Juicy Guava. Do you have a favourite?
