MAC Pedro Lourenço: Corol Powder Blush Duo

Earlier this month, MAC released their collaboration with Brazilian fashion designer, Pedro Lourenço. This collaboration "brings his unique elegance to a colour collection that emulates the same delicate balance he achieves in his design work." This collection is available online and at select MAC Store locations only. Pedro Lourenço features a total of 11 products — eight of which are new and limited edition, and three of which are permanent. Pedro Lourenço sees the release of one new and limited edition Powder Blush Duo. It comes in a special edition black "soft-touch" rubberized mirrored compact with gold trim, as well as a matching secondary cardstock box. Each Powder Blush Duo contains 11 grams of product, and retails for $30. 
Corol
Corol (Shade #1, Shade #2, Shade #1 and #2 blended)

Corol Shade #1 is a light-medium muted warm peachy coral in a Matte finish. This is a new and limited edition shade. It has a soft, silky texture, and goes on smoothly and evenly. It has high pigmentation and opaque colour pay-off. It can be layered and blended out easily. It is lighter and more pink than Melba, brighter and more peach than Tenderling, and more peach than Rosy Outlook Pro Longwear Blush.
Corol Shade #2 is a medium-dark warm rosy plum with a soft sheen in a Satin finish. This is a new and limited edition shade. It has a soft, silky texture, and goes on smoothly and evenly. It has high pigmentation and opaque colour pay-off. It can be layered and blended out easily. It is more plum than Desert Rose, darker than Breath of Plum, and more matte than Plum Foolery.

There are incredibly mixed reviews over this product because the press samples that were sent to beauty bloggers for consideration had a very stiff texture and didn't produce any colour pay-off. I'm glad to report, however, that the batches made for consumers (the ones that are available to the public in stores and online) are very different — soft, finely-milled, and pigmented. It applies smoothly and evenly, and is easily buildable and blendable. The lighter shade, which takes up two-thirds of the pan, looks quite light in the pan and even in swatches but it does execute brighter and darker on the cheeks to create a natural peachy flush. The darker shade executes exactly how it looks like in the pan so a little goes a long way, but it blends out easily to create a softer plum shade. My favourite way to use this duo, however, is actually the two shades swirled together — it creates the most perfect warm rosy flush that works well across all skintones. The packaging reflects Lourenço's aesthetic perfectly, too: sleek, elegant, and luxe. And at $30 for a whopping 11 grams of product, you truly get more bang for your buck here ($2.73/g vs. $4.17/g for a regular MAC blush).