i received this in a swap. i saw it on her swap list, and decided i'd like to give it a try based on what google images showed for the swatches. i'm SO glad i did! i have yet to use this as a blush since i havent been wearing MU much lately (when i do i'll certainly update this!), but i've used it as a lip stain and its the PERFECT color! i expected it to be too red and OTT for me, but it looks like i have naturally very pigmented lips, or like they've just been bitten. the color makes my teeth look really white too, which is awesome. the texture is very smooth and light, and not at all drying, and the color lasts a long time :) it fades evenly, and doesnt settle into lines, and my lips tend to get quite dry.
this lip color looks so natiral, yet bright-ish and cheerful that it'll be my new go-to for interviews for sure, and i'll make sure i use it as a blush too :)
it's a shame this is LE, and a shame they didnt make it in more colors! given it's popularity, i expect they might just bring it back. i HOPE so, at least, although icertainly wont need to rebuy any time soon, since this will last SO long!

This is the easiest blusher I've come across! I usually love creme blushers since they give you an ethereal glow and looks more youthful than powder blushers. However, their lasting power has always left to be desired on my combination, sensitive and acne prone skin. Some of them are too greasy so they fade easily, some of them aren't greasy enough so that when I apply with my fingers, I almost have to smudge my foundation beneath. This blusher is a great alternative to those creme ones! It imparts a natural glowy finish, blends in easily and the color looks very natural. I find that if applied with a light hand and using light layers, it doesn't smudge my foundation/concealer and it brightens my complexion just enough. The container is a bit wonky, as are all MAC PPs and Tendertones, but it does contain a big amount of product so it makes up for it. I find that a little of this gel goes a very long way for me so I won't have to buy it again. I recommand this to absolutely everyone!

Love love love this product. Like everyone has said, MAC should make this a permanent item, and in more colors. The formula is fantastic. I use my 188 to buff and blend this blush and I get a beautiful, natural flush to my cheeks. Highly recommend!!

This should be a permanent thing for MAC. Blends fantastically, gives natural colour and the pot will last ages. Love it!

For reference, I am an NC30. I picked this up at my local CCO a few months ago for about $13. It looks really scary in the jar (really red), but it got good reviews on MUA, so I got it anyways. I am very happy that I listened to the reviews :) It gives a gorgeous natural flush if applied sparingly. I use my pinky finger for application to make sure I don't go overboard because it is pretty pigmented. Alone, it lasts quite a while on me, but I usually put some powder blush on top and it helps the lasting power of the top blush as well :) I would def buy this again. The little jar will last forever though

PROS: Amazing color and texture!
CONS: Definitely doesn't last all day =( you have to bring it with you to reapply.

LOVE IT!!!! color is great , consistance is smooth , drys quick and sheer but very buildable .

Why does MAC not make more products like this? In a more permanent fashion?
I love gel blushes and stains anyway, but this LE gel blush is wonderful! Easy to apply, lovely texture, blends beautifully, lovely pinky red for the perfect flush (especially if you're fair and have a tough time with blushes). Not only that but look at the ingredients - I've never said that about MAC products before! :) A lot of good oils!
I use this blush on a regular basis when I don't want to wear any makeup. Just a little pinch and out the door ^-^
So MAC -- make more of these! I'd LOVE to try it in different shades! (oh, and maybe make it in a bottle with a pump? More sanitary :))

I love this stuff but now that my hair is more auburn I don't know if it works with my coloring as it is quite pink. It's very natural, easy to apply and the packaging is lovely. Great if you are going for a girly-flushed look.

I was lucky enough to test this product before it went into production.
it is like a little pot of hardened red jello but once touched and applied gives a glorious flush of pink and health to the face.
at the time, I gave it a great review and then got busy with life and work.
it was an LE item but if MAC does a new collection with this product -- RUN and get it. It is well worth it.

I picked up this little gem today at Off 5th Ave, and I love this product. When I first picked this blush up, I thought it was a tad bit scary in the pot but it is seriously beautiful once blended. I wish MAC would add this to their perm. line of products because it is the perfect reddish-pink flushed blush. What I love the most about Just a pinch is the fact that it looks so natural, not cakey at all. Even though the product amount is small, I see this lasting a while since all you need is just a fingers dab worth. Will def. re-buy!

I can't believe that I haven't reviewed this yet.
Love this product for a nice pinky-red blush. The color looks very intense but can be sheered out once on the cheeks-can work on the lips as well. Doesn't feel sticky. It feels very slick--the consistency of a true gel blush. It last fairly long on my combination skin. I imagine this can work on almost anyone with light-medium skin tone.

I love this!
At first, the color was very intimidating when I saw it in my CCO, but I convinced myself to swatch it and I was sold.
It's a light magenta pink when it's blended out, super pretty to go along with a simple winged black liner and some pink gloss.
I really brightens up your face and adds a nice glow to your cheeks.
Love it! :)

I finally popped this back out again, after only swatching once or twice after buying.
It is a very sheer wash of red color.
On the lips, it gives a light, "innocent", youthful look.
On the cheeks, it is very sheer and blendable. You should be careful with the blending incase it wipes away your foundation. But it is so sheer that it shouldn't be applied under foundation/powder. You may have to do several applications if you blend it out with a brush overtop foundation.
I find that on the natural skin, one or two layers is fine enough (on the cheeks).
I think this is quite a "unique" product in the line of MAC anyway. Their other stain products don't behave quite the same way this one does.
The stain isn't the longest-lasting, due to its formula, but it applies well over a balm which is always a bonus, because I do not mind reapplying.
Keep in mind since you are using it on both lips and cheeks (if both), you should make sure your hands are clean. When you use it later for your cheeks, I don't think you'd want germs/cause problems on your skin!
I may repurchase if there are other shades.. This one may last me awhile.

I'm not much for wearing a lot of products on my FACE (i.e. blush, bronzer, foundation, etc) but I LOVE LOVE LOVE this product. You can make this product go on sheer, or build the color up. It gives the perfect amount of flush for a natural look on the apples of the cheeks. Easily blendable and also a great stain for lips as well!

I really adore this blush--its so versatile and the colour is gorgeous, nothing at all like the garishly bright red in the cute little pot. You really only need a pinch! I find that it goes on so smoothly and its easy to blend. Really gives you a nice flush of colour to cheeks and lips, looks super natural. I haven't found that its dried up yet, and I've had it for a while now--I think it helps to keep it in a cool place and not let it get too heated, screwing the cap on tightly helps too of course! And like other reviewers, I'm always mindful of the fact that its in a glass pot, which makes me a little anxious because I'm such a klutz! But in saying that it does look quite sturdy, and of course effortlessly chic :)
This was my first ever MAC purchase, and it definitely lived up to my very high expectations! I'm very pleased with it, def one of my fave products!

This is THE best cheek stain I have come across!! It is non-sticky, easily blended into the skin, and has the most cute-yet-provocative cherry red color. Though it looks scary dark in the pot, on contact with my fingers it becomes a sheer lightweight pinkish red that surprisingly blends well onto my cheeks. It also doesn't ruin my foundation unlike some cream blushes. This is the only blush I wear that the guy I'm crazy about always comments on!! Except he doesn't know I'm wearing blush...he just keeps telling me how flushed my cheeks are and why I even bother with blush...LOL. Just that alone makes me love this.

Great product. I took a point off because it doesnt have great staying power. Blends well, and When I use my MAC 187 brush to bush it in my cheeks, well the two are like Grace Kelly and Fred Estaire.
Do buy. But Hurry, in typical MAC fashion, they're yanking this one away. MAC likes to tease.
****UpDate****
You can imagine, after going thru a whole pot of this stuff, how peeved I was to find out
[b]A) [/b]MAC has it no longer available and
[b]B) [/b]Joe Fresh has come out with a cheektint in stick form...EXACTLY the same color, only better staying power...and for 5 canadian bucks.
I also found I was using alot of this...and not getting the effect I wanted. On my olive skin, this cream blush sunk in and disappeared. I wouldn't buy it again even if MAC had it available and certainly not for $25.00

I love just a pinch. it does exactly that. It adds a nice flush of color and I think that it is pretty long wearing. Im on vacation in the Caribbean right now and it stands up really well against all the sweating and heat. My only qualm with the product is the greasy feeling when im applying it. This is my first non-powder blush so maybe they are all like that.. but I'm afraid the greasy feeling might make me break out, but so far so good!! im just paranoid

This product is great worn alone or as a base for your powder blush (kind of like a primer). Doesn't quite last ALL day on my oily skin (might last longer in the winter). It gives me a beautiful natural flush. You need to blend this in FAST though, or you could end up streaky! Wish it came in other colors to go with my other blushes, although my blushes tend to range in the pinks so this matches most of mine just fine. A little goes a looong way so I may not need to repurchase for quite a while (if I could b/c it's LE). NC25-30