little white truths

Above is the pan in direct sunlight and below in natural light. You can see that it does look purple and has a light shimmer, which isn't as pronounced as many others in the Nars range.

Now for face shots. I've built it up in the first few so you can really see it, and below that I've just applied a little, as I would normally wear it (and when it's softer, it does start to look less purple and more red).

Wearing a heavy application, natural light:

Verdict

While this is a good product and I understand why people go nuts for Nars blushes, my feelings on the product are influenced by how it looks on me. 

The lass who sold me the blush said it was her favourite from Nars, and that she'd seen it look different on everyone. In store it looked more plum on me, which is what I wanted. Unfortunately when I got home, I saw that it looked a lot more red and more shimmery than I'd first thought.

The shimmer isn't over-the-top (unlike eg Lustre or Orgasm), but do be aware that it's definitely there and it's worth testing the product in different lights, just to check you're ok with it.

Indeed, one of my gripes with Nars blushes and eyeshadows is that not enough matte options are available. They do exist, but Nars is a shimmer-heavy range and that doesn't appeal to everyone.

One thing that surprised me about Nars powders - both the blushes and the eyeshadows - is that most of them are quite hard and sheer, which wasn't what I was expecting from a high-end brand. If I compare this to eg my HG blushes from Becca, Hourglass and Kevyn Aucoin, this doesn't feel as luxe in texture because it's not as soft and creamy as the others, and I do prefer my powder products to feel more creamy (but of course that's all personal preference).

Do note that it does get a little softer in texture once you've used the top layer, but it's still on the hard side and that took a bit of getting used to. Despite this, it's finely milled and I have no complaints in terms of how it applies.

The blush blends and wears well, and I do like that it's a little on the sheer side so you can build the colour as desired and you're less prone to make mistakes because the pigment isn't so strong that you have to be careful.

The shimmer is a little too pronounced for my personal tastes, and it can look frosty once you start building the colour, which means that it can emphasise pores a bit so that's something to be aware of.

In swatches it looks more cool-toned, but when applied to the face (at least on me) it looks more warm. That may be in part due to the gold shimmer, but it's mostly because it looks red on my face for most of the year.

When I'm tanned and apply it with a heavier hand, it looks more plum (as I'd hoped), but I don't wear my blush that heavily so the colour isn't quite what I wanted and it's one I rarely reach for. I should say that I don't like how most reds look on me - whether worn on my cheeks or lips - and I tend to go for things that are more orange, coral, peach or purple in tone.

In sum, I do think this is a good product and I understand why many people love Nars blushes (they do apply and last well), but this isn't love for me unfortunately because the blush doesn't look how I expected it to on my cheeks.

What's your favourite Nars blush? I'd love to hear : )