little white truths

This review has been a long time coming. I must have owned this travel-sized Nars blush for almost two years now, but it's only recently that I've used it enough to review it.

Why? Because I just don't like it. I know, I know, everyone loves this thing. But I can't get past the chunky gold glitter that highlights all my imperfections and also makes my cheeks look like they're wearing reflective gold helmets. Just not a good look on me. More on that below.

Do note that I didn't buy this. Of course I didn't: I'd swatched it in-store and knew the glitter would be a problem.  

Instead it was included in a Mecca Beauty Loop box, and while I did consider passing it on, I decided to keep it because it would be good for comparison swatches at least and I can use it as an eyeshadow (which is how I'm currently panning it), although to be honest I don't like it for that purpose either because it gives my eyelids wrinkles I never knew I had.

Nars claims/product details:

• The ideal blush to brighten and rejuvenate your complexion
• Available in a range of colours to suit all skintones
• Provides natural, healthy looking colour to the face as you build to your desired level of intensity
• With a silky texture in matte and shimmer finishes, skin is left with a radiant luminosity 
• 'Orgasm' is described as a 'pinky peach with gold shimmer'
• RRP $44 AUD for 4.8g

There's a shot of the pan, indirect sunlight:

Heavy and light swatches, indirect sunlight:

Direct sunlight:

Below I've swatched it alongside theBalm's Hot Mama blush, which is often cited as a reasonable dupe for Orgasm (although you'll see that they're quite different).

Direct sunlight:

Verdict

God, where do I start. I've given it a 'disappointing products' tag so perhaps we'll just start with that and go from there.

It's a powder blush and it has quite a dry, grainy texture. Indeed, all the Nars powders I've tried (whether blushes, bronzers or eyeshadows) have a pretty dry texture, which is one of the things I don't like about them because they tend to look dry on my already-dry skin, and it's why I struggle to wear them as eyeshadows in particular because they crinkle up my eyelids something chronic.

It applies and blends well, and when I first applied this I thought 'gosh, what a pretty colour' but then of course I moved towards the window, and before I even had a good dose of sunlight or even natural light on my skin, that's when I saw the gold.

Man, is this thing gold. It's more gold than peachy pink, and the shimmer highlights every fine line or open pore on my cheeks, plus it gives me wrinkles I never knew I had when I wear it on the eyes. On top of that, as mentioned above, it makes my cheeks look like they're wearing reflective gold helmets. Ach. Not a good look on me.

Do note that the heavy swatches above took me AGES to build (something like a dozen strokes of my finger) because all I was getting from this was a whole lot of gold and very little pigment. I even had to dig out some product with my fingernail to get enough pigment so you could see it properly. 

By comparison, the Balm's Hot Mama took me about three strokes, so there's more pigment in that and I would recommend it over this one any day, especially because it's cheaper. They are different though: Orgasm looks a lot more pink and Hot Mama looks more coral peach/red when you swatch them alongside each other.

Yes this blush wears well throughout the day but that's really the only thing it's got going for it in my books. I know that a lot of people swear by this blush, but I suspect that pores aren't an issue for them like they are for me (it may look good on a 20yo with good skin). 

Overall I can't recommend this product and I think it's overpriced for what it is. It doesn't feel like a high-end blush in texture and it emphasises every imperfection on my face, plus the chunky gold glitter just isn't my cup of tea.

Not for me.