It’s been a while since NARS has focused on cheeks and finally we have some new shades! I’m a massive fan of the NARS blush formula and thrilled to see new additions.
There’re 10 brand new blushes hitting the shelves this February for a total of 26 shades. The lineup is pretty comprehensive with almost every colour family well represented. I personally hoped for more nudes, especially since my all time favourite NARS blush Madly will be discontinued.. However, i’m loving the new additions and already stocked up with backups on what I’ll miss from the old collection.
At the preview I noticed some of the new shades had an improved formula in comparison to my old NARS blushes. It’ll be interesting to see how the beauty community receives these. The formula is now more pigmented, swatching a lot more smoother with much finer shimmer (in the shimmery shades)!
I’ve been playing with a few new colours that I received, and it almost seems NARS is on the verge of revamping their blushes like they did with the eyeshadows in these past two years.
The lineup, (new shades marked with an *)
Orgasm X* – shimmering coral pink with gold pearl
Tempted* – silky shimmering beige
Illicit* – warm peachy brown with a satin finish
Savage* – shimmering mid tone bronze
Zen* – neutral mid tone matte brown
Behave* – neutral matte mauve
Dominate* – reddened bronze chrome
Aroused* – matte deep berry
Thrill* – matte blue toned pink
Coeur Battant* – matte bright blue toned pink
Orgasm – peachy pink with gold shimmer
Bumpy Ride – a bright peachy pink in a satin finish
Deep Throat – soft peachy pink with a golden sheen
Sex Appeal – matte pale peachy pink
Gina – muted matte peach
Torrid – warm shimmery mid tone coral
Liberté – neutral toned brick red
Lustre – peach with gold shimmer
Amour – matte mauve-y pink
Taos – reddened brick with golden shimmer
Dolce Vita – dusty rose in a satin finish
Sin – neutral mauve with a golden sheen
Mata Hari – dusty mid toned muted pink
Exhibit A – bright orangey red
Taj Mahal – mandarine orange with shimmer
Impassioned – matte pale pink mauve
The most anticipated within the newly launched shades is Orgasm X. A brighter, bolder version of the original. The shimmer is a lot finer and smoother, which is perfect since I love my shimmers subtle!
Top to Bottom it’s, Tempted, Orgasm X and Dominate. My top three picks from the collection.
Swatched, Orgasm X is a bright coral pink. My first thought was how PERFECT this would be for summer when my tan starts showing. It’ll compliment medium skin tones so well!
Dominate on the other hand would be one for a bolder look, a burnished red that would balance a striking makeup look. I usually gravitate to shades like these for the night. The formula of all three were EXCELLENT. And for anyone with a medium deep complexion i’d highly recommend this one.
Tempted is more of a highlighter on me. It was the second blush that caught my eye. I loved how smooth and buttery this feels in the pan, the formula almost feels soft! It’s an unusual colour for blush and has a gorgeous sheen, on my medium fair complexion it’s almost golden. For even fairer skin tones this would almost be a very natural peachy nude. For reference, this looks very similar in finish to NARS Hot Sand delivering a very subtle/natural look.
Bottom Line
The colours are fantastic and i’m obsessed! There were a few shades I swatched that didn’t quite hit the mark (like Aroused which was very difficult to swatch as it felt a bit too dry, and Zen that was almost blending in with my skin tone and was also difficult to pick up). Other than a few misses, they are overall very promising.
I’d love to see more with the same formula as Dominate and the new Orgasm X. The quality was actually superb and i’ve got my fingers crossed, hoping they’d make some more!
Launch Date
4th February at the NARS Boutique at Takashimaya. With each blush retailing at SGD52