Nars "Orgasm" blusher is one of those products that every beauty junkie seems to have and talk about. I bought mine after reading about it so many times on message boards. I had a visit to London a few years back and decided to take the plunge.
Nars blushers don't come cheap. I think this cost about £18.00 ( quick visit to the Nars website shows a current price of £18.50).
Now, one of the reasons I bought this was that I had seen mentioned how pigmented the blusher was. However, on the Nars website it states that the blusher gives a soft and sheer look. When I have tried testers in store, there has always been plenty of pigment. Though I think that's been helped along by the oils in a thousand other fingers that have poked at the testers.
I don't really have an opinion either way with the packaging. Some hate it as it gets really grubby. I haven't really noticed mine doing that. I'm not storing it with a load of powder, it just sits happily in a large drawer with my other blushers.
This blusher is a pinky peachy with golden shimmer. It's meant to be a universally flattering shade, but I honestly can't see it working that well for those with a deep skin tone. It's a very popular shade with Nars stating this to be their best selling product (or so I've been told at just about *every* visit to a counter).
I'm not a fan of this particular blusher. I love the colour in the pan, but this particular blusher just does not work for me. On my skin it shows up as only the barest hint of pink with quite a bit of golden shimmer. I wanted more pigmentation for my £18.00! Just as well that this is a popular shade and a quick reach into my blusher drawer revealed 3 dupes. I'm sure I could have found more if I looked through properly but these were sat on the top after obviously being recently used!
The top one is Urban Decay "Score", which costs around £10/£11. The pink base is stronger and it shows up much better on my skin.
Lower left is The Body Shop "Golden Pink", which costs £8ish (I think). It's not as pigmented as "Score" and doesn't have so much gold shimmer. There is a tiny amount of sparkle in it.
Lower right is Milani "Luminous" which is the closest colour-wise to "Orgasm". This one cost me around $6.00 from someone I used the chat to in the US. It's more pigmented than "Orgasm" and a heck of a lot cheaper!
I don't really have an issue with blushers fading on me. These will all last on me throughout the day (or evening). At least with "Orgasm" there is still gold shimmer on my cheeks at the end of the day!
My camera utterly failed to show any swatches I tried to do.
Do I really need to say anything about the name?
Hmm, interesting. I've always really wanted to try this blusher out, but maybe I should test it in a store before I do that, because like you, I'm pale and I may not love it either.
ReplyDeleteI have Score from UD and love that though :)
I purchased this NARS blush about 2 weeks ago to for exactly the same reasons...just had to see what all the fuss is about. I like it and have used it alot, but I agree, there are definately some cheaper alternatives!Thanks for the comparisons!
ReplyDeleteI don't have this one yet. But it's on my wish list.
ReplyDeleteThe first time I saw the Nars products in person, I went and swatched Orgasm and really, I didn't get what the hype was about. I ended up getting Deep Throat (another very politically correct name), which is much prettier and that I really like.
ReplyDeleteI have the Milani Luminous (new version) from eBay, and I don't use it that much but for that price it really doesn't matter. (I think it's not very pigmented)
wow that was an honest review gurl! till now i've mostly heard only great things about it. You saved my 18 quid heh
ReplyDelete@Sophie - seriously, it's not that special. Other colours from Nars are better but Orgasm is such a common, universal shade that there's no point in spending £18 on it. Score is 1039889750984504 times better.
ReplyDelete@LeeAnn - It's pretty, if I can be bothered to layer it enough to show up.
@Biba - I'd recommend going for the Urban Decay one instead.
@Musing on Beauty - Other blushers from Nars are better. I've got a couple more and they're really nice. Orgasm just isn't their best!
@Shifa - If you like the colour, get the UD one instead :)
Great review, I've been hesitating over this one for such a long time. I have Crazed (which is hard for me to wear) and Angelika (which I love) but this one I've always felt there would be better cheaper dupes out there. The milani dupe has been on my wishlist for a longgg time. Think it's discontinued now though..
ReplyDeleteI'll have to check out Score, thank for the comparisons! xx
I think Nars-Orgasm is way overrated!
ReplyDeleteThere are so many blushes similar to it out there.
I bet I could name a few more dupes of this product that is way cheaper and maybe even better:)
I myself have been wanting to try orgasm. My skin is light like yours. I have heard from other beauty sites, the most comparable to orgasm is Benefit cosmetics blush called coralista. It is supposedly better and I think it is a little pricier but you get much more product. Have you tried this one??? This one is on my makeup list. Hoping that it is a nice color for fair skin.
ReplyDeleteThanks so much for your review!
ReplyDeleteI was one of those people who tried the shade in the store after hearing about the hype, and then bought it because I absolutely loved it. It gives me a nice flush, and I completely cannot be bothered to spend more than 2 seconds on sweeping blush on haha. The color is gorgeous on me, and it shows up very well (and I'm waaaaaay darker complected than you). I've been using it almost everyday for almost five months now, and I have barely scratched the surface, so it'll last me a long time.
I'm sorry that you didn't like the product and it didn't show up well on your skin, but thanks so much for being honest :) Have a great day!
I agree with you! I use the MAC 163 angle brush to apply 'Orgasm' but man, it is NOT very pigmented! SO disappointed! I was at Sephora the other day and wished that I had bought the cream 'Orgasm' blush from NARS instead. A much better product in my view.
ReplyDeleteI received Nars Orgasm blush as a gift from a friend who raves constantly about it. I do love it but never would have paid the price of it- Milani's Mai Tai blush works as well, and comes across as a bit more pink and pigmented, with a goldish shimmer.
ReplyDelete