Wednesday 25 April 2012

NARS Orgasm Blusher

It feels like a very long time since I wrote this post about cult beauty products that I hadn't tried. Among the items on that list was NARS Orgasm blusher. This blusher still makes a very regular appearance in magazine 'must have' and 'best of year' lists and my SpaceNK N.dulge birthday gift gave me the opportunity to try it for myself. And...I still don't get it!

NARS+Orgasm5

NARS+Orgasm2

NARS+Orgasm+swatch

Orgasm is a pinky peach with rose gold shimmer. There are some fairly chunky bits of shimmer but I'm not sure if this is true of the full size blusher. This sort of colour does seem very popular, I think Le Metier de Beaute's Echo is also quite similar, but despite the hype I just don't believe this colour is universally flattering. I have often wondered if there's an element of the Emperor's New Clothes about the popularity.

On me, this sort of colour makes a very obvious blush rather than enhancing my natural colour. I tend to prefer colours that are more natural to the body as I predominately use makeup to fake a more youthful (and awake) appearance. If I do feel like adding a bit of colour, I will apply to my lips or eyes, rarely my cheeks.

Turtles+NARS+Orgasm2

Turtles+NARS+Orgasm1
Top - Chantecaille Sea Turtles blusher, Bottom - NARS Orgasm

When I do want to go for this sort of shade, I reach for the blusher in my Chantecaille Sea Turtles palette as I find the refined sheen more flattering. It also has a superior texture and pigmentation to the NARS.


NARS+Orgasm3

I have included this last picture as I wanted to show you just how dinky the mini-blusher is. Whilst I might not love the colour, I am drawn in by the cuteness. Just because I'm a grown women it doesn't mean I have to be sensible ALL the time!!

It was really interesting looking back on my old post and seeing just how many of the cult beauty classics I still haven't tried, particularly the Bobbi Brown Creamy Concealer and the YSL Faux Cils. Which cult beauty classics have you never tried? What are your thoughts on Orgasm, are you a lover or are you just puzzled like me?

38 comments:

  1. I love my Nars Orgasm blusher, had it for years and I've only just hit pan!
    http://cherriesinthesnowbeauty.blogspot.co.uk/

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    1. Thanks Kat. From the response it seems to be a bit like Marmite!

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  2. I have looked at the Nars Orgasm blusher, Multiple, the liquid highlighter in the tube and I totally agree with you. Emperor's new clothes! It doesn't suit my colouring (kind of olive-y skin but oddly with a cool undertone, most things look too yellow or orange on me) and far, FAR too glittery. It's not even shimmer, it really is like glitter! I wanted some (for sheer cult value) but there was no point. Definite thumbs down from me.

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    1. Yes, there are definitely chunks of full on glitter. I have a favourite MAC MSF (Northern Lights) and that is the only cheek product with glitter that I can tolerate.

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  3. I don't get it either, it looks pretty on its own yet on my face it looks cheap.

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    1. Do you think it's glitter or the colour that does that mafi. It's good to find so many kindred spirits :)

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  4. I don't actually have the powder blush, but I have the Orgasm Multiple. I loved it at first, but now I rarely use it because after an hour or two all that seems to be left is glitter. That may be okay for my six-year-old daughter, but it's not such a good look on my saggy old face when I'm doing the school run! I'm interested in trying the W3ll People Universalist as a non-glittery alternative.

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    1. The W3LL People Universalists are lovely. The cheek I have is designated matte but it does still have a tiny bit of shimmer in it. Not visible on the face though. I'll be interested to hear how you find Vermeer.

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  5. I don't get the Multiples. Even Bobbi Brown shimmer brick is an overrated product. The shimmer makes my nonexistent pores look huge.

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    1. Oh, the Shimmer Bricks scare me. They look nice enough to look at...hmm, not on my face!

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  6. I actually like the Nars Orgasm blusher! A bit unusual, but I use my beauty blender to apply it and it looks really nice.

    Other cult products...
    the YSL mascara gives a nice effect but it smudges on me as the day wears on.
    LOVE bobbi brown creamy corrector.
    i think the becca shimmering skin perfector is worth it a well.
    shu uemura cleansing oil is alright i guess.
    i could go on and on.

    haha i guess you can tell i've tried more than a few of the more 'famous' products. it's really because when i first got into makeup, i had no idea where to start.

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    1. I absolutely agree with you about becca shimmering skin perfector, it's very nice. I wonder if applying Orgasm with a beauty blender removes the larger chunks of glitter? Thanks for sharing your technique.

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  7. I love it but always wear it over something more neutral - like a Pot Rouge or BB Illuminating powder. *clears throat* I have never tried anything by Chantecaille. *runs and hides*

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    1. There is no shame in never having tried anything by Chantecaille. I only have a couple of things but would love more, *whispers* eyeshadows. *taps nose*

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  8. I resisted Orgasm for years but finally bought it last year. Have to say that I am a fan, for me it's just a no-brainer colour (I have olive skin and it just seems to brighten it up). It's not a must have for me, but more something when I grab when nothing else seems to work or I have no time to think about it too hard!

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    1. It's interesting because it obviously works for some colouring whilst being not being suitable for others. I don't know where the idea that it would suit everyone comes from.

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  9. I'm NC15 and it just goes orange on me - not flattering at all.

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    1. That does not sound good. You've reminded me of NARS Taj Mahal, that colour gives me nightmares! Not one for the fair.

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  10. This doesn't work for me at all. I do think for me it is the peachyness, clashes with my thread veins, and the sparkliness which just clashes with my age! My sister who is warmer toned than me wears it well.

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    1. I tend to view it as a clash for me too, so I know what you mean. NARS has so many blusher shades, I don't know why this myth persists that Orgasm is a one size fits all colour :S

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  11. I don't get orgasm either. It looks horrible on me. Redish, splotchy. Yuck. Doucleur looks much better. So happy to hear someone else with similar thoughts.

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    1. It's good to know that other people have spotted that the Emperor has no clothes on too ;)

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  12. i like it....my wtf product that everyone loves is the maybelline great lash...that stuff sucks like no other, it does NOTHING and maybelline makes other amazing mascaras, but it always shows up on must have lists. why???

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    1. Oh, I hear you on that one. It is wet and runny but allegedly makeup artists love it. We may never understand!

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  13. I too find Orgasm a bit Emperor's new clothes, the main colour would be fine but the hideous amounts of glitter and shimmer put me off.

    I have a similar thing with The Multiples, I love them but the shimmer can be a bit full on.

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    1. I've never tried any of The Multiples but always wanted to. I hadn't realised they were a shimmer-fest.

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  14. I'm a cool, pale olive too and this is rancid on me.

    Not a fan :D

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    1. I should have kept a tally. There definitely seem to be more nays than yays :D

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  15. Definitely not universally flattering, in fact anything remotely rose gold looks awful on me! Purple-gold yes (think Laura Mercier African Violet eyeshadow),but not this!

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    1. Ooh, African Violet sounds lovely. I'm going to have to investigate. It sounds similar to MAC Trax.

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  16. Thanks for this post! I totally agree--altho I didn't always. 10+ years ago, I wore Orgasm every single day and adored the way it looked on my (pale) skin. The color was really good--but somehow I never noticed the glitter. Maybe my bathroom was too dark to see them when I applied the blush? Anyway, after about a year of wearing it daily, someone I'd taken a year-long course with said she'd loved getting to know me--and my gold-sparkly cheeks. Aaargh! How could I not have seen the glitter before? So, yeah, that was it for me and Orgasm. Never again.

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    1. Eek, You must have wondered what she was talking about to start with!

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  17. I bought NARS Orgasm blush 3x's not because I finished it. It was because I didn't see the hype and ended up swapping or giving it away. I rebought it thinking maybe I missed something. By the third and final time which I ended up giving to my friend's teenage daughter; I knew it doesn't belong with me!

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    1. What do they say about three's a charm? If you ever feel the urge for a fourth, just come back and read this! ;)

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  18. It's a popular color...but honestly? I don't LOVE it myself. It's too warm, too glittery, just...meh. I can see how it appeals to others but there are other shades I prefer much better.

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    1. I definitely think NARS have plenty of other good colours, I don't know why the obsession with Orgasm. Maybe someone needs to consult Freud :D

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  19. I find it too glittery and sparkly too. Not a fan.

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    1. It definitely sounds like we're not alone in not loving it.

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