NARS has the ability to either turn you off with high prices and so so products or elicit an unquenchable desire to try their latest collections. I used to be in the last camp, but then I got a little bored and didn’t bother with them as much. That was until recently when I was pulled back in by their gorgeous Velvet Matte Skin Tint and since then I’ve been showing them a little more interest. The newest NARS booty in my house is this little blush ‘Impassioned’ which is part of their current Spring line and an instant winner for pale skin tones which means it’s won me over straight away.
I know, I know, NARS blushes can be seriously over rated (I don’t get the appeal of Orgasm at all) and they’re very pricey for a slim slab of colour. However, when you get a good NARS blush, you seriously can’t go wrong and Sex Appeal remains one of my absolute top blushes of all time and will be forever repurchased. Impassioned admittedly doesn’t look like much in the pan but it’s actually a great little blush. It’s a no brainer for pale girls, straddling the line between being just pigmented enough to show up nicely on while remaining subtle enough to look natural. The downside is, if you have a darker skin tone you may struggle to get a great finish with this so I’d probably point you in the direction of some of the fabulous strong shades in the line. However, if you’re reasonably pale like myself, sit tight as this may be right up your street.
This is described as a rich orchid shade and this translates to a soft, muted rosy pink tint that leans reasonably cool on my skin for some reason but has some warmth. This is blissfully matte which I think is the best finish for NARS blushes as I add my own highlighter anyway and find the shimmer shades a little too unforgiving on my larger pores. The fact this is a matte powder blush also means this will last very well throughout the day which is impressive for a reasonably sheer blush. I have to say I really like it and always thank the makeup gods when a blush comes along that works for my skintone effortlessly. I also don’t currently have any other shades like this in my stash which is an added bonus.
The downside here is that this it’s €30 which isn’t exactly spare change, especially for a day time blush. If you’re happy with your budget blushes, then there’s no need to dip your toe into this particular pool, but if like me you have this ongoing itch that only a luxury buy can scratch, this is a gorgeous colour that would easily slip seamlessly into a pale girl’s makeup bag. It’s not one for darker skin tones unless you really love a subtle blush, but lighter skintones will find this to be a great everyday workhorse and one that will repay you for the costly output.
NARS Impassioned is available from NARS counters or ASOS here for international orders
So ladies how do you feel about NARS and is this blush doing it for you?
*This review contains samples but it also contains no b******t