NARS: A Brand known for blushes so pretty and provocative they should be Unlawful

If there’s one thing NARS is known for more than their pigmented blushes, it’s their provocative names of their blushes. Orgasm, Deep Thoat… *nudge nudge wink wink* So, a new blush by the sedate name of Unlawful, seems almost plain. But plain this blush isn’t. In fact, in some countries where the risque names are a little frowned upon in polite conversation, the naughtier names are replaced by numbers. So by way of example, Orgasm is listed as #4013 in the tester tray and this is true not just here in Malaysia but also in Japan, I’m told.

Unlawful was released in the Fall 2014 Night Caller collection but is a permanent item. Hallelujah! I like it when brands do that. Enough of all the limited edition stuff. Some items deserve to be made permanent!

NARS has described Unlawful as an “amber pink with silver pearls” and while I have no idea what amber pink entails, to my untrained eye, it looks like a warm peach with a rosy tone. Peach. I started out wearing peach blushes way back in the day, and it only took me 10 years to realise that I look better in pink. Bah 😛 But you know, I took this for a spin and while I can’t say with 100% certainty that I love this blush, I do think this is a nice shade that will look slightly different on everyone depending on your skintone and that’s what makes makeup fun, my friends! 😀

Here’s a slightly better approximation of the shade. I’ve actually been using this blush for quite a while now, but you can see that the surface etchings are still relatively pristine. The reason is because I have to be careful to use a light hand on my lighter skintone. The colour pay off is fairly good, but on very dark skintones, you may have problem having colour show up. I think this is most effortless on a medium skintone where you don’t need to be as careful with colour showing up too strongly.

I find that this looks fairly warm toned when worn and if you look closely in the pan, you will see a lot of silver glitter. I think that’s the “silver pearls” NARS meant. But it is this silver shimmer that I feel makes this blush more wearable for me than if it had contained golden shimmer which would then have made it more warm toned.

Here’s a swatch on my arm to show you what it looks like. I swatched it fairly heavily using my finger and it is a point to note that few people will wear a colour this strongly at any one time, so this is just purely for estimation purposes. The texture feels rather dry and hard to the touch although it’s quite easy to pick up product with a brush.

Unlawful swatches on my skin a rosy peach with a silvery sheen that cools the colour down. You may see the glitter bits on my arm but I can assure you that these glitter bits do not translate onto the face when you wear it. At least I’ve never noticed any chunky glitter on my cheeks, nor do I find this blush to be overly shimmery the way Orgasm can be.

Here’s how it looks when I wear Unlawful. I didn’t wear it too strongly and you may see the sheen of shimmer on the apples of the cheeks. I find that if I wear too much of it, it can make me look sunburnt and I’ve been told then that I look dark. But a light dab blended out gives a healthy flush to the cheeks.

What I also like to do is to add on a dab of pink blush on the apple of the cheeks. So, I’d wear Unlawful along the sides by way of a “contour” and then use a pop of pink on the apples for colour and to lift the complexion.

It then looks something like this. Unlawful as a base, and a tiny pop of pink on the apples over Unlawful. I think it’s a nice colour to look out for if you want something fairly neutral that gives a more natural flush to the cheeks. The pink isn’t very obvious and neither is the peach and the shimmer, despite how it looks in pan is fairly subtle. Not an immediate standout winner, but one to look to nonetheless.

IN A NUTSHELL

NARS Unlawful blush is a new permanent shade of blush that is described as amber pink. It is fairly warm toned with a rosy-peach hue that on my skin applies quite neutral and more peach than pink. When used on its own, I have to be careful not to overdo it or it can make me look sunburnt or have unnatural stripes down my cheeks. I like to use it as a base blush and then add on a pop of light pink blush over to lift the colour and complexion. Light skinned ladies will have to use a lighter hand while medium skinned ladies will be able to use this more easily and effortlessly.

PROS: Gives skin a healthy, natural flush, Easy to pick up product with a brush, Pigmented so only a little product is needed

CONS: Texture feels dry and hard to the touch although it is easy to pick up product with a brush, Chunky glitter in pan and shimmer may not sit well with everyone although the glitter does not show on the skin

WHO WILL LIKE THIS: Anyone who likes wearing a peachy toned blush, Anyone who has a warmer skintone

Did you notice the new Unlawful blush? Do you like blush shades like this one?

I wouldn’t usually wear a blush of this shade, but it’s nice to move out of your comfort zone once in a while. After all, how many pink blushes can a girl have? On second thoughts, don’t answer that 😀

Paris B

NARS Unlawful Blush Price: RM120 Availability: NARS Store at Pavilion Kuala Lumpur