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Home » Face » Blush » NARS: A Brand known for blushes so pretty and provocative they should be Unlawful

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

October 1, 2014 Paris B 14 Comments

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.

nars unlawful blush

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! 😀

nars unlawful blush

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.

nars unlawful blush

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.

nars unlawful swatch

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.

nars unlawful fotd

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.

nars unlawful fotd

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

nars unlawful blush

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

14 Insightful comments ... Read or JOIN THE DISCUSSION
Disclosure: Featured product was a press sample for consideration. Our commitment is to honesty and fairness. For posting guidelines please read the disclaimer.

About Paris B

Paris B is a 40-something beauty and skincare enthusiast with a practical and very critical view of beauty products and the world of beauty. Her mission on My Women Stuff is to deliver clear, honest reviews and facilitate discussions about beauty trends and life, tempered with a healthy dose of humour. When not blogging about beauty or life beyond 40 find her talking about feeding dogs real, wholesome food. Connect with us on social media at Instagram.

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14 comments ... Read or JOIN THE DISCUSSION

  1. Fathin says

    October 1, 2014 at 9:25 am

    This blush looks lovely on you but if you need to use it as a base instead of alone, I guess not much to offer, huh? But I love the description of the shade, sounds pretty!

    I’ve been trying other brands but in the end, I always end up with Bobbi Brown 😀

    Reply
    • Paris B says

      October 6, 2014 at 5:21 pm

      Thanks Fathin 🙂 Actually no, it looks fine on its own as well but it’s less flattering on me on its own than a pink blush hence my using it as a base 🙂 Bobbi Brown recently reformulated their blushes! I love their blushes so I’m itching to try them 😀

      Reply
  2. Marina(Makeup4all) says

    October 1, 2014 at 6:23 pm

    My favourite NARS blush in Mounia. But I have a similar shade from a different brand, although I barely wear shades like this now.

    Reply
    • Paris B says

      October 6, 2014 at 5:22 pm

      Ooh Mounia! I remember when that came out 😀 I can’t wear it but I can imagine it’d look amazing on you! Why don’t you wear colours like these anymore, Marina?

      Reply
  3. aisyah says

    October 1, 2014 at 7:36 pm

    Skipping this. It kinda reminds me of Rockateur in the way that they both look rather tan with applied heavily. I love pink blushes too! Tried a few peaches in the past but none of them makes me look as fresh and girly as pink blushers. 🙂

    Reply
    • Paris B says

      October 6, 2014 at 5:23 pm

      Hmm interesting you mentioned Rockateur! This is a much lighter (and for me, more wearable) version 😀 But there’s just something so uplifting about pink blush isn’t there? Although I’ve noticed that on those who have very warm skintones, peach blushes look amazing!

      Reply
  4. gio says

    October 2, 2014 at 12:17 am

    That looks very pretty on you! But I prefer to wear pink blushes too. I think they suit me better.

    Reply
    • Paris B says

      October 6, 2014 at 5:26 pm

      Thank you Gio! 🙂 I think it’s good to know what colours suit us so we don’t make horrible mistakes the way I did in my early makeup years 😀

      Reply
  5. Tracy@Beauty Reflections says

    October 2, 2014 at 2:36 am

    I think it looks great on you! I like this one a lot. It’s such a different shade, but it works for me!

    Reply
    • Paris B says

      October 6, 2014 at 5:26 pm

      Thanks Tracy and I remember how amazing it looked on you! I don’t mind this but I like it more when I add on some pink – adds the oomph! 😉

      Reply
  6. Lily says

    October 2, 2014 at 11:06 am

    Oooh! Something right up my alley!! Looks amazing on you PB 🙂

    Reply
    • Paris B says

      October 6, 2014 at 5:32 pm

      Thanks Lily 🙂 And another permanent item to add to your list to check out! 😉

      Reply
  7. Sam Still Reading says

    October 5, 2014 at 3:02 pm

    I’m a pink girl too but always up for an adventure. I think I’ll go swatch this. I love your blue top in the first pic!

    Reply
    • Paris B says

      October 6, 2014 at 6:18 pm

      Thanks Sam 😀 Definitely test it out – never know how it looks/will work till you try!

      Reply

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Welcome to My Women Stuff, a beauty blog based in Malaysia, written by veteran blogger, Paris B. We now write for women of 40 and above because that's how old I am! What you can expect is honesty, critical views & a healthy dose of shared life lessons sprinkled amongst beauty product reviews. Settle in for a read. Read More about us

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