NARS : Blame It On Nars Cheek Palette

NARS was admittedly an unfamiliar territory for me but I know that NARS was the authority for blushes, and it's only natural for my first purchase to be one of Francois Nars' bests. I've decided to go for the summer cheek palette, Blame It On Nars. It was gorgeous. The colour play between the four lovely blushes and the graphics of the packaging swooned me. NARS categorised this as a limited edition summer palette, but at first glance, I can see that this palette is able to go all season round. There are two cool-toned colours and two warm-toned colours - two gorgeous blushes, a bronzer/contour powder and a rich highlighting blush.

Packaging & Content :

The Blame It On Nars palette comes in an acrylic packaging instead of their usual rubberised compact (which I find can get a tad dirty if you don't store it carefully). It also has a very beautiful cover print and "NARS" frosted on the acrylic glass in white (love). The palette comes with -

Satellite of Love highlighting blush (Andy Warhol Pop Holiday 2012 Collection) *
Day Dream blush (Guy Bourdin Holiday 2013 Collection) *
New Attitude blush (Nars Final Cut Nordstrom Exclusive Collection) *
Casino bronzing powder 
& an Ita Kabuki Brush No. 28 **

*limited edition 
**discontinued

L to R (top row) : Satellite of Love, Casino,

L to R (bottom row) : Day Dream, New Attitude

Price :

This palette retails for MYR269, which is still quite pricey. But I completely think the otherwise after breaking down the prices of each product. For the 3 blushes in the palette, you get almost 83.3% from the full-size pan blushes (the palette contains 4g while the full-size is 4.8g) and as for the bronzer you get 3/5 of the full-size in this palette. The Ita Kabuki No. 28 has permanently been discontinued and it is only sold with palette collections while 3 of the blushes are from limited edition collections (only available online), so that's something to consider as well. The Ita Kabuki No. 28 alone retailed at MYR164 and the powders in total would cost you MYR412. That's MYR576 in actual cost. You're paying 50% less. So, I'd say that this is a steal. 


Texture, Colour and Use :

Satellite of Love

I'd describe this highlighting blush as a very warm beige-y nude which has a lot of sparkle in it. The sparkles in Satellite of Love remind me a lot of the Illusion d'Ombre by Chanel where the shimmer in the product twinkles on your skin, rather than giving it a sheen. I swatched this next to The Balm's Mary Lou Manizer and Benefit's Watts Up and I find that Satellite of Love leans super warm and has much more colour than the other two which are both pale golds with more of a sheen to them. The shimmer particles in Satellite of Love dispersed quite sheer and very scattered, it has a less concentrated look to it which won't leave harsh edges when applied. It gives a lift to the skin, which I like when my skin is feeling dull. This highlighter is a limited edition product from the Andy Warhol line. You can purchase it individually here and here.

L to R : Benefit's Watts Up, NARS' Satellite of Love, The Balm's Mary Lou Manizer

Day Dream 

Day Dream is a gorgeous light-medium pink with coral undertones. On me, it pulls more pink then coral and I can spot a teeny tiny bit of gold shimmers on the skin when applied. I think of this colour as something I would go for on a brunch date or mixed in slightly with a bronzer (think AERIN 01 Natural). I find that I prefer to use this over my Chanel tweeds because of the buttery texture. Chanel blushes can be quite scratchy sometimes  (especially the baked blushes) whereas this feel so smooth on the skin. I don't use the Ita Kabuki for the blushes as I prefer to use it exclusively for contouring. Instead, I opt for my trusty Bobbi Brown blush brush. Softest brush ever. The product distributes evenly and since I use a very light hand with my application, I do need to build it up to the intensity I want, which I don't mind since I'm using such a soft brush, it feels almost therapeutic. Day Dream is also a NARS exclusive from the Guy Bourdin Holiday Collection and it's practically sold out everywhere, but you can try your luck on eBay.

New Attitude

New Attitude is something you can get addicted to very quickly. Against my skin tone, New Attitude is a bright blue-based baby pink that looks absolutely gorgeous on the skin. The finish is a satiny matte finish, I believe that there's no shimmer in this blush. It looks shockingly bright in the pan but it applies softer and more subtle than I expected. I should think that if you have a fairer skin tone, it will show up as it would in pan, so swipe the brush on the back of your hand first. I like to wear New Attitude with the Casino bronzer, it's the ultimate pairing that looks delicious on the skin, and softens Casino which gives me the glow that I was looking for all my life (lol dramatic). I swear guys, NARS and Guy Bourdin really killed it with this one. I am really glad that this palette came with New Attitude and Day Dream instead of Orgasm (which is almost all the palette NARS have had before) and some other colour. New Attitude is truly a unique colour in the blush department. There's a full-size compact here. When I said a full-size, I do mean it literally - because there's only 1 left.

L to R : Satellite of Love, Day Dream, New Attitude, Casino

Casino 

Now this bronzing powder is described as a diffused deep brown with golden shimmers on the NARS website. It comes off exactly as described on the warmth of my skin (because of said golden shimmers) and it has a beautiful olive undertone to it, so it doesn't become too orange on the skin. I hardly contour with Casino as this is a true bronzer. Unlike The Balm's Bahama Mama bronzing powder, which has a grey tinge to it, making it a perfect contour shade, the Casino bronzer is to be used sparingly with the Ita Kabuki (or any contour brushes) to diffuse it on the temples of your forehead and across the cheekbones in circular motions. It is definitely for people who are more experienced with bronzing/contouring because the colour payoff is so intense. But I love it. It may work on the fairer skin tones if you use a light hand. Sparingly. The Casino bronzer is very different from Laguna as Laguna leans golden while Casino is a true brown with olive undertones. 

Ita Kabuki Brush No. 28 

Ita Kabuki No. 28 :

This brush has medium-densely packed bristles, which allows me to pick up enough product without overdoing it. The bristles are fairly long and soft, and the handles of the brush are short for better control. The shape of the brush is perfect for both contouring and for an all over glow. The brush has a straight cut with a very narrow and flat shape to it. I use the straight edge of the brush to concentrate the colour and to sculpt the cheekbones. For an all over glow, simply sweep the brush as you would with a blush brush lightly across the perimeters of the face. I love that the Ita Kabuki No. 28 is not too densely packed and feels soft and luxurious on the skin. I don't think I'll be purchasing the No. 21 (which is essentially the same brush but with a longer handle) because I find that the short handle is an advantage to get better control. It's not your usual brush but it's an interesting one to have in your collection. 

Application :

I primed my entire face with the Hourglass Veil primer, cancel out any redness on the skin with the RMK Super Basic Concealer (a hot poured concealer which is a great alternative of Laura Mercier's Secret Camouflage) and paired the look with a nude lipstick so that it doesn't compete and overpower the blushes. 

I've used the New Attitude blush instead of Day Dream, because I lav it and it shows up better on-camera. As for contour and highlight, I applied Satellite of Love at the highest points of my face with a Real Techniques Contour Brush (on the cupid's bow, top of the cheekbones, bridge of the nose, between the brows), and the Casino bronzer on the temples of my forehead, across the hairline and at the cheekbones with the Ita Kabuki Brush No.28 . The overall effect brings out the warmth of my skin and makes the nude lip look more lively, in my opinion. 

I'm very glad that this palette was my first purchase at NARS and it has made me fall head over heels with the brand. Texture of the powders are top-notch quality and I've been lugging this palette in my school bag on a daily basis (mainly because I do my makeup in the car). It doesn't need reapplication and lasts through the afternoon heat, monsoon rain, studios with malfunctioning airconds, lunch at mamaks, just about anything really- which is expected from NARS. Overall, I'd say give this palette a go if you missed out on the limited edition blushes and highlights, which it such a good addition to any makeup collection because the colours are unique. If not, you are sure to find something you'll like from their Steven Klein collection, which I am sure is just as amazing. I am definitely a converted #NARSISSIST. So yes, 

 I do Blame It On Nars. 

x FARAH 

Full List of Products Used :

Hourglass Veil Mineral Primer SPF15

Diorskin Star Concealer in 02
Blame It On Nars cheek palette (duh)
RMK Super Basic Concealer in 2

Clinique Superfine Liner for Brows

Eyeko Tinted Brow Gel

Chanel Inimitable Mascara in Noir

Marc Jacobs New Nudes in Anais
Real Techniques Detailer Brush
Real Techniques Contour Brush
RMK Eyelash Curler