NARS Audacious Lipstick in 'Juliette'

audacious: adjective; showing a willingness to take surprisingly bold risks. 

NARS recently came out with their 'Audacious' line of lipsticks-- a line promising to be a 'modern lipstick that dresses up lips with bold coverage and ultrasoft texture.' With such high claims, I had to try this lippie out for myself! The color I tried is 'Juliette,' a  pinky coral color:

The bright lippie is housed in a super modern and sleek rectangular package. The NARS logo is both printed on the outside of the container in a matte black as well as lasered into the lipstick. The cap closes with a magnetic closure. The seal is strong so you won't have to worry about the cap slipping off in your purse.  This lipstick feels super weighty in your hands which I personally love. This lipstick is $32, so at such a high price point there better be some luxurious packaging!

The lipstick is a matte formula that is quite creamy on the skin. The color doesn't skip at all or apply patchily. On my hand, Juliette swatched as a warm coral with a lot of pink in it. On my lips, however, the color is very vibrant orange: 

natural lighting

This is why we try colors on in the store, people! This color was not what I was expecting it to look like (particularly because my sister wears this shade and it looks stunning on her!). The color certainly packs a punch and I found the wear time to be solid.  The matte formula was surprisingly comfortable (not moisturizing!) and the color was as NARS promised: bold! 

I do enjoy this lipstick and would like to pick out another color. I found it to be comfortable to wear and easy to work with, not to mention the packaging is so sleek and elegant!
The NARS Audacious lipsticks are $32 for 0.14oz of product and are an Allure best of beauty winner.

Check these lippies out at Sephora here!

xxSJ

Cult Favorite: NARS 'Orgasm' Blush

There's a reason some products get a cult following and NARS Orgasm Blush has many of them. This cheeky product is well known for its golden shimmer, peachy pink color, and universally flattering consistency. 

Here's the peach color everyone's crazy about! This color is the perfect warm tone that is just pink enough to be noticeable, just peach enough to remain understated, and just shimmery enough to add some highlighting power for a sun-kissed glowing look. NARS blushes also have brilliant formulations that are easy to build and blend. They pack some pigment while remaining totally wearable. 

I think all NARS blushes deserve praise and attention for their quality, but I think NARS Orgasm specifically got its cult following because of its tongue in cheek name. NARS product names are pretty daring and its undoubtedly naughty feeling when someone asks what you're wearing on your cheeks and you get to go 'Oh, Orgasm.' This cult product is well-deserving of its following as I have doubts that many if any people would find they flat out dislike this blush. However, I would recommend trying on different shades if you're interested in a NARS blush! There are other gorgeous muted blushes that are just as beautiful as Orgasm like Deep Throat and Douceur.

xxSJ

Bobbi Brown Blush in 'Apricot'

You know that 'aaaaaahhhhhh' noise a bodiless angel chorus makes when a character in a movie opens a book or something miracle-like happens?

Yeah, something like that?
That happened when I opened the box containing my brand new Bobbi Brown blush for the first time.

Gahhhhhhhh this is another one of those products that I just want to hold and stare at, maybe even more than I want to actually use it. That's when you know obsession has overtaken a simple hobby. Oh well!

This Bobbi Brown blush comes in sleek, shiny, black plastic packaging with a see-through window to peek at the blush within.

No mirror in this compact! It is a bit small for a mirror anyway so I don't mind! In fact I really like the minimalistic packaging.

The color I chose is Apricot, a very bright peachy pink color. This was the most unique of the blushes I saw from this line and I just had to have it!

This blush is PIG-MEN-TED! A light dusting on the cheek gives such a pretty flush on the cheeks. It is the perfect tone for my skin where it makes me look more peachy rather than red. I have a lot of pink undertones in my skin so I don't like it when blushes highlight that lovely quality of mine (sarcasm..do ya sense it?).  The product is super soft but not in a chalky way. I would use a natural fiber brush to apply this to make sure I don't pick up too much product.

Annnnnd here comes my only gripe with this beautiful product. Do you see how much blush this contains? 3.8g. That's tinyyyyyyy! The only thing I keep reminding myself to remain okay with the fact I purchased a teeny $26 blush is that it's so pigmented it will last quite a long time despite its small size.

Overall I'm very pleased with this little blush. It's a perfect color for the Spring and Summer and I think it would be very flattering on all skin tones. Also, I freakin' love Bobbi Brown's makeup brand. Bobbi Brown is a BAMF and I suggest reading up on her if you don't know much about the namesake of this company. She's all about bringing out in women what makes them individually beautiful and highlighting natural beauty rather than covering up imperfections. Beautiful products, beautiful sentiment.

xxSJ

Tarte Amazonion Clay 12-Hour Blush in 'Dollface'

I finally broke down and bought a blush I've been lusting after for at least 2 years. It is the award winning Tarte Amazonion Clay 12-hour blush. Tarte claims that this blush is chalk-full of benefits because of the Amazonion clay used in the formula. It is reported to be suitable for all skin types and create an overall smoother appearing skin.  I don't know about those skin benefits, but I do now that this clay blush is certainly long wearing and beautiful. I selected the color 'Dollface:'

The packaging is so great with these blushes. It is a rather heavy plastic that feels durable in your hand and the color of the compact matches the blush inside. This is awesome because if you have multiple blushes you can grab for the color you want easily!

There is a full mirror included in the compact and no wasted space given to a cheap throwaway brush!

Embossed in the packaging is an abstract little picture with a river and some branches to represent the Amazon. So cute!

The formula isn't necessarily super buttery soft or anything but it is pigmented and applies really nicely. My brush picks up and deposits the perfect amount of product onto my skin. I find it easy to blend and to use overall.

This blush has 5.6g of product which is just shy of what you get in a MAC blush (6g). I think that's a fair amount and I think the mirror in this blush trumps the MAC packaging.  Additionally, this packaging is awesome because the blush is incredibly easy to de-pot to add to a Z-palette. You just have to stick a pin into the little hole on the top of the back and the blush will pop right out! That's the power of magnets, son!

Also if it matters to you, Tarte is a cruelty-free makeup brand :) I love bunnies!

Overall I'm so happy I have this blush in my collection now. It's a soft baby doll pink that will be perfect for everyday wear! I want to pick up more blushes from this line, for sure.

xxSJ