Review: MAC Fleur Power Blush ($20.00) www.maccosmetics.com

Now this blush, Fleur Power, was purchased on a whim at MAC without trying it.. I am soo happy I purchased as it is the most beautiful blush I own next to my all time favorite pink swoon.  Every time I wear Fleur Power I always get a longer stare or a compliment on my look that day.  It is natural, subtle and soft and I apply it with the 168 Mac brush. MAC desribes it as a soft bright pinkish coral and it is a satin blush, which I am finding to be my favorite blush finish.  It's pigmented but buildable but I feel it is hard to over do on my skin tone when layering. It has become my everyday blush along with Whisper of Gilt Extra Dimension Skinfinish Highlighter-beautiful combination!  MAC got this one right and I think it is a great universal soft blush powder formula. I rate this one 5 out of 5 Stars...!! It hits all the good things we look for in a blush.

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REVIEW: NARS Powder Blusher in Mata Hari

NARS Mata Hari Powder Blusher ($28.00)

 

NARS is well known for it's high quality highly pigmented and superb quality of it's cosmetics.  Their blushes of all that I have tried I would say are one of the best in the business, with unsurpassed color trends.  No matter what hue, I am 99.9% sure that they have it....really...swatches below..

I am always ready to take on another color challenge as I'm not afraid of any color except red lipstick, which i have tried by the way on Halloween last year, and even bought it at the MAC Store-and it's  a no for me..it's a long story. 

The color I delved into this time was call Mata Hari, which sounds middle eastern and this is a peculiar name next to those overtly sexual names of other NARS products..so I thought until further research. I discovered that Mata Hari was the stage name of Margaretha Zelle, a Dutch exotic dancer/courtesan/spy who was executed with charges of espionage in France for Germany during WWI..of course it weens its name from somewhat naughty origins.

Mata Hari In Bra & Fine Jewelry 1906

Mata Hari Performing 1905

Mata Hari in 1910 in Head Jewelry

Statue of Mata Hari in Leeuwarden, Netherlands

There was the movie in 1931 starring Greta Garbo and then a Broadway musical in 1967 who was the reason Mata Hari is in our minds, but i think that you see her influence in films even to this day, just take a look at all of those classic James Bond films where you have the sexy spy who seduces the protagonist. Her legend also lives on in the Netherlands her birthplace as they raised a statue in her honor. There was also the book in 2007 "The Tear of Mata Hari" which focused on her role in WWI and the author, Tomas Ross concluded that she was innocent.

Now let's shift our focus from the past to the present...The Mata Hari Powder Blusher is as narscosmetics.com decribes it as a "pink with a race of crimson." I would say it is an accurate description but in the pan it does not appear as that to me at least.  Once it sets, it definitely wears true as they describe but not being applied.  On application, it appears chalky and powdery due to its soft nature..and within 10 seconds you will stop applying it, take a step back and admire the pink with a strong bright deep stroke of red, which I found to be quite flattering.  Don't be fooled or turned away from the chalky look in the pan it doesn't look this way on the cheek for those of color like me as it starts setting when you apply by  adhering to the oils of the skin. I rate this blush 4 out of 5 stars. I give it so high for applying like silk and being easily blendable but the color is just not as unique as I would like. It is just as they describe it but it doesn't look that way in the pan-maybe that's not the greatest feature...hmmm

Silly photo of me but you can see the cheek color

After a few hours natural wear and setting

After natural wear and setting

you can see it setting on the left part of the swatch

you can see it setting on the left part of the swatch

no sunlight

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NARS Foreplay Blush Palette Sawtches and Review

Oh as I gather my words and breath to describe this beautiful palette.  It looks more artistic than the title suggest, and if you have kept up with NARS then you know the names always are sexually suggestive. I ordered this palette from www.sephora.com ($49). It came in the sleeve you see above to reveal the traditional NARS black box, 

Sephora describes it as:

"What it is:
A chic cheek palette featuring four dazzling shades based on the bestselling Orgasm blush.What it does:
The gorgeous afterglow of classic Orgasm is reinvented in this quad that combines Orgasm blush plus vivid shades of pink and peach and a shimmering gold to create your own signature glow.This set contains:
-Peach Matte Blush
-Gold Highlighting Blush
-Pink Matte Blush
-Orgasm Blush (peachy pink with golden shimmer)"

Now from my experience with NARS I find that they make extremely lovely blushes and shadows, I have not had soo much experience with the lipsticks but as for the glosses, I just do not care for the waxy scent unless they have altered the formula since those years. With this palette I swiped each and every color on my cheeks mixing them in my own way. I always found that orgasm did nothing for me but I fear now that I was wrong.  

1. The Peach matte reminded me soo much of NARS Amour in appearance. I found that it was super soft and pigmented and applied very natural and not over the top and you could definately build the color. 
2. The Gold Highlighting shade puts me in the mind of NARS Albatross except Albatross is lighter in the pan but goes on gold  as well but perhaps a touch lighter. This gold looks super opulent and blends very easily into whichever blush you use directly on the cheek.
3. The Pink Matte shade is reminiscent of NARS Desire with it's matte and bright pink texture or even NARS Angelika but she has shimmer. I find this shade to be the one which sheers out more than the others so you can build such a bright color as it is still blendable and beautiful to create those barbie doll cheeks.
4. Orgasm is one which I am guilty of underestimating although I find this to be a bright peach pink which shines alot more gold on the cheeks.  I don't know if it was the store lighting or what but it was beautiful on me at home.  Now I am starting to see why it is the best seller. I know some say Deep Throat is just as beautiful but I tried it and it had not any pigmentation on my skin's coloring. This would be amazing this summer dabbed lightly on the cheeks and also seemed to have a dual effect in highlighting the cheekbones as well.

With Flash

No Flash

with flash

Top to bottom in natural light: Peach Matte, Pink Matte, Gold Highlight, Orgasm

.

Top to bottom in natural light: Peach Matte, Pink Matte, Gold Highlight, Orgasm

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