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Nars has the answer to natural, dewy blush this summer

Lightweight and buildable, this is the blusher you need this summer

Olivia Perl
Freelance beauty writer
Monday 24 June 2024 11:56 EDT
I tested the colour payoff, whether it blended well, how it felt on my skin and how long it lasted
I tested the colour payoff, whether it blended well, how it felt on my skin and how long it lasted (The Independent )

Blush is the make-up must-have of the moment thanks to A-Listers using it as the focal point of their looks, and this summer it’s all about creating a sunkissed glow.

There are a few different ways of doing this, including Sabrina Carpenter’s sunset technique where she blends a few different shades together to create dimension, draping the blush from her temples all the way across her cheeks and nose, and Hailey Bieber’s watercolour blush. One thing both of these methods have in common is that rather than opting for a more traditional powder blush, you’ll need something a little more malleable like a cream or liquid texture.

One of the most famous blushes on the market at the moment is the Nars orgasm shade, which is a pretty pink that suits a whole range of skin tones and comes in a number of different guises, just like Charlotte Tilbury’s pillowtalk – and it is one of the shades of the afterglow liquid blush. Another one of those shades is dolce vita, a darker, less girlish colour that still has the playfulness that is so loved about orgasm.

A reasonably new formula, it promises to be lightweight and buildable, erring towards a more natural finish than the original liquid blush, and I knew I had to put it to the test to see if it lived up to Nars’s (and my) high standards.

How I tested Nars afterglow liquid blush

I applied the formula to see how it fares against my skin
I applied the formula to see how it fares against my skin (Olivia Perl)

I flip-flop between being a blusher girl and a bronzer girl, but this summer, I’m leaning into the sunkissed look so the afterglow liquid blush seemed the perfect pairing. I added the shade dolce vita to my make-up routine to assess the colour payoff, whether it blended well, how it felt on my skin and how long it lasted on my skin. This is what I thought.

Nars afterglow liquid blush in dolce vita

Nars afterglow blush review indybest.png
  • Why we love it
    • Blendable
    • Buildable colour
    • Non-drying

As someone who often reaches for my old tried and tested powder blusher, I was excited to try not just a different formula but a new shade. The packaging is luxe with a pink bottom and rose gold metallic lid with the sleek Nars branding unobtrusively written down the side, but it was very light making it a great travel companion.

The lid twists easily off and when pulling out the lid which has a small, lipgloss-sized doe foot applicator attached, I could feel the resistance sweeping off any excess product without causing a mess thanks to the clever packaging design.

On the applicator, the colour looks very pigmented and, honestly, I was a little nervous about how dark the pink looked. With that in mind, I sparingly placed two dots onto my cheek and then blended it out with a make-up sponge and was pleasantly surprised to see how easily it blended into a sheer, dark rosy colour that looked really natural on my olive-undertone skin. Wanting a little more colour, I went back in with a few more dots and started to see a more solid wash of colour, closer to the payoff I wanted.

It was seriously easy to blend and didn’t dry down too quickly meaning I didn’t need to work at breakneck speed to get the flawless finish I was after. It felt light on my skin and gave a natural, healthy finish and I loved having control over how intense the colour was, something that I don’t find I have with other liquid or powder blushes.

It worked well on top of my base make-up without disturbing it and once it was on, it stayed all day – no slipping and sliding even in hot, humid weather. And because the amount of product that’s dispensed onto the applicator is controlled, this liquid blush lasts, which makes up for being slightly pricey.

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The verdict: Nars afterglow liquid blush

All in all, I was really impressed with this blusher. It was sheer on first application but built up nicely without getting cakey or being too overpowering. Whether I used a sponge or my fingers, it was seriously easy to blend, creating a seamless finish that gave me the appearance of a sunkissed natural flush. It lasted all day without separating or sliding even in the English humidity.

As a long-time powder user, I’m converted and this easy-to-carry, fuss-free blush has become a staple of my make-up routine and it doesn’t look like it’s going anywhere any time soon.

Want more blusher tips? This is how to apply blush to suit your face shape.

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