NARS Douceur Blush Review, Photos, Swatches
NARS Douceur Blush
NARS Douceur Blush
NARS Douceur Blush ($28.00 for 0.16 oz.) is described as a “soft pink brown.” It’s a subtly warm-toned light-medium brown with a pinky sheen. It does look a bit pinker in the pan than on my skin tone (which has yellow undertones), so if you have pink undertones, you might see those pink undertones come through on you more than they did on me. Tarina Tarantino Neopolitan Lane is similar, though a bit more pigmented and matte in finish. MAC Pressed Amber is darker, browner. MAC Darkly My Dear is darker, slightly more plum. Tarte Exposed is pinker. MAC Her Own Devices is lighter, kind of peach. MAC Prim & Proper is darker and more plum.
Douceur is best for light to medium skin tones, as it seems like it will disappear on darker complexions. It might work as a subtle highlight or all-over powder on some deeper skin tones. I’m a huge fan of this type of blush, because it gives natural color and contour to the cheek in a subtle way. I often reach for Korres Natural for this purpose, and Douceur can be used in the same fashion. Finding a blush color like this that works for your skin tone can be challenging, because like a my-lips-but-better color, one size doesn’t fit all (or even most).
This is certainly a softer color. It’s one of the sheerer NARS blushes I’ve swatched so far. The color isn’t easily buildable; there’s no need to be careful with this one–you don’t need a light-hand at all. It is very easy to use because of that, making it one of the more foolproof blushes. On lighter complexions, this could be used as a contouring color. The texture is soft and blendable on the skin, but I did feel like I had to pile it on a bit to get it to show up on my skin tone. The color payoff is on the sheerer side. Douceur wore six and a half hours on me when I was trialing it, and it was noticeably faded after seven hours.
P.S. — I did write review Douceur previously (two years ago–wow, I swear this came out “recently!” Time really does fly!
Douceur
PPermanent. $30.00.
NARS Douceur Blush
NARS Douceur Blush
NARS Douceur Blush
NARS Douceur Blush
NARS Douceur Blush (Diffused Flash)
NARS Douceur Blush (Studio Lighting)
Interesting, this is way more beige/brown in the swatch than I would have thought looking at the pan.
This looks lovely on you, Christine! I’m so undecided on this one. I think it might be a bit redundant considering I have Madly. I don’t knooowww! I keep wanting to get a softer, more understated blush like Douceur or Sex Appeal, but I never know if I will like them. I’m about NC20-25; the lightest blushes I own are Benefit’s Dandelion and Georgia, and I never seem to use either one. I *really* can’t stand Georgia because I get nothing from it. Know of any blushes that are understated with no shimmer, but still show some sort of hint of color?
Sex Appeal is probably going to be more like Georgia, IMO. It’s a little more pigmented/darker but they’re both pretty light. You might prefer Madly over Douceur!
@Christine (Temptalia) Thanks, Christine!
Love this color!! Thanks for the review and swatches x
I love this blush! How close is it to MAC Blushbaby, Christine? I’m so glad you’re doing this NARS series; I’ve recently come to love their blush and this is very helpful. 🙂
I think they’re similar but I don’t have it swatched so I’m not sure.
This blush is what I’ve been looking for. I prefer very natural looking colors when it comes to blush, so I will *definitely* be checking this one out.
This looks a lot like American Girl NYX grinding blush to me.
I need to try this again. For some reason, the first time I did, I put it on the contour lol instead of the cheek, and it didn’t show up and the saleslady ended up selling me Laguna because she thought I wanted a bronzer. I didn’t, but I ended up with one. I already have MAC Mocha and Blushbaby and I just ordered Tarte Exposed, so I don’t think I need another beige/brown blush with rosy undertones though. Is it advisable anyway?
@uniqlos If you already have Blushbaby and Exposed, I don’t think you need this really!
Incredible how different this looks on you than me, Christine despite me thinking we have similar colouring. This comes up more muted rosy on me and less brown, but I definitely do not have cool undertones. This is another Nars blush in my collection and it’s another one of the neutral shades I reach for often. It’s very much a chameleon colour and will suit any skin tone in the light/medium range IMO.
I love this blush from Nars, it’s the only one I have. Mac Blushbaby and Cargo Prague are similar. I’m always attracted to these colors!
hmm I may have to try Cargo Prague 🙂
@Sandy You should give Cargo Tonga a go. It isn’t much to look at in the pan, but it applies beautifully and is in this colour family.
I love Douceur (it’s the only blush that I’ve ever used up in its entirety), but ended up buying Tarte’s Exposed to replace it. Douceur is gorgeous, but I found it faded too much as the day went on. I’m curious to try Neopolitan Lane!
@sanguine13 How do you rate Tarte Exposed vs NARS Douceur? I tried to compare them at Sephora a while back but the lighting was terrible. Like @Christine said, I had trouble building them up to properly swatch them on my arm; however, things could have been different had I tried them on my face.
@BooBooNinja I find that Exposed builds up slightly easier than Douceur and it lasts a bit longer. I’ve worn both at the same time (one on each cheek) and the small shade differences between them aren’t really noticeable when applied. Exposed is a bit pinker in tone, but that’s only discernible if you’re really looking closely. Neither last all day though – Christine’s wear time was similar to mine (around 6 hours for Douceur, and 8 for Exposed). Both are beautiful blushes, but Exposed is the winner in my opinion because of its longevity.
@sanguine13thanks!
I love this one: subtle, great for a natural everyday look. I didn’t have the samme problems with wear, but maybe that is because I’m fair-sknned?
I like the colors, and I like the look you’ve created with it. Very happy 🙂
This looks absolutely stunning. Douceur has never caught my eye in-store, but that’s probably because I go for brighter, cooler pinks…but I’m definitely going to have to swatch this now. It’s lovely!
With all due respect, this ranking doesn’t make any sense. You explicitly state it’s a sheerer color upon application and then downgrade it a full THREE points because after 6 1/2 hours, it’s not visible on the skin? What exactly gets 10/10 for longevity? Spray paint?
Color payoff isn’t the same as longevity – if it starts off visible and then disappears, it’s wearing away, whether it’s opaque or sheer. If an opaque blush fades away, it doesn’t get 10/10 for longevity either – I consider where it started and where it ended up after a certain period of time. It’s not about the payoff when it’s being judged for how long and well it wears – it’s about whether there’s been fading, separation, migration, etc. There are blushes in the past that have received 10/10 – feel free to browse the category 🙂
@Christine (Temptalia) That’s a much more courteous, considered response than that comment deserved, Christine.
And yes, colour intensity and longevity are two different concepts. I’ve worn sheer blushes that lasted very well (Shu Uemura in a buff shade) and opaque blushes that faded much faster (NARS Exhibit A). I didn’t necessarily mind the fading, but it’s good to be informed.
Looks like this is gonna be put onto my shopping list. Its a gorgeous colour!
I actually really like this colour on you, for some reason this makes you look tanned and just back from a vacation, to me!
This blush is simply gorgeous! It looks really nice with your skin tone.
I’ve heard SO many rave reviews for this, Tarina Tarantino’s Neopolitan Lane, and Tarte Exposed and have been going back and forth on which one to try, but now I think I will definitely go with Douceur. I really like a sheerer formula since I can get a bit heavy-handed with my cheek products. I love the soft color
I really like blushes like this. Natural beauty.
Does anyone know how NARS Doceur compares to Tarte Exposed and Cargo Tonga in terms of colour and wear?
This looks great! I’m planning to get this, but already have MAC harmony. How do they compare in terms of color?
Harmony is warmer and browner I would say!
That looks very nice on your
does anyone know what’s the MAC dupe for this blush?? tks!
I already own – and love – MAC’s Blushbaby. Do you think they are similar?
@PatriciaAlegretti I don’t think I’ve swatched it in years (I think I bought it intending to review it but I have no idea where it is right now), but I think they’re somewhat similar.
I adore that pink sheen overlay that shows up in your swatch! Very pretty.
It looks really natural and pretty on you but I think it wont show up on me. Loving the NARS blush reviews!
Oh my gosh this is so beautiful…. Christine, do you think this could work on someone who is a MAC NW 30? Or should I go with liberte? I only own two Nars blushes right now, and I find Taj Mahal to be so delightful that I would love to expand my collection!
@Olivette Liberte is going to show up a lot more – Douceur is going to be very light/subtle.