NARS Angelika Blush Review, Photos, Swatches
NARS Angelika Blush
NARS Angelika Blush
NARS Angelika Blush ($28.00 for 0.16 oz.) is described as a “cotton candy pink with gold and silver sparkle.” It’s a blue-based light-medium pink with larger silver sparkle and a very subtle gold sheen. MAC Peony Petal is bluer in undertone and lighter. MAC Florida is more magenta. Tarte Amused is slightly darker and more vibrant. MAC Amazon Princess is more magenta–purpler, less pink.
Even though I have warm undertones, I think this is still flattering, because it has a darker hue overall. Sometimes if it’s a paler, lighter blue-based pink, it can make me look a little dead. The texture of Angelika is soft, silky-smooth, and it’s very easy to blend and apply to the cheek. There’s no stiffness here, but it doesn’t kick up a lot of excess powder, so it is just right balance of softness. It packs plenty of color, so it will show up on darker skin tones, too, even though it’s not a deep pink blush. The silver sparkles get lost between the pan and the face; either they disappear into the ether or get trapped in the bristles of the brush, but very few wind up on the cheek. Angelika wore close to eight hours on my cheeks with some minor fading shortly after.
For nostalgia purposes, I actually reviewed this blush two years ago here. The way this blog has evolved over the past six years is incredible, but sometimes I’m just amazed at how much can change in a couple of years, too. It always seem “The Best Way” when I do it, but clearly there’s always room for improvement!
NARS Angelika Blush Review, Photos, Swatches
NARS Angelika Blush
NARS Angelika Blush
NARS Angelika Blush
NARS Angelika Blush
NARS Angelika Blush
NARS Angelika Blush (Diffused Flash)
NARS Angelika Blush (Studio Lighting)
It is much more flattering on your cheeks than how it appears in the pan. I tend to stay away from lighter pinks as they look terrible on me but this is far from the unflattering!
I’m so happy this received an A. It’s a very wearable blush and a very pretty pink. I agree, the silver sparkles either inexplicably blend in or don’t show up visibly, and I think that’s a good thing. For me, Angelika is a blush I gravitate towards a lot in the Spring, while I seem to use Desire a bit more all year round. Regardless, it’s definitely a flattering colour on my olive skin. I like to use Laguna to contour and then just have a light dusting of Angelika on the cheekbones, or to wear Angelika over Copacabana. Just as an FYI, you accidentally put Albatross in the “What am I wearing” section. Do you mind my asking, why do you think you gave it a B+ in the past?
@Kafka The rating system is completely different between then and now – so I rate on different characteristics, so the score is based on more components overall. There are anywhere from 50-70 attributes I look at per product. I also do not look at price as part of the rating.
@Christine (Temptalia) Good to know. I wasn’t sure if you felt the quality or application was less before but you were now seeing things differently with the extra years of experience. I’m really glad your ratings are no longer based on price and I really appreciate how you take things like duration into account. (Esp. for eyeshadows!) Also, I just LOVE how much more in-depth, thorough, explanatory and analytical your reviews are now as compared to the past. Whenever I look at your old reviews (which you know I’ve done for all the NARS blushes, heh.), I can’t get over the one short paragraph. LOL. Anyway, as a NARS fangirl, I just have to say more more time, “Yay for an A grade.” ;P
@Kafka I understand why people care about price, but I think that it just seems to inflate/deflate grades on the basis of price more than anything else… and I mean, you know your budget and what you can/can’t afford or do/don’t want to pay. Maybe you pay $30 for blush but only $5 for lipstick. Way easier to compare when you know that an A product is an A product whether it’s $1 or $100. Anyway, I am glad you liked that change!
I didn’t have a ready made report card of criteria then like I do now. I mean, not everything applies to every product – but I’ve gotten all the possible things out onto one thing so I can go through more meticulously.
Thank you! Hope Zola is well!
@Christine (Temptalia) I agree, price valuations are very subjective. And, cost doesn’t really pertain to the product’s underlying *quality,* just its approachability or comparative value to a particular individual. While we’re talking your rating systems, let me add that I appreciate the philosophy that leads to no number valuations on skin care products or perfume, two other very subjective or personal categories. Zola is grumpy; there is a *massive* thunderstorm out and he wants to run. But I do not plan on getting hit by all the lightening I see outside my window just to indulge the exercise junkie, no matter what he’ll be subjected to in a few days! 🙂
@Kafka
Off the subject but LOVE your puppy picture. Love GSD’s, Irish Setters, Rotties, dobies and terriers, esp wire haired. I have a Cairn terrier who’s very smart, well behaved and an absolute clown. He has also trained my husband.
@Susan Dowman Nevling Thank you, Susan! I’m a bit sheepish to admit that he was actually not a puppy in that photo; it was taken last year when he was 2! He’s often so goofy though, most people do think he’s a puppy. LOL. As for your Cairn terrier, you should post his photos in the Temptalia Pet Group! I’d love to see him. There are photos of everything from Wendy’s newborn baby lambs to birds to ferrets! P.S.- a big, real-life LOL at “he has also trained my husband.” I love it. <grin> P.P.S.- I adore Dobies, Rotties and Irish Setters, too.
@Kafka your German Sheppard looks soooooo adorable in your profile pic! They are one of my favorite dogs, I can’t wait to get one someday 🙂
@Nikki at RougeReflections Awww, thank you! I’ve had 15 diff. breeds of dogs in my lifetime but, for me, nothing compares to a GSD. They are truly just like people, only in a fur coat. I hope so much that you will get one some day.
for being so cool-toned, it still looks amazing on you!
I love Nars blushes. Angelika such a pretty color, I wish I could wear it! But no matter how light I apply this or how much I play with the placement on my cheeks, I look like a full-on clown. It’s just too bright, even when it’s very very sheer.
Christine, I wish I could express the awe that your work inspires, and my LOVE for your blog! I find myself always praying that my favourite youtube gurus (pixiwoo) and makeup bloggers (you) don’t stop what they’re doing. I realize that it must be hard, and maybe sometimes even tedious, keeping up with all the makeup launches, being near the computer most of the day to keep up with the commentary and write reviews… continually testing out different products, and somehow finding the inspiration to keep this up for years. Must be hard. But please know the extent to which you are appreciated!!! Your blog adds interest to so many people’s lives. I sure feel like I couldn’t do without it 🙂 Please keep it up — and THANK YOU, THANK YOU!!!!
@firebird Oh, wow! Thank you so much 🙂 Comments like these are really the fuel that bloggers live for. Knowing what we’re doing is helping others (or entertaining them, at least!) makes even some of the less-fun aspects of blogging totally and completely worth it. Thank you again!
This looks awesome! I’ve eyed it a few times… I’m kind of surprised you can’t really see the sparkles 😀
@Nikki at RougeReflections Honestly, it seems to happen with a lot of products that have a smattering of sparkles – both eyeshadows and blushes. IMO, it’s better NOT to show up than to fall out later, but it’s kind of misleading since you see it in the pan but not on the face/eye.
@Christine (Temptalia) Good point! I’m actually GLAD you can’t see the sparkles, that’s what was holding me off from buying this blush since I thought it would look funny with sparkles all over the place. But it looks a lot nicer than I imagined!
Thank you, Christine. I am loving this new series of NARS blush posts! Can I ask you how you think this compares to Mata Hari, please? They look the same!
Haven’t swatched Mata Hari yet, sorry!
My first(and still favorite) NARS blush…
why does packaging get 5/5
Mirror, comfortable to hold, travel-friendly, absorbs impact better (if you drop it).
This looks great, Christine 🙂 I’m excited for the reviews on these blushes. I always have to stop to ooh and ahh at them in Sephora. Lol now only if I could land a job to pay for my beauty habits. Yay for being 15?
This is one of the best blushes I have known from NARS. Its just so fool proof and goes with all skin colors even the darkest ones.. I have seen a gloss with the same too but didnt like it that much! I think Clinique’s Blushing blush in Pink Love is a good dupe of this blush!
@neerajnavare I agree on the blush but not on the lipgloss. 🙂 I received it as a gift and I’m not gaga about it *ONLY* because I’m not a fan of lip gloss in general. Those few times I actually do wear lip gloss, Angelika is one of the rare choices. I think the colour is lovely (much brighter and warmer than the blush) and with an obvious shimmer; it’s not too sheer and has a very silky, soft feel, but thankfully, it’s not sticky or gloop-y at all. For those who like lipglosses and the Angelika colour, I actually think the lipgloss may be a hit.
Angelika is one of my favorite blushes. (I’m currently wearing it, actually!) I’m glad to see it rated well. 🙂 I agree the sparkle gets completely lost in the brush-to-face transfer, but given how overly glittery some of their other blushes are, I wound up preferring that it does.
I absolutely love this blush! I’m about an NC45 in Mac and I know I’m a 173 in MUFE HD. This blush just works. Don’t be afraid, ladies. I gotta say that I do prefer Desire, though just b/c it doesn’t have the bits of shimmer, but this one is still awesome for the right occasion.
How do you get the light/dark vatiations in the blush swatches? Is it just a light vs heaveir application or dry wet? Can you do wet in powder blush?
This is my favorite blog by the way. I learn so much!
@Susan Dowman Nevling It’s a heavy swatch vs. blended out 🙂 No wet application with blush usually! You can only use some products wet – I’m not sure if you could use a NARS blush wet without it leaving behind a hard spot!
@Christine (Temptalia)
Thanks Christine. I didn’t think they had wet applications for blush but not too long ago, they didn’t have eyeshadows you could wet.
Hello Christine! How do you think Angelika would compare with Chanel Pink explosion blush??
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A little bluer!
love your eye makeup. 🙂
I acutally don’t like it very much. I do like the rest of your makeup though.
Christine, how does this compare to Tarte Amazonian Clay Dollface?
Darker!
I love this blush, it’s my favorite cool pink blush! I think it looks lovely on you, and I agree, this is a cool blush that works well for warmer- toned skins as well 🙂
This is one of the Nars blushes I have in my collection and it was recommended to me by a Nars rep years ago who promoted it as a blush that can be successfully worn by pretty much any skintone. I typically tap off the glitter before applying and I have to agree, I think this is an all around super flattering blush.
A while back I bought Nars Gaiety thinking that it was going to be very close to this, but now I see it definitely isn’t! I’ve been so disappointed with Gaiety that I was unsure whether to purchase another blush. This has definitely changed my mind, because it’s so pretty!
Going to have to add this to my collection. Looks beautiful both in pan and on skin.
I always look at this whenever I’m around NARS products because I just think it’s so pretty in the pan, but I don’t think pink blush really suits me. I only have two legit pink blushes that I like on me: NARS Desire and MAC Dollymix.
This blush has officially gone on my wish list!
You’re really giving those L’Oreal Infallible eyeshadows a good run. They’re beautiful on you. You seem to glow in every photo these days. <3
My Lucy, gave me this
Love you more!
I wanted to ask, how does this shade compare to NARS Mata Hari?
@dr_priscilla Haven’t swatched that yet!
@dr_priscilla I think they are pretty similar. I don’t own Angelika, but Mata Hari is completely matte and has more of a lavender undertone than Angelika.
Oooh, I was looking forward to this review! I love pink blush, but I was always scared of the sparkles in this one. Glad they don’t show up on the skin. I already have Peony Petal and Desire, but I think this still needs to go on my wishlist. 😉 I’d very much like to see a look with the matching lipgloss!!!
it’s pretty but it’d look too bright on very pale ppl 😀
Actually it’s very beautiful on pale skin. I’m so pale that I have to use white eyeshadow all over my face after I use the palest foundation just so that my face is the same color as the rest of my body. Despite this, Angelika is one of my favorite blushes. You do have to be careful to use just a little of this blush but if you can get the right amount it looks beautiful. I just tap my brush into the blush once before applying along my cheekbone. Go to the store and try it out.
hi christine! i feel so clingy and annoying, because im back with ANOTHER question about nars blushes!! i use the ginger/custard concealer duo from nars (so u can probably get an idea of my skin tone) and i just wanted to know what would be ur number one blush from nars to recommend to a person like me? these are expensive in australia and i really want to choose carefully, i wanna try sin but im worried itll come out like a bruise and i just want a blush that’ll give me a healthy, glowy look (dont we all?!) thank you!! 🙂
Maybe something like NARS Deep Throat? Sin could work, too!