NARS Gina Blush Review, Photos, Swatches
NARS Gina Blush
Fresh-Squeezed with Gina
NARS Gina Blush ($28.00 for 0.16 oz.) is described as a “true tangerine.” It’s a softened orange with a satiny sheen. It’s not vibrant, not an intense orange, but it’s much more orange and richer than peach (hm, I am amused that all descriptions are fruit-related!). This is actually one of the closest shades I’ve seen to Illamasqua Expose, which is darker, richer–but when worn softly, they look nearly the same. Illamasqua Lover is lighter, brighter. MAC Solar Ray is more shimmery and golden-tinged.
I really liked the texture of this shade, as it was so soft, smooth, and finely-milled without being powdery. The color was true-to-pan, and it’s a buildable blush. A light tap of product gives a warm cloak of color, while a swirl of the brush in the blush (say that five times fast!) yields full color. The softness lends to effortless blending on the skin, and the subtle sheen is both glowy and natural so it doesn’t emphasize pores. The lightness inherent in the shade keeps it from looking red-toned or burnt on the cheeks. Gina wore well for eight hours and started to have noticeable fading after nine hours.
Gina
PPermanent. $30.00.
NARS Gina Blush
NARS Gina Blush
NARS Gina Blush
NARS Gina Blush
NARS Gina Blush
NARS Gina Blush (Diffused Flash)
NARS Gina Blush (Studio Lighting)
Sorry to not comment on your actual post, but are you aware that the advert under this post is for a dating site called “Local Slags”?! I know you’ve been concerned about some ads in the past so I thought you’d want to know about this one, which I assume is targeting a male UK audience.
Hi Megan!
I’m not – if you happen to see it again, if you could send us a screen shot at submit[at]temptalia.com that would be fantastic. I’ll try to see if I can find it, but it’s not an ad I’m seeing since I am in the U.S. But we have all personals, get rich quick, get thin quick, etc. kind of ads blocked, so I don’t know why that would show up.
It did strike me as odd! If I see it again I will let you know. When I hovered my cursor over it it gave an ads-at-Google address, but I didn’t think to copy it for you or anything, sorry!
No worries! If you happen to see it, you can definitely pass it on 🙂 Thank you!
It looks nice. I’m interested in this blush, but Sephora doesn’t seem to carry it. Do you know if this is similar to MAC Peaches? I already have Peaches and don’t want to go through the trouble of buying this (online) if the two colors are similar.
Personally, I think they are similar, but I’d say Gina is more opaque and pigmented compared to Peaches, and I think the orange in Gina is a bit stronger, too.
Thanks so much. I started looking at swatches online after I posted this. They look similar enough that it’s probably not worth buying Gina right now since my Peaches is fairlly new.
Peaches is lighter on me – less orange.
is this packaged differently? why does this get 5/5 while the other nars blushes get 4/5
All the other NARS blushes I rated in this series received 5/5 on packaging – I’m confused – could you link me to what you’re referring to?
This looks amazing! I am hoping for a Danmari 2 this Holiday; Gina would be a wonderful addition!
Fingers crossed!
I think this would be too orange for me, not enough peach. But it looks lovely on you!
I could see that! Thank you!
I was excited for this review because it’s not often I see a product with my name on it, but on top of that the quality is great AND it will look lovely on my skintone! How exciting!
Though spelled differently (I was named after my dad, Gene) my name’s pronounced the same; it IS exciting to FINALLY have something “named” after me!! Too warm for my skin tone -like the Guerlain lip shade Gina! I guess that’s who they have in mind when they picture a “Gina”…I keep asking Zoya, when? After all of the names they’ve used, where the heck is mine? Silly, I know. 😉 It DOES look gorgeous on you, Christine!
Thanks, Gena 🙂
I’ve been peeking at Guerlain’s Gina too! I’m not huge on orange-reds, though, so I’m not too sure. I’ve also been waiting on a Gina polish from Zoya! I don’t think our name is THAT rare that it would take so long to pump one out. They’ve got Gia, but no Gina!
Yay!! 🙂
I really love this! It’s just peachy enough without leaning too orange. I want this for sure!
Agreed 🙂
Wow – this color looks so natural on you! Very pretty.
Thanks!
Love this blush – it’s so easy to wear!
What do you like to wear it with, Akhan?
I’ve been wearing it with neutral makeup for work, and also brighter teal and blue-based eye looks this summer. It’s worked with almost every lip colour I’ve tried so far, although I haven’t tried wearing it with very strong reds or burgundies yet. I really like it with bright cool leaning pinks since it brightens up my olive skin and balances out the cool tones.
Hands down my fav blush from NARS!
Really! That’s so great. What do you pair it with?
My favorite blush by any brand, hands down. I’ve been using this for a couple of years now. Pure love even on darker skin.
You aren’t alone 😉 Happy to hear it works well on darker complexions. What’s your favorite eye/lip to pair with it?
Thanks so much for this review Christine!
I’ve been thinking of buying Illasmasqua Lover but this review made me have second thoughts.
How does its texture compares with the texture of Illamasqua Lover? Which one would you recommend to a MAC NC20?
This is softer than Lover. I think this would work on NC20 skin!
DAMN, Gina! I forgot I had this one and I quite like it. I really * really* want Mata Hari and Exhibit A- those are just The Sex to me… Nunna this Orgasm and Foreplay 😉 give me the full on blush of coitus interruptus! On an aside, that just autocorrected to ” colitis interrupts” LOL
This whole comment has me rolling in laughter! Thanks for the laugh. 😀
Ha ha! I LOVE autocorrect… It gives me so many unexpected “visuals” and today has been sooo Damn, Gina! I think my brain has gone loose in its pan… 😉
Hey, you talkin’ to me? What did I do? Kidding! I love your comment. Believe me , I’ve heard “Damn, Gena!” my entire life! Yep, autocorrect is fun; I’d MUCH rather be interrupted by colitis!
Oops, I meant DURING colitis!!!
Pissing myself laughing! Colitis interrupts… LoL
LOL!
Delighted with the rating,one of my favorite blush from Nars.
Sounds like this is a lot of people’s favorites 🙂
Hey Christine, Will you review the new bare minerals pressed foundation when it comes out on the 30th!!! Thank you so much!
I’m not sure, sorry!
YAYYY!! Finally! My wallet feels lighter! Cant thank you enough ;)!
LOL 😉
Nars blush is always a hit with me…but this one is too orangy for me. Looks OK on you – but you are much darker than I am – I would look like a clown in this one.
Aw, too bad!
waw! Haven’t seen you give an A+ for a while, really must be worth it. The colour does look amazing on you though! Might have to be my first blush from Nars purchase lol. Cheers hun, always enjoy reading your reviews.
Thank you so much, Joanne! It dose feel like it’s been awhile!
Beautiful blush! I tried to buy this once but the counter was out, and I never did go back for it. Soon!
Let’s hope they have it in stock next time!
What complexion tones will Nars Gina blush look best on? I’m thinking warm but a light warm or medium-dark warm complexion? Thanks, Christine!
I think it will look good on warm and cool-tones, though warmer ones will naturally suit it more. I think light to dark can wear this!
I love your review, but I want to add just one thing: NARS packaging, in my opinion, never deserves a 5/5. It’s SO dirty =(
Don’t you think this is something they should improve?
Thank you =)
I never have a problem with it getting dirty!
NARS has some beautiful products, but I hate their packaging. For some reason, a lot of my NARS products have become very sticky (the containers, that is) and no matter how I try to clean them, the stickiness won’t go away. It makes it very unpleasant to use the products. Has anyone else experienced this problem?
One of my older single eyeshadow by Nars got tacky on the outside.But I own many Nars products and this is the only one that became sticky.
That sounds gross 🙁 I haven’t had that happen with my compacts!
It is gross! I don’t want to throw them away because I love the products inside and they’re still good, but I just hate having to touch the compacts. :/
You could try depotting/depanning, since most NARS products are metal pans glued inside the plastic compact!
I haven´t experienced this myself, but I read a lot of people with the same problem and they say cleaning the packaging with a cloth and alcohol has helped a lot with the stickyness and dirt 🙂
Thanks for the tip. I have tried alcohol swabs. Unfortunately, they didn’t get rid of the stickiness completely and actually made the cap of my lip gloss crack a bit. 🙁
Christine, you look beautiful in the final pictures!
Where can I get the Dior Charnelle Lipgloss? I know I need it in my life!
I believe Dior just launched it 🙂
too fruity orange for me..{grin}, but a lovely blush on you!
Thank you, Wendy!
Gilda, which is a very similiar shade to Gina, is great too.
Nars blushes are superb.
I think anyone who found Gilda too red might like Gina more!
Hey Christine,
Do you think this blush will work with someone with a NC15 skintone? Or would it be a lot of work to not over apply or look like a clown. I love the color!
Oh, I think it would!
I’m just barely darker than NC15 in the winter, and it’s definitely not a shade I have to worry much about overdoing. If I use a stippling blush brush then I get a very soft/faint hint of the color, which leaves me with a warm glow, and if I use a regular blush the color is more prominent, but still nothing scary. 🙂 I think you could rock it, too!
I meant a regular brush, not regular blush. OY. 😛
It looks great on you.
Thanks, Mel!
Is this a good blush for someone with a dark skin tone?
Reader Shontay said yes 🙂
I would try it out first. I’m NC45. It does show up, but I need multiple passes to get there. I haven’t had this blush very long, but it has the biggest indentation out of my collection from needing so much product. Nars Gilda is much better. Tarte’s organge-y coral (Tipsy, I think) has better pigmentation.
Is Gina similar to MAC’s Modern Mandarin?
Gina seems a bit lighter to me, less orange-red!
You look absolutely beautiful!
Thank you!
is it similar to the recently reviewed MAC supercontinental? 🙂
checked the supercontinental and there’s no similarity at all. LOL
I wouldn’t say so! 🙂
Meh. Not one of my favorites and won’t repurchase. I’ll probably hit pan on this blush soon because I have to use so much of it to get it to show up on my skin (NC45). I’ll stick with Gilda.
Sorry to hear you didn’t like it, Nichole!
Would pale skin girls look good in this?
Yes, I think so!
Yes!
This one is pretty but just a tiny bit too orange for me. If it hinted at peach a little more, I think it’d suit me better. Still, this review is making me realize how many Nars blushes there are that I don’t know about. I haven’t bought a Nars blush in a LONG time. I should really make a trip this weekend…
They have sooo many blushes!
I’m in LOVE with your earrings. Mind sharing where they’re from? 🙂
http://www.etsy.com/shop/BellaAnelaJewelry
Do you think this would compliment lighter complexions? It looks so great on you but you are quite a few shades darker than me!
I think it would 🙂
This looks like an orange that is actually wearable. I’m wondering how it would pair with Zen…
I bet it’d be nice!
Such a pretty shade! I just picked up Amour and I think Gina will be next! Your look here is absolutely lovely, the eye shadow looks gorgeous!
Thanks so much! 🙂
Gina Lollobrigida? You know Nars named many of his products after movies and stars back when he started the brand. A very ooompa color.
Interesting!
OMG!! that looks beautiful!! where can I buy this in India?
I’m not sure what stores are available in India – it should be at most NARS counters!
Sleek has a very similar blush, I think the name is Pan Tao or something like that:)
Thank you for sharing that dupe, Adriana!
Wow pretty blush!
Will this looks nice on medium (NC35) skin?
Oh, yes, I think so!
How does it compare with Orgasm?
Totally different! Orgasm has pink coloring and gold shimmer
Gorgeous! I wish it was easier to get my hands on NARS here 🙁
What a bummer!
Is this similar to Mac Surf My Paradise? Thank you
Much lighter!
That lipstick is gorg on you! Can’t wait for your review!
Thanks !
Ooh yes it does!
Looks very similar to Sleek’s Pan Tao limited edition blush. Nevertheless, Gina is really pretty.
I’ll have to check it out!
I know this has nothing to do with the blush (which looks quite lovely on you, btw :3). But I LOVE your earrings! 😛
Thank you! 🙂
I definitely want to try this blush
Is this similar to Gingerly blush from MAC?
I believe Gingerly is browner!
Hi Christine,
How close do you think this is to either MAC Modern Mandarin or MAC Fresh Honey? I also have Torrid and Liberté but I’m a sucker for these tones. I tried Gilda in store but it looked florid on me – too much red I think. Maybe this one would be better.
Thanks!
It’s less peach compared to Fresh Honey, lighter and less red compared to modern Mandarin.
Just bought this on your recommendation and I absolutely adore it! Thanks for recommending yet another great buy. 🙂
Yay!!
It looks gorgeous! Actually, I wanted to buy Orgasm while traveling through America but now I’m not sure! I already have the Mac Margin blush which isn’t similar to Orgasm but has also a shimmery peach color! So I’m not sure if I should buy Gina instead of Orgasm because when wearing a highlighter it would be better to have a matte blush which I don’t have! Nars is more expensive and I think the balm Hot mama would be a dupe for Orgasm! What do you think and isn’t it too much to wear a shimmery blush and a highlighter?
Hot Mama is similar to NARS Orgasm 🙂