Archived Post

NARS Orgasm Blush Review, Photos, Swatches

NARS Orgasm Highlighting Blush
NARS Orgasm Blush

NARS Orgasm Blush

NARS Orgasm Blush ($27.00 for 0.16 oz.) is described as a “peachy pink with shimmer.” This is a cult product–and NARS knows it–that has been replicated across their product range (e.g. Orgasm lipgloss, nail polish, etc.) and by other brands. It seems like nearly every brand has a shade that is similar to Orgasm (just check out the dupes for it on The Dupe List.

I’ve always found Orgasm to be more pink than peach. It’s more of a light-medium, strawberry-pink color base with peach-gold shimmer and sheen. It applies softly, as the shade itself is not particularly intense. The color payoff is decent but there seems to be some inherent sheerness in the product itself. It’s interesting, because on NARS’ website, they describe their blush as “provi[ding] a sheer, natural hint of color” but many of NARS’ blushes are well-known for their intensities.

I think the color is what drives this product’s popularity; it’s a warmer pink with that golden sheen that gives a hint of color, warmth, and a subtle glow. It has a soft, smooth texture with only the tiniest bit of powderiness, which I expect is more because some of the shimmer seems to pull away from the color (but the shimmer is rather fine, so it doesn’t look or feel chunky).  I get about eight hours of wear with NARS’ blushes, while a softer color like Orgasm wears seven to eight hours (which is around average).

From products I’ve reviewed, shades like Guerlain Blush G (similarity depends on how much of each of the shades you use), Rock & Republic Call Me (less pink, more orange), Lancome Mandarin Sky (less pink, more orange), Smashbox Paradise (less pink, sheerer), Benefit Sugarbomb (more peach, lighter), MAC Springsheen (more shimmer), Benefit CORALista (less peach), and Le Metier de Beaute Echo (more orange) all show some resemblance to Orgasm. Of all of those possibilities, I find MAC Springsheen to be most similar.

NARS Orgasm Blush Review, Photos, Swatches

B+
9
Product
9
Pigmentation
9
Texture
8
Longevity
4
Application
87%
Total

NARS Orgasm Highlighting Blush
NARS Orgasm Blush

NARS Orgasm Highlighting Blush
NARS Orgasm Blush

NARS Orgasm Highlighting Blush
NARS Orgasm Blush

NARS Orgasm Highlighting Blush
NARS Orgasm Blush

NARS Orgasm Highlighting Blush
NARS Orgasm Blush

NARS Orgasm Highlighting Blush
NARS Orgasm Blush

NARS Orgasm Highlighting Blush
NARS Orgasm Blush

127 Comments

Comments that do not adhere to our comment policy may be removed. Discussion and debate are highly encouraged but we expect community members to participate respectfully. Please keep discussion on-topic, and if you have general feedback, a product review request, an off-topic question, or need technical support, please contact us!

Please help us streamline the comments' section and be more efficient: double-check the post above for more basic information like pricing, availability, and so on to make sure your question wasn't answered already. Comments alerting us to typos or small errors in the post are appreciated (!) but will typically be removed after errors are fixed (unless a response is needed).

We appreciate enthusiasm for new releases but ask readers to please hold questions regarding if/when a review will be posted as we can't commit to or guarantee product reviews. We don't want to set expectations and then disappoint readers as even products that are swatched don't always end up being reviewed due to time constraints and changes in priorities! Thank you for understanding!

Comments on this post are closed.
Jennifer Avatar

Christine, You have no idea how long I have waited for this review! I have put off the hype till you swatched it so I could see and now I am glad I didn’t waste my money b/c I have so many shades that are simiar to it! Thank you, thank you! Have a good holiday and be safe 🙂

terry Avatar

oooooh me too! it looks like the china glaze nail polish strawberry fields, except in lipstick form… yummy! what shade is it, christine?=D

fabiola Avatar

I like it, but I don’t find it that special like most people do. I swatched it next to my mac springsheen and I found mac springsheen texture softer and I stick with my springsheen is my everyday blush with mac sandy b lipstick, and it is only 18.50 whereas nar’s is $26, and I don’t like the texture. Mac’s is a lot creamier. Thank you Christine for your always great review. You are in top of your game.

divinem (Melissa) Avatar

I remember when I started collecting makeup, I kept hearing all the RAVE reviews about Orgasm. To me, it’s just “meh”. I’ve only used mine twice. It’s very strong on my NW15-20 skin, although it is lovely on your skin tone, Christine.

Ani_BEE Avatar

I’m in the NC10 range and found the finish and pigmentation to be ok but not great as well. I prefer Benefit CORALista and La Famme’s Coral blushes if you like the idea of the colour but where unimpressed with Orgasm.

Samarpita Avatar

I have nc 42 skin and when i went to a NARS counter once and tried this one on, it didn’t show up as much. The SA tried oasis on me, which really showed up well. I don’t have Deep Throat but Oasis is a pretty good one for me 🙂

Chris25 Avatar

I am also NC42 and I wear Deep Throat a lot! It’s really pretty. Orgasm is very sheer on me, and I need to add more to get it to show up. I think Super Orgasm would be better for people NC42 and darker.

Jay Avatar

I’m a nc 44/45 and LOVE Oasis. I swatched Orgasm in Sephora and it didn’t do much for me. I played around with some of the others and felt in love with Oasis. That is now my go to blush!

Lisa Avatar

Haha, I thought you were never going to review this due to the fact that Orgasm is such an obnoxiously-cult product.

Would you mind swatching Orgasm next to other blushes in your future reviews occasionally? Many of us own orgasm, and know exactly what it looks like.

Carrie Ann Avatar

I love this blush. It really is so popular for a reason. MAC Springsheen is also gorgeous. It’s probably my favorite of the permanent MAC blushes. 🙂

Rosanna Avatar

I have Deep Throat and like it much better. I think Orgasm is too yellow for a person with neutral undertones (like me)

Anitacska Avatar

Can’t believe you’ve never reviewed this before! 🙂 I like Orgasm, less keen on Super Orgasm, that has too much glitter imo. That said, I bought New Order which is an absolute glitterfest, lol.

Jessi Avatar

I bought Orgasm once and returned it because I was very underwhelmed. After your review of Estee Lauder’s Radiant Peach, I went out and bought it instead. It is everything I wanted Orgasm to be.

Carly Avatar

I wore this for the longest time but I’ve since switched to Nectar Shimmerbrick because of color, packaging, and the fact it seems to wear a lot longer. Plus, I seem to be drawn to BB overall anyway.

meme Avatar

This color blush never did anything for me – and surprising as I wear a peachy pink well usually. I tried this original and the one with the super shimmer in it (that was lighter in shade over all)..have used the stix, the polish, the lipstick – nothing – it just is not a great anything on me for some reason….here it’s the go to color for everyone for years now and does not do a thing for me!

Marina Avatar

I love this blush! I wear it whenever I can – it’s so gorgeous! It makes me happy, though I’m not quite sure why. I have a question for you though, Christine. I have 0 Benefit Boxed Powders and was thinking of getting one. Do you think it is a bad idea to get Sugarbomb (which is what I was originally thinking about getting) or Coralista since I have Orgasm?

AnGeLwInGz Avatar

I want to love this blush but every time I try it looks like I have yellow shimmer on my face. So weird, I wear Flirt Heartthrob which is a dupe of what Orgasm is supposed to look like on me.

verybecca Avatar

Bobbi Brown Coral is my fave Orgasm dupe because it’s similar in color but it doesn’t make my face look dirty the way the shimmer in Orgasm does. Orgasm has never worked on me for some reason. I really prefer Nars mattes for this reason. The shimmer in BB Coral is a little bigger but less intense so it gives a really nice glow.

Meg Avatar

I always have difficulties for this blush to show but paired with Maybelline Dream Mousse blush in Peach Satin it’s so pretty!!!!! 🙂

daphne Avatar

Christine, what made you decide to review this now? Did you just recently get it?

I have this, and pretty much every dupe of it you can imagine. Cheap versions from Milani and NYX, MAC, Bobbi Brown, Le Metier, Benefit…only one I don’t have is Lancome (because it’s an animal testing company…didn’t realize NARS was until after I bought Orgasm) and Estee Lauder. But I just recently acquired Rock and Republic’s Call Me, and now I don’t need the Estee Lauder one. Don’t need any of the others either. Call Me is the greatest blush I’ve ever used.

Orgasm is really, really pretty though. I don’t actually think it’s overrated.

Marie Avatar

NARS doesn’t test on animals; it says so on their website, and it was confirmed on facebook (after someone asked). I know it’s owned by Shiseido, but that doesn’t mean anything.

Mariella Avatar

I’ve always sidestepped Orgasm because I thought it was too peachy for me to drop that kind of cash on a “once in a while” shade and also too sparkly but seeing how lovely it looks on you, Christine, has me thinking I’ll give it a try. I do have Coralista and like it okay enough (I’d love to see how it looks on you compared to how Orgasm looks, for a point of reference).

baby in a corner Avatar

i always wanted to try this surprised i never have! I think the balm’s hot mama is a good dupe too!

BTW, when you click on smashbox paradise it goes through to Mandarin Sky.

Bianca Avatar

I have been considering buying this for monthes! I mean $27 is kind of expensive for a blush. Sure there are more expensive blushes but I could also spend that money on something else if I didn’t like Orgasm. But after seeing the swatches and your review I think I will definitely buy it(: Thank you so much Christine!

Jessica Avatar

How do you think this would compare to Mac’s wonderwoman blush in Mighty Aphrodite? It’s like my favorite blush and I use it everyday so I was hoping to find a more permanent alternative..

Crystal Avatar

This is my all-time favorite blush. I have to build it up on my NC42 skin, but it’s completely worth it every time. I also know that there are tons of dupes out there that are far more pigmented, but they never seem to please me as much as Orgasm does.

rashmi Avatar

Blush , lips and Eyes are so perfect on you Christine 😀
Have you ever gone wrong ?? I wonder how do you match everything so perfect every time and gives your best shot 😀 😀 ….
loving the lipstick and gloss and Christine I have gone through so many reviews about “O” but this one just hit the right note ….
For me nobody would ever be able to review the makeup stuff like you do .. you are so clear in what you are doing and that’s why despite having product i so loved the review and could relate to it …..

And i still remember when I asked you which first NARS Blush should I buy you mentioned “DT” and NO I didn’t listened to you and bought this …( See how bad I am ) , but during one of sales I picked “DT” and then realized you have never suggested anything wrong from the very first day … I so love “DT” and cant thank you enough for the shade reco.

Stephanie Avatar

I held off on buying Orgasm for a LONG time because I kept hearing, “it’s okay, but it’s not great.” It probably has to do a lot with skintone, but on my ~NC20 skin, I can’t find anything else like it. Sure, there are similar colors out there, but nothing gives me the same glow as Orgasm (think that’s why they named it that?).

Traci Avatar

I wanted to love this so badly, I had this in the duo with the bronzer. I’m an NC20 and try as I might, it just didn’t look right on me. Oh well, I do have MAC’s Dainty and I love it

karen Avatar

This blush is nice, I had to buy it because of the hype and I do love it.That is a perfect picture of the square of blush haha, so precise. Good job Christine!

Kayla Avatar

I ordered an ELF blush in the shade Twinkle Pink, unknowing that it would be an exact color dupe for Orgasm. I just thought it sounded pretty! The product itself is pretty crappy but I’ve been afraid to drop $27 on Orgasm. Turns out, I love the shade! So I’d suggest it to anyone who wants to give Orgasm a trial run but doesn’t want to spend the money on it, initially 😀 it really is such a pretty color.

shuz4ever Avatar

It really does look nice on u. Funny story – over the years i’ve swatched this a zillion times but never bought it – yeah that’s how hard i’ve tried to love it. Eachtime i walked away in the reaffirmation that this blush is the most overhyped pdct, plus i already owned mac springsheen (my first mac blush). Recently i got Oragsm by default when i bought the NARS potrait of paradise blush/bronzer trio – and i still haven’t been swayed – find nothing spectacular about it.

Christine Avatar

Hey! I only just got it myself. I want to say that maybe I owned it previously or perhaps in a duo compact, and I do own Super Orgasm (which I don’t like, way too glittery). But I’m really trying to build up the Swatch Gallery, and though LE is nice, it’s good to get a back log of permanent products to compare to. Especially a cult fave like Orgasm!

wendyh Avatar

i never find it that special.
don’t get me wrong. i don’t dislike it and like quality of NARS blush..
i perfer deep throat.

Jamie Avatar

You look amazing in that blush! But i absolutely love this blush i have it in the duo with laguna and this is my go to product,i wear orgasm more than any other blush i own.

AmyD Avatar

christine, your whole look is amazing – cheeks, eyes, lips! i love how sometimes you pair the pink lips and cheeks with a gray-ish eye, i want to give it a try – what did you use on your eyes??

Susan Avatar

Hi, Cristine. I’m from Brazil and we don’t have NARS stores here.I always heard that Orgasm matches with almost everyone, but I really don’t know if it matches with my NC20 tone. Does it?
By the way, what’s your skin-tone? X

Katie Avatar

I absolutely hate NARS Orgasm. It seems like no matter how much I use, it doesn’t show up on my face. I understand it’s a sheer wash of color, but even when I try building it, it just doesn’t work out!

cutenurse79 Avatar

I love this blush on me, as well as on my daughter. Problem being, its powdery and gets everywhere. Do you have any recommendation on how to keep it on the brush and not everywhere else (like on the nice black package)? Perhaps its my brush (Sephora)

MsAnge Avatar

Hi Christine. Don’t have NARS where I live but wonders whether this needs to go into my Wish List (yes.. cannot help to wonder due to its cult status) How does the colour compare to Chanel Espiegle? It seems to apply more pink than Espiegle..

Adelita Avatar

I’m obsess with this color but yet I want this color to work for my NC37-42 skin like it does on lighter skin tone. My adventure starts from NARS Orgasm, The Balm Hot Mama, Milani Luminous, MAC Springsheen, Lancôme Mandarin Sky, Estée Lauder Radiant Peach, Clinique Precious Posy, NARS Deep Throat, NARS Torrid, Benefit Coralista, CARGO Rome, CARGO The Big Easy, CARGO blu_ray Blush/Highlighter Pink, Rock & Republic Call Me and the most recent are tarte Amazonian Clay Glisten and NYX Menage a Trois HD Grinding Blush. (I purchase Lancôme, Estée Lauder, Clinique & NYX after reading your review Christine! :))
But yes, it is not a healthy obsession!

I haven’t try Guerlain Blush G because it take me back and forth whether I had to buy this or not until it’s too late & sold out, but perhaps I’ll try Smashbox Paradise, Benefit Sugarbomb and Le Metier de Beaute Echo. Maybe.

I swap and give most of those blush to my family & friends. My favorite are R&R Call Me and tarte Amazonian Blush Glisten (this stuff is really impressive, it stays on!). Also, while these aren’t my favorite, but I love how it looks on my skin, those are NARS Torrid, CARGO Rome and Lancôme Mandarin Sky.

Btw, some shades I purchased isn’t a dupe of NARS Orgasm because it’s NOT the exact color that I want, but the end result of NARS Orgasm appearance on Orgasm-cult-member’s cheek that I want to achieve. When I’m not lazy and not in hurry, I even mix MUFE HD Blush Quickie + Benefit Girls Meet Pearl and it looks good too!

Pheww… I need to be cured.

emily Avatar

I just got it too, but in that new LE trio. But it’s too much of a flushed color on my skin (like I ran a marathon!). I think it’s cuz it picks up on my naturally flushed cheeks more so than the other blushes that I’ve tried. Have to try it with a heavier foundation.

J Avatar

I’m just curious as to why you give it a B +? Now, our opinions are different and so is our skin. Orgasm looks FANTASTIC on me. Makes me look tanned for some reason. How come it only landed a B + with you?

Christine Avatar

Texture, payoff, etc. Just because I like the color or it’s flattering on one skin tone doesn’t mean anything. Orgasm doesn’t have the best color payoff, and it’s not the smoothest blush. It’s nice, but it’s not the best blush formula I’ve tried (and not the best NARS has to offer, in terms of formula).

Sierra tully Avatar

In nars bus collection line they have SO MANY similar colors to this!
Like a lighter one with less shimmer,one with glitter,one that’s more peachy,one that’s more pink,ETC
But if you are a big fan then you wont mind 🙂

Alinda Avatar

Sleek Rose Gold Blush is also a really good cheap alternitive, especially when you live in the EU… I’ve bought it for around €5,- But I would love to buy the real one, it looks amazing on you Christine!

pquanda Avatar

christine, you look amazing!! Your review was awesome! I was wondering if (by any chance) you knew what liner and foundation you’re wearing here? Thanks so much!

Vesna (beautyaddict) Avatar

I have it and OMG, I completely forgot about it! I know I wanted it SO bad and couldn’t get it, but when I finally did I kinda neglected it, lol 😀

I think I might take it out of my train case and start using it again because it’s a lovely color! 🙂

Nicola Avatar

The swatch is so pretty, oh my gosh. I never thought I needed this until now. Though, having searched swatches, a lot of people seem to prefer Deep Throat… which (in your opinion) do you think would be better for me? I’m NC15. My every day blush at the moment is Desire (the cotton candy pink) but I want something peachy, maybe shimmery as well… could this be it?

jacqui Avatar

Thanks for reviewing nars orgasm!! I was thinking about buying it. 2 questions though, how do you think it compares to Mac expensive pink eyeshadow if you used the shadow as a blush, and how does it compare to Mac ripe peach?

Gloss Addict Avatar

 @Christine-Temptalia Hi Christine, I am inquiring about NC 43 (or C6).  Do you recommend Deep Throat for these complexions as well?  Thought it was also more sparkly than Orgasm.  Which one would be more flattering?

Gloss Addict Avatar

 @Christine-Temptalia  Thanks, I’ll test it next time I’m out!  BTW is there a way to get my name to appear, instead of my user name?

We try to approve comments within 24 hours (and reply to them within 72 hours) but can sometimes get behind and appreciate your patience! 🙂 If you have general feedback, product review requests, off-topic questions, or need technical support, please contact us directly. Thank you for your patience!