NARS Orgasm Blush Review, Photos, Swatches (2013)
NARS Orgasm Blush
NARS Orgasm Highlighting Blush ($29.00 for 0.16 oz.) is described as a “peachy pink with golden shimmer.” It’s a warm, medium pink with a stong golden shimmer-sheen. bareMinerals The Natural High is slightly warmer in its base color (less pink). Guerlain Blush G Serie Noire is slightly deeper and pinker. Benefit Sugarbomb is much, much lighter (and sheerer). Rock & Republic Call Me is slightly less pink. Milani Dolce Pink is more frosted/sparkly. Tarte Glisten is similar–slightly darker. MAC Springsheen is also similar. This older post is a good comparison reference for coral blushes.
I don’t know if there is a more well-known blush than NARS’ Orgasm. For some, it is a holy grail shade, and others can’t see why others love it so. It’s coral-ish, gold-shimmered, and not too dark (or too light), so I can see why it appeals to a lot of people. On the other hand, darker complexions usually find that Deep Throat is more up their alley, and anyone who doesn’t love a lot of shimmer and sheen isn’t going to love the finish on Orgasm. It had good color payoff but is not as intense as other NARS’ blushes (part of that is simply that it is a lighter color).
It has a high shimmer content, but it translates well onto the skin and smooths and evens out as you blend the color on the cheek, so rather than shimmer, you see more of a golden sheen. Orgasm has a soft, finely-milled texture that is just ever-so-slightly powdery. It blends and applies easily, and it is rather forgiving. It wears around seven and a half hours on me, and after eight, it starts to fade around the edges.
Orgasm
PPermanent. $30.00.
NARS Orgasm Blush Review, Photos, Swatches (2013)
NARS Orgasm Blush
NARS Orgasm Blush
NARS Orgasm Blush
NARS Orgasm Blush
NARS Orgasm Blush
NARS Orgasm Blush
So pretty <3!
See I bought Orgasm because the hype but the product is more gold shimmer then blush and I just disliked it immensely. Also because it was the first product I bought from NARS it really put me off the brand for years. lol
Agree. I dislike Orgasm because of the shimmer. I prefer to have matte blush. Maybe that’s why.
Agree 100%. I wouldn’t say it turned me off the brand completely but I definitely have not bought a single one of their blushes since–it was my first and last, so far. Bought Orgasm because of the hype but my GOD the shimmer! It really emphasized my large pores and was too super-shimmery so I immediately passed it on to my sister. It always surprises me that Nars usually goes way too overboard with their shimmer and/or glitter
Is there a difference between this 2013 Orgasm compared to older ones? (It’s been around a while – not sure if you’ve just never reviewed it before or if this is a reformulation…?)
Not reformulated – I am reviewing all of NARS’ blushes as part of a series, so I want photos to be the same across the series 🙂
I just bought bareMinerals The Natural High, so that cured my lemming for this 😛 and it wears like a CHAMP!
Do you know how this compares with The Balm’s Hot Mama?
Hot Mama is less pink!
This blush is iconic, I know, but it’s just too peachy toned for me. Gaeity or Mata Hari are much more the sorts of colours I like to wear and that flatter me but, to be honest, since discovering Tarte blushes, I don’t think I’m likely to purchase any other brand, once I use up the 20 or so blushes I have already!
The color itself is beautiful but for some reason on my skin it always looks so yellow. Maybe it’s the way the oil reacts to it or something.
I am one of those who do not find the appeal with orgasm. I instead bought two other colors by Nars long ago instead of orgasm. I even like glitter so that is not the issue. Wow. The price has really gone up….so close to the higher higher end products.
I could of sworn you already reviewed this — neverless this color is gorgeous!
On me, it seems to get a golden halo around the edges when I blend it out, and not in a bad way. I’m kind of pale, too, so when I wear coral colored clothing with it, it looks SUPER intense and I have to water it down some.
It’s still my favorite blush of all time!
I had been using Orgasm for ages. It really is lovely and flatters almost every skin tone. But I made the switch to the Balm’s Hot Mama, which I feel is kind of like Orgasm’s orange-er cousin.
I got Hot Mama for super cheap, and then immediately returned Orgasm to Sephora. It has better color payoff on me, although like you said, the base isn’t quite as pink as Orgasm. Blended out it looks crazy similar on my skin, though.
I don’t know – it just doesn’t do it for me. I don’t like shimmery cheeks so that’s definitely part of it. I find the colour not all that unique (to my eyes). I can understand the attraction though, it is quite a versatile colour, in terms of the range of skintones it will work on.
I’m not a fan of this blush. I prefer to add the type of shimmer/sheen in the places and quantity of my choice. I like the color and purchased Hot Mama from theBalm which is similar but I rarely reach for it. I realized that I like it best used VERY lightly on top of another blush for a touch of the color & sheen. I understand Orgasm is a holy grail for many and looks beautiful on them…it’s a fail for me.
I remember that old coral blusher post — one of my favourites! ;o) It had me absolutely convinced that I needed Hipness, which I STILL do not own (but still totally want!)
Fingers crossed MAC’ll re-release it sometime this year 😉 I like the colour of Orgasm, but I just can’t do shimmery blushes — mine just sits in the drawer, lonely and unloved.
It looks lovely on you! I was just wondering how it compares to Benefit Coralista? 🙂
I don’t actually own Orgasm, but I own Benefit Bella Bamba and NYX Pinched.
Some people say that Pinched is an Orgasm dupe. I think that’s pushing it… Pinched is pinker. I’d say that Pinched is what you’d get if Orgasm and Bella Bamba had a baby.
I find it kind of annoying how people call every coral/pink blush an Orgasm dupe. I mean, coral/pink is a staple color. Every brand is going to have one or more in their blush lineup. I don’t think Orgasm is *that* special.
I never really quite got the hype around this blush. It´s just a ton of glitter…
It’s actually a lot pinker and shimmerier than I remembered!
My favorite of all time! Orgasm was really the only blush I used for a LONG time, until I started experimenting (just recently!) with other blush colors. But I don’t really think it’s as universally flattering as Nars claims though. My mom is more olive-toned than me (I’m a fair/medium) and it didn’t work on her at all.
Lovey love love!
Ah, I’m a sugarbomb kind of a girl because I am super pale (NW15/Alabaster), and I feel like sugarbomb is less sparkly which I also prefer. Really, though, I don’t even use sugarbomb or any of my sparkly blushes much so I’m the wrong person for Orgasm. All of this is not to say that I don’t want it a little just because of how iconic it is and how pretty it is on others, but it will likely never happen.
I really wanted Orgasm, but it just looked to glittery for me. I purchased the Milani dupe and do love it. I bought the Nars Deep Throat (who names these things!) and I think it’s okay.
I also have Deep Throat and love it, and I adore Milani’s Luminoso.
I try over and over again to swatch it every time I’m at the Nars counter and I just don’t see anything on my skin (medium toned) than a couple of flecks of gold shimmer. The pick up is really poor.
I’m fairly light (in the “Ivory” range), and all I get is the gold, even on my inner wrist, which is extremely pale. I already have Albatross, so if I want a golden sheen, I’ll just use that.
Lancôme’s Mandarin Sky and Benefit’s Sugarbomb are the only gold-shimmered peach/coral/pinks I need. Much less tacky names, too :p
I hated NARS Orgasm. It just really doesn’t show up well on my skin, but it seems like a great starter blush for someone who doesn’t have a great hand at applying pigmented blush.
I love this blush when I first apply it, but it never stays on for long. Compared to all my other blushes, the longetivity of this blush is 0. In 2 hours, it’s not even there anymore 🙁
One dupe for this, Bare Minerals the Natural High, is AMAZING and I do think there’s a slight difference. I also think Tarte Glisten is amazing but again slightly different. If those two ever go away, and I finish my Mac Springsheen, then maybe I will buy Orgasm… But there’s just so much glitter!
I hate how they name a blush “deep throat.” Seriously? lol. My mom buys me make-up for Christmas and my birthday…if I want that, I don’t want to say, “Mom, I really want to get deep throat by Nars this year.” HAAA.
Anyway, I do really like Orgasm, but I think it’s…overrated. It’s too glittery, and definitely not universally flattering imo. It looks terrible on my best friend…comes out very yellow looking.
I always tell people it’s named for the Watergate scandal. 😉
Love it!
It looks nice on you. i’ve tried it and realized it’s too light for me.
It’s lovely, but I already own and adore MAC Springsheen 🙂
What about these for dupes:
Elf blush in the contouring and blush duo?
Elf Candid coral Blush?
Miliani Luminoso?
Sorry, I don’t have the E.L.F. products, and I’m not sure if I have Luminoso!
I’ve tried the Elf blush in the duo and I don’t think it comes close to Orgasm at all. It comes off more bright and pink on me than Orgasm does and also has a lot of shimmer, but that might just be me.
This was THE FIRST high-end blush I bought a few years back and have hit pan since it was the only blush I owned for years. As having a warm-complexion, I love the coral color, and the shimmer on me is very soft and translates nicely. I will say this, I wore the blush this morning, put it on around 5am, worked in the hospital for 6 hours, went out and about, came home around 7pm and it was still going strong, so that’s over 12 hours. In fact, out of all the blushes I own (Tarte, benefit, Too faced), this one lasts the longest on me, AND I have very oily skin.
I think I’ll take your skill of having no nail polish chip ever, Christine, though 🙂 My polishes chip next day, no matter what brand, top coat, base coat, etc.
I can’t even imagine having to redo it everyday 🙁
I love this blush! I wasn’t too keen on buying it because I thought I wouldn’t like it, but when I bought the Danmari palette a while ago, I tried it out and it was amazing! It lasts pretty well on me.
Pur Minerals Polynesian Pink blush is also very similar to Orgasm.
This look is so flawless 🙂
I have very cool-toned skin, so the excess of gold shimmer in the blush makes my cheeks look muddy. Also, I have large pores, so I don’t go for shimmery blushes anyway.
It always looks so pretty on you! I remember photos from this summer when you were wearing it (in other makeup reviews) and it was the *perfect* pinky-peach gold on your skin. I was always deeply envious because it doesn’t show up on my pale olive skin at all. Nor on the darker olive skin of the other women in my family. Nada, zip, zero.
As for Deep Throat being an alternative, I’d like to suggest NARS’ Torrid as another one. It’s much more peachy-coral than the more pinky Deep Throat, but it’s a gorgeous, has zero glitter and just the faintest sheen — if even that. Plus, it has great pigmentation which Orgasm does not.
One of these days, I feel like I’ll finally get around to picking this up. It’s an iconic blush that I always wanted to try, and I don’t mind a shimmery finish on my blushes. I need a good shimmery coral blush in my collection, anyway. 😛
I have this in the NARS Joie de Vivre palette (their Nordstrom exclusive from last year’s anniversary sale). But I don’t think I’ve ever worn it; it’s a little too sparkly/shimmery for me and when I tried it on I got more of the gold shimmer than the actual color. I wouldn’t buy it again, that’s for sure. I may have to pick up The Natural High, though, if it’s in stock. That one looks gorgeous.
ill stick to my la femme coral spice dupe. only 3.50
beautiful.. loved gold shimmer
How close is this to Illamasqua SOPHIE? From the photos at least, SOPHIE looks a lot less shimmery, but I’m curious about the base colour.
I don’t have SOPHIE, unfortunately!
I’ve wasted so much money trying to find an inexpensive Orgasm “dupe,” but they all end up being too orange or too matte/dulling for my taste. This is the only peachy blush I’ve found that I like. It does tend to be one of those products where those who love it swear by it religiously, and everyone else doesn’t get what all the fuss is about.
I purchased Orgasm years ago prior to it achieving (to some) holy grail status. Original Orgasm was a muted burnished rose pink with less shimmer than current Orgasm. I have my original pan which I depotted because the original Nars compact began to degrade. I much prefer the old color to the new vibrant frosty color. Lastly, Orgasm is meant to be applied with a very light hand otherwise one will look clownish.
I was shocked when I tried it on. My face looked like I had some sort of rash. It was very pigmented and way too pink, I couldn’t see the peach in this. My skin tone is NC20.
i loved the color but it broke me out 🙁