NARS Paloma Contour Blush

NARS Paloma Contour Blush ($42.00 for 0.28 oz.) features a highlight and contour shade, and they’re supposed to add “natural-looking dimension for the face with a lightweight luminous finish.”  It’s more of a medium, neutral-toned set of shades, relative to the other two duos available, though I think the textures and finishes will make each duo more versatile and work for multiple skin tones.  The Highlight shade wasn’t as powdery as the shades in Olympia, while the Contour shade was a little drier but luckily did not look dry on the skin.  Both shades wore well for eight hours before starting to fade slightly.

The finish is far closer to matte than luminous or satin for both shades, and depending on your skin tone and skin type, the more matte highlighter might not read very illuminating on the skin. The contrast on my skin tone did seem to give a slight illuminating effect without the shimmer or sheen, though. The powders lasted for eight hours on my skin before beginning to fade.

The Highlight shade is a neutral-to-cool toned, light beige with a matte finish. It had good color payoff, while the texture was soft, finely-milled, and not too powdery. NARS Olympia Highlight (P) is lighter. Chanel Jardin de Camelias (LE, $70.00) is more shimmery, lighter. NARS Nico (P, $29.00) is more shimmery, warmer, darker. See comparison swatches.

The Contour shade is a medium-dark, neutral-to-warm-toned brown with a satin finish. It had decent pigmentation but builds slightly. The texture was fairly soft but seemed a little dry. Too Faced Chocolate Soleil (P) is warmer. Kevyn Aucoin Natura (P) is similar. NARS Madly (P, $29.00) is more shimmery. MAC Harmony (P, $21.00) is similar. Burberry Earthy (P, $42.00) is cooler-toned. See comparison swatches.

NARS Paloma Contour Blush

NARS Paloma Contour Blush

NARS Paloma Contour Blush

NARS Paloma Contour Blush

NARS Paloma Contour Blush

NARS Paloma Contour Blush

NARS Paloma Contour Blush

NARS Paloma Contour Blush

NARS Paloma Contour Blush

NARS Paloma (your left) / Olympia (your right) Contour Blush