What makes a product achieve that much coveted cult status? Quality? Pretty packaging? Marketing hype?
I’ve been thinking about it lately, while playing with Nars Orgasm blush and Laguna bronzer. Both are considered cult. Neither is a must have.
So what makes them special? I’m putting Nars Blush/Bronzer Duo In Orgasm & Laguna to the test to find out:
- What’s In Nars Blush/Bronzer Duo In Orgasm & Laguna?
- Colour
- Texture
- Pigmentation
- Staying Power
- Fragrance
- How To Use It
- Performance & Personal Opinion
- Who Is This For?
- Who Is This NOT For?
- Packaging
- Does Nars Blush/Bronzer Duo In Orgasm & Laguna Live Up To Its Claims?
- Price & Availability
- Do You Need It?
- Dupes & Alternatives
What’s In Nars Blush/Bronzer Duo In Orgasm & Laguna?
Like all blushes and bronzers, Nars Blush/Bronzer Duo In Orgasm & Laguna are made up mainly of two groups of ingredients:
- Pigments: You usually need three of four pigments to make one single shade.
- Talc: A filler used to dilute the bright, vivid pigments (cos you don’t want to look like a clown!)
Related: Is Talc In Skincare And Makeup Products Dangerous?
Colour
- Orgasm: A stunning peachy pink. More pink than peach, it is infused with gold shimmers that give skin such a healthy glow. No wonder this shade is so popular!
- Laguna: A medium brown with warm undertones and golden shimmers.
Texture
Finely milled. They’re both very soft to the touch, Laguna more than Orgasm.
Pigmentation
They’re both on the sheer side. They show up well on my pale skin, but darker complexions may need something more pigmented.
Staying Power
Both last 8 hours on the skin, before slowly starting to fade.
Fragrance
They’re fragrance-free.
How To Use It
I recommend you apply both the bronze and blush with a dense brush to get as much pigment (and colour) on your cheeks as possible.
Performance & Personal Opinion
I’ve been wanting to try Nars Orgasm and Laguna for a long time, so I’m glad I got the duo. Talk about killing two birds with one stone.
I fell in love with Orgasm straight way. The peachy colour is very flattering. It warms up your skintone, while the fine shimmers make it shine. The glow is subtle and natural, but bright enough to allow you to skip the highlighter. I never wear one with Orgasm. I don’t need it.
The texture is very smooth to the touch and blends like a dream. Because of the sheer colour payoff, it is impossible to overdo.
That’s great news for pale princesses who can safely dust it on without fear of ending up looking like a clown, but marvellous mademoiselles and dark divas may need to build it up.
(FYI, Sleek Makeup Blush in Rose Gold would be a better, more pigmented, and much cheaper choice for you).
Laguna terrified me. It looked so dark and unforgiving in the pan, but that’s all show. Laguna is surprisingly sheer. Turns out it’s perfect to fake a glowing tan on or contour pale skin, but I can see other women getting frustrated by how much product they need to apply to get it to show up properly.
The tan and glow it gives are very natural. The shimmers are so subtle you can hardly see them on the skin, so you can use it to sculpt the face as well. That’s how I usually use it.
Who Is This For?
- Pale princesses
- Anyone who likes sheer and natural bronzers/blushes
Who Is This NOT For?
- Darker skintones
- If you like pigmented blushes and bronzers, this isn’t for you.
Packaging
Nars Blush/Bronzer Duo In Orgasm & Laguna comes in the Nars’ classic rubber case, which is both chic and annoying. It gets dirty so soon! But the in-built mirror is very handy. There’s no applicator inside the case, but that’s ok. They never turn out to be any good anyway, do they?
Does Nars Blush/Bronzer Duo In Orgasm & Laguna Live Up To Its Claims?
| CLAIM | TRUE? |
|---|---|
| The Blush-Bronzer Duo delivers a healthy bronzed glow and a brilliant flush of blush. | True. |
| Shimmer finish. | Yes. |
| Smooth, silky texture. | Yes. |
| Natural, healthy looking color that immediately enlivens the complexion. | True again. |
| Sheer, buildable colour. | True. They’re actually too sheer for darker complexions. |
| Blends evenly. | Yep. |
Price & Availability
$42.00/£16.00 at Sephora and SpaceNK
Do You Need It?
If you’re a pale princess or love sheer blushes and bronzers, Nars Blush/Bronzer Duo in Orgasm is a good option to have in your makeup kit. But most people won’t need it.
Dupes & Alternatives
- E.L.F. Contouring Blush & Bronzing Powder in Fiji ($4.00)
- Urban Decay Stay Naked Threesome Blush, Bronzer, & Highlighter Palette in Rise ($36.00)
Ingredients
Orgasm: Talc, Cetearyl Isononanoate, Zinc Stearate, Cetyl Acetate, Stearoxy Dimethicone, Isopropyl Lanolate, Silica, Propylparaben, Triclosan, Methylparaben, Acetylated Lanolin Alcohol, BHA, [+/- (May Contain): Mica, CI 77891 (Titanium Dioxide), CI 77491 (Iron Oxides), CI 77492 (Iron Oxides), CI 77499 (Iron Oxides), CI 77742 (Manganese Violet), CI 45410 (Red 28 Lake), CI 73360 (Red 30 Lake), CI 17200 (Red 33 Lake), CI 15880 (Red 34 Lake)]
Laguna: Talc, Ethylhexyl Palmitate, Nylon-12, Silica, Zinc Stearate, Polyethylene, Dimethicone, Trimethylsiloxysilicate, Lauroyl Lysine, Ethylparaben, Methylparaben, Sorbitan Sesquiolate, Trisodium EDTA, Sodium Dehydroacetate, Tocopherol, [+/- (May Contain): Mica • CI 77891 (Titanium Dioxide) • CI 77491 (Iron Oxides) • CI 77492 (Iron Oxides) • CI 77499 (Iron Oxides)]
I’ve had this blush/bronzer duo – forever – and never really liked it until I applied the bronzer lightly and the blush heavily .. lol. Now I love it! It’s so pretty and glowy on the cheeks 🙂
Monica.
Monica, bronzer lightly and blush heavily is definitely the best way to apply this. I love they are both on the sheer side cos it makes them easy to build up and friendly to pale skintones as well.
I don’t use bronzer, as it always ends up looking muddy on me. But you can’t go wrong with Nars Orgasm! It’s my everyday blush.
Laurie, I usually stay away from blushes for the same reason. But this is surprisingly wearable, probably because it is on the sheer side and doesn’t have those awful orange undertones. Orgasm is a beautiful blush indeed.
Can you believe I have never tried Nars Orgasm?! Altho pricey, it’s a very pretty duo. Like both shades on you. Altho I own a few bronzers, I just don’t remember to use them. However, I did buy a highlighter/contour stick recently and I’ve been trying to get in the habit of using it.
Allison, I don’t think Orgasm is a must have, but it’s definitely nice to have. It gives skin a lovely, healthy glow. You should try it if you have the chance. 🙂
I would love to try this, looks great:)
Helena, it is a lovely duo indeed. 🙂
I love the eye makeup, such shades really suit you 😉
Marina, thank you!
hmmm 4 out of 5 , means this product is worth trying 😀
Poonpo, both the bronzer and blush are really nice and give a nice glow to the complexion.
Is it good for nc35 type skin tone? Please let me know and is this duo are shimmery?
Hanan, yes it is similar. But to be honest, I don’t know if it will suit a NC35 skin tone. I’m not familiar with MAC foundation shades but I remember the pigmentation of the duo to be sheer to medium.