Moderate About You

NARS Madly was a makeup product I'd been meaning to get my hands on for the longest time, but never made a priority to buy. Even with its reputation as a staple, must-have blush despite its unassuming appearance, it never inspired strong feelings of desire or excitement. Having said that, two beauty vloggers who have been effusive in their praise for Madly tipped me over the edge: 1) Casey Holmes ("If you had to get one high end blush, this is the blush for you.") 2) KathleenLights ("This is my favourite blush of all time. I have a crap ton of blushes — this is my favourite blush ever ever ever.") Though described as a "warm soft-focus seashell pink", I find the shade undeniably brown. I really can't see pink in it. Still, I hoped it'd be a quintessential bronzy-nude blush to sculpt the face and impart a realistic, healthy glow, so I finally purchased it along with Giorgio Armani Luminous Silk Foundation from COSME-DE.COM.

I've heard that Madly is a blush that needs to be applied to the face rather than swatched to be fully appreciated. I can kind of see why the sentiment exists, but for me, I honestly don't discern a humongous difference between how it swatches on my wrist and how it appears when worn. It's probably slightly more red/orange/pink rather than purely brown/tan, but nothing distinct. The colour transformation might be more pronounced depending on your skin tone though.

To me, Madly is better defined as a warm bronzer with subtle terracotta tones and fine microshimmer. It does have more colour (in the sense of earthy ochre hues) than a more traditional bronzer which might be less warm and more yellow, brown or golden, but I can't imagine using this focused on the apples of my cheeks like a conventional blush. It's more of a hybrid blush/bronzer that is swept along the cheekbones and blended onto the cheeks for an overall bronzed, softly sculpted, "healthier" look. As KathleenLights so evocatively put it, "It reminds me of a goddess walking on the beach with flowers in her hair and a big seashell necklace, talking about life's mysteries, wearing this blush." Immediate Birth of Venus vibes.

NARS Madly

l-r: Chanel Soleil Tan de Chanel, Charlotte Tilbury Sculpt, NARS Luster, NARS Madly, NARS Laguna

Compared with a bunch of other bronzers and NARS Luster, another illuminating hybrid blush/bronzer, Madly is somewhere in between the golden brown NARS Laguna and more orangey NARS Luster, with a hint of the shimmering, cooler brown Sculpt shade in Charlotte Tilbury Filmstar Bronze & Glow.

I'm somewhat on the fence with Madly. I don't love it, but I'm still glad it's in my collection. It's a useful, versatile, "throw it on in a rush" product that acts as a blush and bronzer in one. Colour-wise, it's a bit too brown and similar to a regular bronzer for the effect on my skin to be anything particularly special or unique. I almost wish there was more of that promised "seashell pink" to provide a point of difference. Still, the quality is top notch as you'd expect from NARS, it goes with anything and provides natural definition and a sun-kissed, enlivening warmth to the complexion.