You Fancy, Huh?

NARS Orgasm blush is one of those cult products that anyone with an interest in makeup would've heard of at some point or another. Drake even referenced it in a song, so you know it's hit the big time. When I first seriously ventured into the world of cosmetics, I noticed it was often mentioned in reviews of different blushes as a point of comparison, particularly if potential dupes had been identified. At the time, the prospect of forking out $45 for a single blush was ludicrous (and really, still is), so I found myself being drawn to so-called "dupes" that had been brought to my attention by beauty bloggers and YouTubers. Over time, the amount of money I spent on trying to find a shade similar to Orgasm was probably more than if I had just gone out and purchased Orgasm in the first place. I'm great with finances in that way.

While in New York, I couldn't leave without at least one NARS blush, and the obvious choice was the most famed shade in their selection. I thought about getting Deep Throat, Sin or Gaiety instead, but settled on the safe and most popular option (though what I really wanted was the Joie de Vivre palette, but that was never going to happen). I figured since I've been buying dupes of Orgasm all this time, I might as well seize the opportunity to take home the real deal at around two-thirds of the Australian retail price.

I feel like I'm overly familiar with this shade, despite not owning it until recently. Perhaps due to its popularity, there have been countless approximations and imitations of this kind of pinkish, peachy colour with gold shimmer. The only thing that I found slightly unusual was that it's a bit sheerer than I was expecting. Not to say that it lacks pigmentation, but that upon the first swipe, the colour itself is just as strong, if not less prominent, than the shimmer that runs through it. On the cheeks, this applies a little more on the pink rather than peach side, which I prefer because most blushes tend to run a little red or orange on me.

l-r: NARS Orgasm, Lacura Sunset, Bourjois Lilas D'Or, Bourjois Rose D'Or, Sleek Rose Gold

And here are the dupes. None of them are exactly the same, though some are noticeably closer than others. I'd say Sleek Rose Gold is the best dupe, followed by Bourjois Lilas D'Or. Rose Gold is a lot more potent than Orgasm, almost like a florid coral, however it has the trademark glowy, gold sheen of Orgasm (except on steroids). Lilas D'Or is similar to Rose Gold but even more red-toned and a touch deeper in colour. Rose D'Or is more of a cooler, slightly lighter pink, without the obvious golden shimmer of Orgasm. Lacura Sunset is the most dissimilar, though Zoella had me rushing to ALDI to retrieve it when I first read her post on the two being dupes. I wouldn't say it is nothing like Orgasm, but given that Lilas D'Or and Rose Gold are much closer, Sunset is a fair bit off and clearly more peachy/orange in tone.

So did I really need Orgasm? Probably not. However, considering I almost never use Rose Gold as I find it tricky to work with because of how amazingly pigmented and sparkly it is, and Lilas D'Or makes me look like I'm recovering from sunburn, the relative sheerness of Orgasm could be regarded as an advantage. I like that it's more pink than red or coral, and while the shimmer can be easy to overdo, it does give a pretty, glowing effect to the face. I've found that making a blush work has a lot to do with how it's applied (the brush, the amount, the positioning on the face, how it complements the rest of your makeup), as much as the blush itself. That's an area I'm still trying to get the hang of, as unfortunately, while my blush collection has expanded considerably, I still suck at it.

And Now, a Spending Ban

I'm back! For the most part, I loved New York and had a fairly flawless time there, apart from the two massive bruises on my legs from bumping into the corners of the bed because our hotel room was so tiny, losing a purchase from Gap because I left the shopping bag somewhere, and walking around so much during my time there but somehow not losing any weight. But those are truly minor quibbles. I loved finally being able to be in and explore a city that I'd always dreamt of visiting. I saw my favourite Impressionist artworks in person, had Steve Kazee sign my Playbill after seeing Once on Broadway, got up close and personal with Niagara Falls on Maid of the Mist, ate at Momofuku and Gramercy Tavern, and experienced the joy of flying 21 hours, twice. But most predictably, I bought makeup like I’d never be able to buy makeup again. I’ve lugged a treasure trove of stuff back home and probably have enough to fuel posts until at least the end of the year.

Sephora is the black hole into which my money disappeared. What I bought there, along with MAC goodies, a few drugstore purchases and some other random things, comprise my shamefully indulgent bounty.

The largest concentration of items are Benefit products, mainly because of the significant price difference between the US and Australia. I got a little overexcited buying 3 boxed powders (which at the end of the day, aren't exactly cheap at around $30 each with 8.875% sales tax) and even a $25 mascara, despite the fact I have about 5 unopened tubes from different brands at home, and I'm perfectly content with Maybelline Define-A-Lash, which I can easily buy for $10. I thought about buying more NARS blushes but I had no idea what to get apart from Orgasm, which now that I have, I'd be interested to compare against my existing blush collection as I've apparently purchased countless dupes. I considered getting Sin, but opted for Benefit Dallas instead.

I'm somewhat surprised I didn't buy more from Revlon, given how much cheaper its products are in the US compared to Australia. I was thrilled to finally track down Whimsical, and I also managed to test the real deal (Deborah Lippmann Glitter in the Air) at Bloomingdale's, and can verify the two are more or less the same. I made sure to grab a bottle of Neutrogena Healthy Skin foundation, which isn't available in Australia, despite also buying NARS Sheer Glow, which the Neutrogena is said to be a cheaper alternative to. 

Part of me wanted to buy more at MAC because of how relatively affordable the products were compared to Australian prices, but I already had gone overboard with blush, so I stuck to their raved about lipsticks (in Creme Cup, Shy Girl and Viva Glam Nicki). I also bought Rubenesque Paint Pot, as I was looking for something slightly different to the medium taupes and bronzes that I usually go for. Despite much temptation, I resisted buying Fluidline, Eye Kohl pencils, Satin Taupe, concealer or any brushes.

I also bought a couple of Laura Mercier face products, two beigey, rosey, slightly more neutral blushes, a Stila eyeliner pen and a small bottle of the seemingly polarising Caudalie Beauty Elixir. Posts about most of the stash to come. In the meantime, I need to battle jetlag and the depressing reality that my holiday is over and returning to work is just around the corner.

Packed and Ready

Just a quick heads up that this will be my last post for this month, as I will be flying out to New York tomorrow and returning at the end of September.

It'll be my first overseas trip, not counting sparse visits back to the homeland, so I'm hoping that a) I won't die on the plane (or other modes of transport) b) I won't get food poisoning or robbed or lose important stuff c) I won't get lost — unlikely, since I have no sense of direction and can't read a map to save my life d) my legs won't fall off from walking too much and general lack of fitness e) I won't bankrupt myself in Sephora. It doesn't help that I've unexpectedly caught some kind of bug in the past couple of days that may or may not get worse once I get there.

Internet access will probably be patchy at best, so I'll look forward to catching up on all your posts when I get back. Normal blogging to resume in October. No doubt, unless a horrible circumstance befalls me, I will be back with at least one major haul post.

I'll leave you with a picture of what I'm bringing in my makeup bag. I think I've been uncharacteristically moderate. Let's hope I can say the same for the return trip.

BeautyJoint Haul

My BeautyJoint order finally arrived! I'd only recently heard of the site, but I managed to hold off making an order until Cherie thoughtfully notified me that the Wet n Wild Comfort Zone palette was back in stock. The instant I heard, I scrambled to add it to my cart, along with a few other items I'd already lined up. Delivery took 10 working days and all the contents were in pristine condition. The packaging certainly insured against breakage, with everything tightly bound by multiple layers of bubble wrap and industrial sticky tape.

I bought two nail polishes, China Glaze Luxe and Lush and Seche Vite Dry Fast Top Coat. Here, I'm wearing two coats of Luxe and Lush over Essence Grand-Plié in Black with a top coat of Seche Vite. The effect reminds me of a granite coffee table or a flurry of koi swimming in a pond. I thought that Luxe and Lush would be very similar to China Glaze Snow Globe, but I find Luxe and Lush (at least against a black base) to be predominately gold, orange and green, whereas Snow Globe has a wider colour spectrum and is more reminiscent of opal flecks.

Ever since I saw e.l.f. Studio Blush in Pink Passion featured in Tanya Burr's $20 Makeup Challenge video, it's been on my "to buy" list. Pink Passion is an ultra bright, blue-based candy pink. Less is definitely more with this one, you only need the smallest amount as it's relatively easy to go overboard and look clownish. Notwithstanding the unpleasant, faint chemical smell (a problem I have with BYS blushes as well, which I guess are sort of like the Australian equivalent to e.l.f.), the pigmentation is excellent and the powder is quite soft, not chalky or difficult to blend.

The star of the show would have to be the Wet n Wild Color Icon Eyeshadow Collection in Comfort Zone (738). Some products can be hyped and disappoint, but when a particular palette is consistently well-loved, there usually has to be good reason. The pigmentation of these eyeshadows is amazing. When I first swatched them, I was thoroughly impressed at how lightly I had dipped my finger in each eyeshadow to get such vibrant colour payoff. They're soft, but not powdery, and easy to blend. My only criticism is the smell. It has this unmistakable, sweet but metallic chemical smell that I can't really describe, but it's extremely off-putting. A couple of the darker colours also lose some vibrancy and are much closer to black when applied to the lid compared to how they look in the pan. Having said that, I adore the second browbone colour, the first crease colour and the second definer colour (the emerald/bronze duochrome is so pronounced and sublime).

Wet n Wild Color Icon Eyeshadow Trio in Silent Treatment (335) was another eyeshadow must-have. Forget the browbone and crease colour, this palette is about one thing only: the eyelid colour. It is simply gorgeous. It's what I wanted Maybelline Silken Taupe and various shades in the Too Faced Naked Eye palette to be. It's a purplish light taupe with an almost lavender/silvery shimmer that can be built up in intensity so it looks more brown with an almost pinkish tinge. Perfect as an all-over lid colour, this purple-leaning shade is a welcome change from the usual taupe/bronze eyeshadows that dominate my daily routine.