Thursday, July 15, 2010

NARS Cactus Flower Cream Blush Dupe???

Hey everyone!

A few days ago I was watching arose186's June favorites video and she described her NARS Cactus Flower cream blush as "red with a golden glow." That sounded familiar to me, but I couldn't quite put my finger on it. Then later that night as I was looking through my lipstick bin to find some chapstick, it hit me like...well ok it wasn't that dramatic but I realized what I had been thinking about- my Rimmel Moisture Renew lippie in Rosette- a red with golden shimmer.

Now I've heard of people using lipstick as blush before (Sandra Bullock at the Oscars, anyone?) so  wasn't that reluctant to try this if it meant finding a good dupe. So I dabbed this on the apples of my cheeks, blended it out, and... well it looked pretty good. It was definitely sheer but you can build it up. There is one major problem though- the shimmer in the lipstick is very fickle. On one cheek, you could see what looked like little glitter chunks but on the other it was just a perfect glow, no disco ball-ishness. So that is quite hit and miss, but for finding a dupe of an expensive blush I'm willing to deal with this.

Of course I had to check some other blogs to see if anyone had swatched Cactus Flower for me to compare, and one of my favorite bloggers, Karen at Makeup and Beauty Blog actually has a review of the NARS blush. Her pictures look pretty comparable to my results; however, she says the texture of the NARS is more like a gel than an actual cream, but I don't think that affects the quality of my dupe any less.

Has anyone ever tried using a lipstick as a blush before? Will you be trying this? Comment!

~Gabrielle~

PS Tomorrow I am leaving for Florida! I am spending a week there which is nice because I have only been able to take a few days vacation at my beach house (not in Florida) all summer. Unfortunately, it won't all be fun and games as I am actually there for a national softball tournament but I will still be able to soak up some sun and collect some tar balls on the beach whilst I'm there. Also, posting will probably not be actual beauty posts as much as tags, some awards I've been neglecting, etc. But I will still be here. :)

9 comments:

  1. I think I've only seen that blush once, but I think your dupe is very creative! Maybe try layering a powder blush over it so it lasts longer, since most cream blushes don't last very long. It looks really good on you!

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  2. Wow that looks great! Using lipstick as blush is one of those things I heard awhile back but haven't done in forever. It's such a good trick, though. :)

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  3. that is really cool!
    i love her vids!
    storyofmylifesquared.blogspot.com

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  4. @PoorCollegeStudent- That's a good idea; I was a little worried about staying power. I will definitely try that out. And thanks :)

    @Steph- Thanks! I remembered reading on Temptalia that Sandra Bullock's makeup artist used the same lipstick as he did blush on her for the Oscars. And now I want to try it out on some of my other lippies.

    @Jazzsquared and Macksquared- Thans! Me too, I love her fun personality.

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  5. Thank you for commenting on my blog! I myself have never used a lipstick as a blush but I've heard of it being done before. I actually really like the sheer effect in your pictures using this lipstick, it's different but nice looking! Great blog =).

    Nicki
    http://kaleidoscopethrills.blogspot.com

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  6. @Nicki- no problem! I like it because if you have a lipstick color that you don't have in blush form, you can try it out and see if you like it. The sheerness is a nice plus :)

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  7. This is such a great idea, i'll def give it a try! You look gorgeous :) xo

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  8. @Caitlin- I'd love to see how it looks on you! And thanks sweetie :)

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  9. I ONLY use lipstick for blush. Except for Posietint, which I then will layer a lipstick over for more punch. My cheeks are very dry so the creaminess works well. It looks FAR more natural then powder. I actually cannot stand powder blush after getting used to lipsticks and creams.

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