NARS Powder Blush - Taos

You'd think I would've written about this sooner now that I have it. Alas, all has been quiet on Shrooms' front for a few days. But since I've been comparing every blush out there to this one, it's high time I shared my love for it.

I've been hung up on the CG Cheekers blush in Golden Pink for quite a while now - it's been the closest thing I could find to Taos...and yet, not really. I've been annoyed with it recently though, because it's rather difficult to blend, and the small pan makes it hard to get color on the blush brush.

Not so with Taos. This is a true rose blush - rich and bright with just enough cool berry tones to prevent an orange effect. At the same time, this manages to be an incredibly warm pink shade that will probably flatter most skin tones. Some consider this to be the Orgasm for darker skinned women - I tend to agree.

The company description for Taos is "desert rose with shimmer," but I would think a desert rose shade would be more "burnt" and bronzey like the Golden Pink, and this is definitely much more vibrant than that, with few netural/brown tones. There is definitely a fair amount of shimmer which most NARS blushes seem to have, but the effect is extremely subtle - don't know how those shimmer particles do it, but they do it well.

Blendability is fantastic, and I'm looking forward to mixing in some bronzer (if I'm in the mood) to add some hints of brown since this has absolutely none. This is very pigmented, and so I have to use a very light hand. That can kind of be hard for me, because I like to be quick in the morning and going easy on the makeup is surprisingly more time-consuming. I dip very light along the side of the brush (don't swirl) and tap it onto my cheeks before blending. If I dip the brush into the pan head-on, it picks up way too much color.

For this reason, I don't know if I can safely and easily use this everyday - I think it suits a certain "look" especially depending on the rest of your makeup. I still think a toned down version of this would work better on a daily basis, but then again, many colors tend to disappear on me, so perhaps this really is my best bet. I think now I really need to get the L'Oreal Tru Blend Blush in Subtle Sable - it could be a good compromise (if such a thing exists when Taos is involved) for daily wear.

The packaging of this blush, like all NARS products, is chic and sensible - the compact is so slim and durable, and there is a huge pan of color, making it very easy to dip in any kind of brush, and a mirror inside. I'm trying to figure out how to make this last longer, though.

I got this as a gift from San (she found some major BOGOF NARS sale god-knows-where), so I can play with this to my heart's content without any guilt. And yet, had I actually bought it, it would have been well worth the price. And, er, I know another blush is currently titled Best Blush but I think we can all agree that needs to change. Love it. $25.00 @ Beauty.com