NARS Illicit Blush Review & Swatches

- January 25, 2020

Illicit

NARS Illicit Powder Blush ($30.00 for 0.16 oz.) is a light-medium, peachy-brown with moderate, warm undertones paired with a satin finish. It had very fine shimmer throughout that looked quite luminous once applied and buffed onto my skin, so it was lightly glowing but not overly shimmery. The texture was soft, a smidgen powdery but very blendable and easy to work with. It had nearly opaque coverage in a single layer that stayed on well for eight hours before fading slightly.

Top Dupes

View Swatches View All Dupes

L'Oreal Medium (02) (P, $14.99) is more shimmery, darker, warmer (90% similar).
Physicians Formula Sunkissed Bronzer (P, $14.99) is more shimmery, warmer (90% similar).
Marc Jacobs Beauty Tantric (PiP, ) is less shimmery, more muted (90% similar).
Tom Ford Beauty Gold Dust (P, $110.00) is less shimmery, darker (90% similar).
Charlotte Tilbury Stoned Rose Beauty #4 (LE, ) is darker, warmer (90% similar).
Tom Ford Beauty Terra (P, $110.00) is warmer (90% similar).
Too Faced Sunny Honey (PiP, ) is less shimmery, lighter, warmer (90% similar).
Sephora Bora Bora (P, $17.00) is less shimmery, darker, warmer (90% similar).
Laura Mercier Bronze (02) (P, $40.00) is warmer (90% similar).
Too Faced Sun Bunny (Left) (PiP, ) is less shimmery, lighter, cooler (90% similar).

View Swatches

Formula Overview

$30.00/0.16 oz. - $187.50 Per Ounce

From NARS’ website, their blush formula is described as “beautifully pigmented” and “soft [and] blendable.” NARS' blushes, since they've been released in such a massive range of shades over the years, can vary from shade to shade to some degree. Most shades are pigmented with firmer, slightly stiffer consistencies that can also run on the thinner side, which allows greater control when picking up product but some of the more matte shades could be a bit more blendable or easier to work with.

Some of the more newly-released shades have softer, more yielding textures that are a bit creamier and are easier to blend out, though most of NARS' blushes are fairly blendable. The wear typically ranges from eight to nine hours with a few shades falling above or below this range.

Browse all of our NARS Powder Blush swatches.

Ingredients

TALC • OCTYLDODECYL STEARATE • OCTYLDODECYL STEAROYL STEARATE • ZINC STEARATE • TIN OXIDE • CAPRYLYL GLYCOL • PHENOXYETHANOL • [+/- (MAY CONTAIN/PEUT CONTENIR): IRON OXIDES (CI 77491) • IRON OXIDES (CI 77492) • IRON OXIDES (CI 77499) • MANGANESE VIOLET (CI 77742) • MICA • RED 28 LAKE (CI 45410) • RED 30 LAKE (CI 73360) • RED 33 LAKE (CI 17200) • RED 34 LAKE (CI 15880) • RED 7 LAKE (CI 15850) • TITANIUM DIOXIDE (CI 77891) • YELLOW 5 LAKE (CI 19140)] •