NARS Exhibit A Blush Review

Hey lovely ladies!

Today’s review is on an iconic product from NARS. NARS has always been known for its blushes. Whatever changed over the years – the foundations, the lipsticks, the concealer, the one thing that didn’t change are their iconic blushes. Apart from the individual blushes, NARS does these blush palettes every year, close to the holidays which have an array of blushes. I have always wanted to get one, but either all the shades in the palette did not speak or it would get sold out before I could get my hands on it. So, you would not believe my excitement when I actually got to see one of these in person and was able to pick it up. And the frosting on the cake – the fact that the palette that I wanted also had one of the blushes that I have wanted forever – Exhibit A. So, today’s review will be on the blush Exhibit A, while I will touch upon this limited edition palette called NARSissit Unfiltered I Cheek Palette.

Product Description:
What it is:  A curated selection of six must-have blush shades in a limited-edition, mirrored palette.
What it does: With a stunning array of warm to cool pigments, the Narsissist Unfiltered Cheek Pa-lette sculpts, shapes, and glows with a covetable wardrobe of high-impact matte and shimmer blushes. The limited-edition set offers richly pigmented, micronized formulas for sheer, buildable color.

Each palette contains:
Unfiltered I (left to right):
-6 x 0.12 oz/ 3.54 mL Blush shades in Watch Me (opalescent gold sheen), Me First (apricot sheen), Takeover (copper rose sheen), Out There (deep russet matte), Chic (rich raspberry matte), Exhibit A (red matte)
Price:
USD $30 (for Exhibit A blush). Palette is priced at $59

A regular NARS blush which costs about $30, contains 0.16oz of product while this palette contains 6 blushes with 0.12oz each. I think this palette is a great value for money. It is valued at $150 worth of product.

Packaging:
The packaging of the palette is excellent. For one, it is a decent size – not to big, not to small. It’s about the size of a Viseart 12-pan palette. Each of the pans is big enough to accommodate any variant of a blush brush with ease. In the past, there have been NARS blush palettes with pans way too small to even dip in a regular blush brush. This one has a shiny copper exterior – very uber cool.

The best part about the packaging is the hard plastic that it is made out of. What joy to be able to use NARS blushes without having to deal with the lousy black NARS packaging which looks pretty at first and then looks absolutely disgusting as time goes on! And starts breaking up and getting sticky! Yuck! Hate it! I am actually contemplating popping my blushes out of the NARS pans into a Z palette. Anyway, this palette has an excellent full size mirror and a plastic separator sheath with the wordings “Are you a Narcissist?” Well, if you must ask….! There is no applicator included, which I personally am okay with. The flip side has the names of the blushes mentioned on it. It comes packed in a card-board packaging which is in keeping with the look of the palette. The palette looks study enough to travel with and does not seem to come open on its own.

My Experience with NARS Exhibit A Blush:

After trying out the Becca blush palette, I have been more open to trying new blush palettes. I am even contemplating popping out my MAC and NARS blushes from their individual pans into an empty MAC or Z palette. Should I? Has anyone tried that? Would love to know your experience with this.

Coming back to the palette itself – NARS released 2 of these palettes – Unfiltered 1 – which is this warm-toned palette and a Unfiltered 2 – which is a cool-toned palette. In each of these palettes, there are 6 blush shades – 3 shimmer ones on top and 3 matte ones on the bottom. Actually, the first pan is a highlighter rather than a blush – a fact that I am happy about.

Like I have mentioned already, you get an excellent amount of product and the pans are big enough for any brush blush to be dipped in.

Let us discuss the shades briefly since most of them are limited edition, but you never know, NARS may eventually add them to their permanent line. I will discuss the shade Exhibit A in detail. Also, if you scroll down, you will see the swatches of all the shades. The FOTD is done with only Exhibit A.

Shades:

1. Watch Me – This is the highlighter shade. It is a pearly light yellow gold shade. It is soft and smooth with good colour payoff, but it is easy to blend into the skin for a more natural look or build up for a more clingy one. This would work excellently for medium to dark skin tones. For lighter skin tones, it may add a bit of warmth to the skin. It does not emphasize the texture of my skin. I even use it in the inner corner of my eye and was very pleased with the brightness it added.

2. Me First – I have been using this a lot. This is a very light peachy orange with golden pearly shimmer. The shade is pigmented but is very light in itself. So, it works as a very soft blush or more of a blush topper – quite like the Bobbi Brown Shimmer brick in Nectar – but is less blingy than that. It could very well work as a highlighter for deeper skin tones.
3. Takeover – This is a fairly light rosy brown shade with a distinct frosted sheen and is extreme smooth and well pigmented. The shade adds warmth to the cheek and would work excellently as a blush topper for medium skin tone and as a highlighter for deeper skin tones.

4. Out There – This is the first matte shade and is extremely smooth and pigmented. This is a medium dusty pink with warm undertones. This is like a “no-brainer” shade and will work with a lot of looks.
5. Chic – This is a medium dark plummy shade which is matte again but has a more cooler undertone. This is a surprising shade in an otherwise distinctly warm palette, but I do appreciate the inclusion of this one as it helps with the more cooler looks. It can be used with a warm look also if one applies “Me First” or “Takeover” on top. The texture is still smooth and soft but seems a tad (by a whisker) bit dry in comparison to “Out There” and “Exhibit A.”

6. Exhibit A – And now the “piece-de-resistance” – Exhibit A. This blush is from NARS permanent line and is scary in the pan – it is a warm orangey-red shade. Very few people would want to buy a pan of this one and one look at the pics – you will understand why. And yet, it has a cult following! The blush is soft and smooth and extremely finely milled – pretty much like any other NARS blush. On application – depending on how intense you apply – it can be made to look like a natural pink flush or a more deeper redder blush.

Let’s discuss application of the shade Exhibit A. I would advice you to use your fluffiest blush brush, barely touch the pan with it and then tap off the brush to remove excess. Now, hold the brush with the bristles facing you and blow on it 🙂 to dislodge even more product. Now what is left on the brush is sufficient for both cheeks! No, I am not exaggerating – this is exactly how i apply it! It is super duper pigmented. This small pan of the blush is sufficient for a year’s application of the whole makeup blogging community of India! I kid you not! Alternatively, one can use a fan brush – one of the wispy ones – not the kinds the YouTube Gals use to apply their highlighters!

Needless to say, the flip side is that if you go overboard with it – you will look like a clown.

Texture:  The texture of all the blushes is soft, smooth, finely milled – as is the case with all NARS blushes. Even the mattes are as smooth and soft as the shimmer blushes. Chic was a tad bit drier than the others, but this is me literally being picky. I literally went over them with my fingers again and again to test for difference in texture. In a normal application scenario, you wouldn’t even feel any difference.

Pigmentation: Pigmentation is bang on, but considering their texture and blend-ability, the pigmentation is easy to control. The top shades are more like highlighters or blush toppers for medium/deep skin tone. For lighter skin-tone, these would perform like blushes. Exhibit A is particularly pigmented – also keeping in mind that it is the brightest shade – not just int he palette but in terms of a blush.

Longevity: I have oily skin which eats up blushes and sometimes the base skincare also has a role to play. However, the NARS blushes give almost a full day wear – anything from 8-10 hours. Exhibit A lasts you the whole day, even when it has been used very sparingly and softly.

Pros of NARS Exhibit A Blush:

• Finely milled, smooth, easily blendable blushes.
• Good selection of shades in this palette. Good selection of finishes – 3 shimmer and 3 mattes.
• Excellent pigmentation.
• Lasts well on my combination/oily face.
• The colours works well for day and night both.
• Stunning packaging.
• Did not break me out.
• There is no shakiness or powdery texture.
• It does not accentuate pores.
• Free from parabens, sulfates, phthalates.
• Good bang for your buck!
• Easy to travel with.

Cons of NARS Exhibit A Blush:

• Again, this is me being picky, but if there was a contour shade thrown into the mix – it would have been perfect, but I do realise that the same isn’t always possible because a contour shade will vary depending on the skin tone.
• It is very easy to go overboard with a shade like Exhibit A.

IMBB Rating:
Blush Palette- 5/5
Exhibit A – 4.8 / 5
Overall Thoughts:
I absolutely love this palette. If anyone is thinking of trying NARS blushes or travels a lot – this is a super investment. Shade selection, variety of finishes, quality of product and packaging – everything is excellent.

Do I Recommend NARS Exhibit A Blush?
Overall thoughts on Exhibit A – It is an absolutely stunning shade and despite it looking scary in the pan, it is easily workable and is top quality. It can pull red or pink depending on the intensity with which you apply it or the tone of your makeup. Absolutely; however, having said that, I would like to also state that this is not a must-have item. Yes, for people who love blushes or who have collections – this would really add to their vanity. However, if you are intending to buy your first blush (or even 2nd or 3rd) from NARS, this is not what I would recommend as the first choice. For a newbie or someone who is looking for a daily use blush, I would suggest something more foolproof than Exhibit A.

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