There is an interesting back story to my Dual Intensity Blush Duo purchase. I had high hopes for the NARS Sarah Moon Collaboration. I got a sneek peek of the All I Have palette three months before it released and I fell in love with the idea of it. It was a planned purchase, but when I had an opportunity to swatch it I was disappointed. The shades weren’t great for my rich skin tone despite being great value. Having spent 3 months thinking about a NARS dual intensity palette and not getting it, I felt like I needed to replace that purchase with something else.
NARS are globally recognised and lauded for their blush palettes so a Dual Intensity Blush Palette felt like an appropriate alternative purchase. Panic was the blush duo that I felt would be best suited for my skin tone. Pink and orange are shades that I regular wear in blush. The shades are deep but bright with a beautiful satin finish and great pigmentation. Side by side in the Dual Intensity formula, it is a thing of beauty in the pan.
Individually the shades are beautiful. The apricot-orange tone is very much an every day go to shade for me. The pink is much more of a pop on the skin and so pretty. The Dual Intensity formula is not new to me as eye shadow. As a blusher it does take a bit of getting used to. On the eyes, dry application provides a sheen and a dampened brush intensifies the look. Understandable on the lids… initially a bit scary on the cheeks but I have a few tips for you.
The Dual Intensity Formula is pressed quite firmly in the pan. This means that a dense blush brush is not necessarily your best option. It tends to give a stripe on the face which with a dense brush is not the easiest to blend. Also a natural bristle brush tends to pick up the product slightly better than a synthetic brush in my opinion. That said, this is a product that you need to play with to get the best application technique for your. For me, my Louise Young Super Fan Brush and surprisingly the NARS Mie brush both work really well. You can really build up the colour.
I consider myself to be adventurous with colour but fashion magazine editorial style blusher is not my thing. Using a wet brush to apply this product is never going to be something that I do. However, a spritz of a hydrating spray (be it a toner or Fix Plus) after application is something that will definitely happen. Setting sprays tend not to intensify the colour but hydrating sprays, especially if focused on the cheeks definitely adds some oomph. I did not think that I would like the oomph but I love it, because it retains the skin like finish.
Overall this is a brilliant blush. Brilliant. There are a range of colourways so you can find something that works for you including highlighters. This is definitely a product that I am going to come back to.