FREE Super Fruits Eye Balm with $130 or more purchase

Monday 14 April 2014

Vibrant Blush Week #1: NARS Matte Multiple in Siam

Happy Monday, everyone! Welcome to the first installment of Vibrant Blush Week, where I bring you reviews of some of my newest, most colourful treasures! It's no secret that I'm a blush fiend through and through, and that going slightly overboard with cheek colour is one makeup sin that I'm happy to commit. I've accrued a few new bold blushes over the past little while, so I'll be showcasing them all week on the blog. Hope you enjoy! 



Today's post features a makeup item that shot to the top of my wishlist the first time I read about it. The brand spankin' new NARS Matte Multiples caught my eye instantly, as the texture, pigmentation, and versatility all seemed to be spot-on. While the entire range of shades was tempting, I fell hard for Siam, a vibrant red. 


As the box describes, the Matte Multiples are a "modern multi-purpose makeup stick for cheeks and lips". They can be used dry for a more opaque, saturated finish or applied wet for a sheerer, more subtle effect. 


And here's a peek at the ingredients, if you're interested:



The Matte Multiples, as with their original incarnation, come in matte, black tubes with the iconic NARS logo. They are fairly weighty, but not so much so that it hinders their portability. This is the perfect product to pop in your purse! And yes, the packaging does get messy quite quickly (a downfall of most NARS products), but if you can come to terms with that, you won't be disappointed! :)


Here's a shot of Siam, twisted up a bit. As you can see, in the tube it's a bold, warm, full-on red that rivals the look of most pigmented red lipsticks out there:


When applied full-force on the skin, it maintains its truly red hue. Incredibly vivid! But when blended out, it takes on a softer tone that resembles more of a warm, rosy coral. It's actually a very wearable shade once blended!

Here are swatches of Siam on my inner arm (MAC NC15 skin tone). On the left, you'll see it applied at full strength. The next two stripes show it at increasingly more blended states. The right-most swatch shoes the effect of the blush applied with slightly dampened fingers:

Siam applied (L-R) heavily, blended slightly, blended thoroughly, with damp fingers

And now to showcase what it looks like on my face! Here it is applied with damp fingers. As you can see, the effect is very soft and glowy!


And here is Siam applied a bit more heavily, with dry fingers. Definitely a bolder effect! It does make my cheeks appear a bit sun burnt, but simply a touch of powder over top tones it down nicely. 


Here is Siam applied generously to my lips (please ignore the chappy bits!). I adore the way this looks a lip colour. It leaves the most beautiful rosy red stain that's neither flat, nor greasy. I almost hate that I love this on my lips, as that makes it a bit of a cheat on my Lipstick No-Buy challenge. Whoops! I did buy it primarily as a blush, though :)


And finally, Siam in the context of a completed makeup look! As I mentioned, I'm wearing it applied wet all the way up my cheekbones, dry on the apples of my cheeks, and dabbed heavily on my lips. 


I find Siam to be such a perfectly summery shade and I love the way it looks in natural sunlight! 



Now for a full breakdown of the ups and downs of this product!

Pros

  • Rich, saturated colour. A little goes a long way!
  • Blends effortlessly onto the skin, even over foundation
  • Wet or dry application lets you adjust the level of pigmentation
  • Modern matte finish; perfect for those who are shimmer-shy!
  • Wears beautifully on both cheeks and lips!
  • Should work equally well on both fair and darker complexions
  • Handy, portable packaging
Cons
  • Begins to fade after 5-6 hours (luckily this does touch-up nicely)
  • Can be a touch drying on the lips (a dab of lip balm before or after solves this)
  • At about $50 CAD, this is no budget buy!

So, as you can tell, I'm pretty happy with this product! It was at the top of my wishlist and it surely didn't disappoint. The formula is incredibly easy to work with and the shade is so spot-on, especially for Spring and Summer. I really have a soft spot for products that look terrifyingly bright in the packaging but are actually quite pretty and wearable on the skin. This fits that bill perfectly!

I hope you enjoyed the first installment of Vibrant Blush Week- next up, an offering from Hourglass!

Thanks for reading! Have a wonderful week :)


35 comments:

  1. Beautiful! Love this multiples!!!

    xx
    nAilee
    www.naileechic.com

    ReplyDelete
  2. What a perfect product! I love that you can apply it on the lips too :)!

    xx
    http://gita-oddsandends.blogspot.com/

    ReplyDelete
  3. Such a beautiful rosy color on you and multi purpose products are always very handy :o) Xx

    Makeup by Candlelight

    ReplyDelete
  4. Great review, you look very pretty!

    TaipeiStyle
    Gemma

    ReplyDelete
  5. ooo a pretty coral. i didn't know you could use these wet!
    Jenn
    A Beautiful Zen

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Yeah, they apply quite nicely wet! Sheers things out a bit :)

      Delete
  6. I especially love it on your cheekbones! Although it's quite expensive, it is multi-functional and a beautiful product!

    ReplyDelete
  7. Love NARS multiple sticks! This shade looks beautiful on you, a really glowy gorgeous look! x
    Lipstickloveheart.blogspot.com

    ReplyDelete
  8. wow looks like a great product
    www.fashiongamble.net

    ReplyDelete
  9. such a wonderful color! that looks so pretty on you sweety!
    happy day!

    <3
    http://www.getcarriedaway.net/

    ReplyDelete
  10. Super pretty colours! You look marvellous!
    Would love if you could check out my blog if you get a chance!
    www.stylecastle.co.uk

    x

    ReplyDelete
  11. Love the color on you !

    http://www.bisousnatasha.com

    ReplyDelete
  12. So bebe you look perfectxx
    www.supongoestilo.blogspot.nl

    ReplyDelete
  13. That is GORGEOUS! It's so fresh and Snow White-ish, if that makes sense xx

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Haha, it does! It really does have a Snow White feel, now that you mention it :)

      Delete
  14. I really like this as a lipstick! I never think to repurpose cream blushes but it's a great idea.

    ReplyDelete
  15. I've heard so much about Nars products but I've never had the opportunity to use it..Your makeup looks flawless as always!

    ReplyDelete
  16. Wow, I've never seen such a bold blush. It's frigging RED.:D I love it though, it does blend out nicely on your cheeks and you look really natural with it. I'd use it on the eyelids too, though. I've had this slight obsession with red eyeshadows lately. I know, it sounds odd, but I kind of love it...:)

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Ooh, red shadow! Would love to see you doing a look with some :)

      Delete
  17. OMG! the color look so amazing dear!



    I AM ALSO ON: Instagram @kennydaily, Bloglovin and Facebook (i follow back, just let me know your links)


    xoxo;
    What Kenny Hearts a Lifestyle Blog

    ReplyDelete
  18. OOO you went to Siam! That's the shade I like the most in the line! It's so pretty on you! I wish it'd wear better on the cheeks though. 6-7 hours aren't that long!

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Yeah, the formula isn't crazy long-lasting, but luckily it does reapply rather smoothly :)

      Delete
  19. Wow, I love how vibrant the colour is and that you can use it on your cheeks and lips! I've not tried any Nars products before but really want to.
    I'm your newest follower on Bloglovin. This post was so interesting and detailed, I can't wait to read more.

    Hannah x
    http://b-l-a-b.blogspot.co.uk

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Thanks so much for following, Hannah! xo

      Delete
  20. wow I really love how it looks on your lips Jen!

    ReplyDelete
  21. This color look so pretty, love it. *__*
    Lovely greets Nessa

    ReplyDelete
  22. That color looks gorgeous! I love how fresh and pretty it looks on the skin.

    Laura
    www.lauraneuzeth.com

    ReplyDelete
  23. Um.. .WOW! Love this! Especially on the lips! Suits you perfectly and looks so fresh and healthy.

    www.absolutebeaut.com

    xx

    ReplyDelete
  24. This shade looks beautiful on you! I've never tried a NARS multiple, I just find them too pricey. But now I'm really tempted...
    BeyondBlush

    ReplyDelete
  25. MULTIPLE SHUDDERS AS I LOOK THROUGH THE SWATCHES OF THIS POST. Definitely a very summery shade, but I don't know if I'll be able to pull this off! And that price tag!! I'm usually not the type to touch up blushes, since I love how blushes tend to look by the end of the day.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Haha, you definitely could! It's pricey for sure, but definitely versatile and will last forever! Tons of product :)

      Delete
  26. This looks so gorgeous on you! I would have thought it'd be bright, but it's actually quite pink.

    ReplyDelete
  27. This looks gorgeous beaut. I'd be a bit fearful of it in the tube as it's so bright, but it just adds such a beautiful pop of colour. Stunning xxx

    ReplyDelete
  28. The job itself can vary in terms of earnings, it seems that any qualified hairdresser is wise to check the details of the situation.Certificate hairdressing

    ReplyDelete

All of your lovely comments make my day! Thanks for taking the time to share your musings, ideas, and opinions. Feel free to leave a link to your blog- I'd be happy to check it out :)