Worth the Hype?: NARS Orgasm blush and Laguna bronzer

There are a lot of well-loved products in the beauty community, and there must be a reason why they have been selling very well for so long, so I'm going to see if they're really worth the hype.

I picked up the NARS blush and bronzer duo in Orgasm/Laguna ($41), which are two classic products of the line. The Orgasm blush is a pink-peach with golden shimmer, which is supposed to be flattering on everyone, and Laguna appears to be a dark bronzer.

Left: NARS blush in Orgasm
Right: NARS bronzer in Laguna

When you swatch the products, Orgasm is pretty intensely shimmery. On the cheeks, the pink-peach pigment blends very easily, but the golden shimmer is incredibly hard to blend (especially over oily spots) and tends to stay in patches, which is so unflattering and unnatural. Laguna, on the other hand, looks nothing like the color in the pan--it's actually a really light, shimmery golden bronzer. And because it's so light and shimmery, it can't be used for contouring on medium/dark girls, so it can only really be used all over your face for a slightly more tan look. But if you try to build it up, the shimmer builds up more quickly than the pigment, and you end up looking really greasy.

Left: NARS Orgasm blush
Right: Wet n Wild blush in Pearlescent Pink

NARS Orgasm blush is hailed as a universally flattering color, but if you Google "NARS Orgasm dupes," you'll find that there are a ton of cheaper options out there--all color cosmetics are going to have low-cost dupes, because the high-end cosmetic companies don't own the pigments. My big issue with this product is that it's so shimmery! The color is absolutely gorgeous, but the golden shimmer just looks too frosty on the skin. If you have this problem too, I recommend Wet n Wild's blush in Pearlescent Pink; it's the same pink-peach color, but much less golden and sparkly.

Worth the Hype?: NO
This blush/bronzer duo is decent quality, but the shimmer in them can be difficult to blend. Orgasm blush and Laguna bronzer used to be pretty unique colors and textures, but as the quality and variety of lower-cost products improve, these are pretty outdated products (for a more flattering satin-finish bronzer, try NYX's Mosaic blush in Cafe). If you're interested in these colors, just Google their dupes; you can buy a bunch of them for the cost of this palette.