The man behind the world's most famous blusher on why the £25 powder suits everyone
The word ‘cult’ is used far too often in beauty speak. To me, a cult make-up product is something of a repeat purchase that has lasting appeal to many generations. And every so often, a make-up product comes along that makes you sit up in your chair, apply said product immediately, inspect the mirror closely and land on the conclusion that this, in fact, is going to become a cult make-up product.
It’s exactly how I would describe the suits-everyone, face-brightening impact of the blusher ‘Orgasm’ by Nars. It’s the prettiest peachy tone, with speckles of not-too-shimmery golden undertones. It makes any skin complexion look more glowy, and it’s the blusher I always reach for when my skin needs a bit of perking up. It turns out many thousands of people do, too - the single £25 product even has 100,000 mentions on Instagram.
“Blush is one of my favourite products,” says Francois Nars, who created the product back in 1999. “I think it is because my mother used to be so fond of it. She would never leave the house without it. If she ever didn’t have blush on, she would pinch her cheeks. It always made her feel better and healthier.
“Orgasm is a special shade because it suits all skin tones,” he continues. “The peach colour with subtle gold shimmer gives a very natural flush, and that balance is flattering for so many women.” I fully agree - it looks just as good as a finishing touch on a full coverage foundation as it does on ‘no make-up days’ as a light dusting of colour.
As for where you apply blusher, Nars thinks “cheek colour shouldn’t be limited to the apples of the cheeks, as when you naturally blush, it’s never just on the cheeks. Always blend a bit into the hairline, along the jawbone, and on the tip of the nose to create a more natural-looking, all-over hint of colour.”
So popular is the shade ‘Orgasm’, it’s now been developed into a whole franchise of products, launching today. The Orgasm X Cheek Palette, £36, consists of the original shade, a dialled-up version with a bolder peachy colour and a classic, soft-gold highlighting powder.
As for the risque name, when Nars named it he “liked for the name to evoke an emotion or a feeling. When you blush naturally, it’s a reaction to a feeling and so I wanted the shade names to be related to emotions.” A prize-winning formula with a great name? Now that’s how you create a truly cult beauty product.
