Read ALL about my review process including how I take swatches, photos, and more here.
On Friday I gave you guys a sneak peek of NARS Contour Blush in Gienah with a few of my preliminary thoughts. I had the weekend to test it out and I’m baaaack with my thoughts!
So in a nutshell, Gienah is a really pretty contour blush and will show up well if you’re about NC45-ish and lighter (the lighter your skin, of course the “deeper” a contour you’ll get with it). On my NW45/47 skin it did more to “warm” up my skin than it did to contour because it wasn’t deep enough but had a reddish undertone which showed up on me because my undertones are more neutral. This isn’t necessarily a bad thing if you’re about my shade and bought Gienah, because it gives your makeup a different look—like you’re wearing a matte bronzer. (the lighter shade I think may not get used a much as it can get a bit “ashy” on sometimes). But if you’re my shade and came for a true contour color, this isn’t it.
In fact, here’s a comparison of BECCA Mineral Powder in Cacao which I do use as a contour powder: (it’s similar in color to my discontinued Cover FX N120 Mineral Powder swatched here)
And try as I might to actually show how it looks on my skin via pictures, it just wasn’t happening…lol. The “warmth” shows up much more vividly in person than it does in these pics. I’m sure you might see more Gienah in my hairline than on my face here (because I was vigorously dusting it on my face to try to get it to show up in pics…lol) but humor me and keep looking to see if you notice it along the perimeter of my face. I’m wearing Cover FX Total Cover Cream in N110 + Cream Concealer in N-Deep under my eyes and on the center of my forehead. There’s nothing on my cheeks besides foundation and Gienah (both the deep color and the lighter color).
Then I put Illamasqua Excite blusher so you could hopefully then see Gienah better.
And that’s how I’d wear a contour blush (for those of you for whom this sort of product might work)–along the perimeter of the face—swept along the temples, on the hollows of the cheeks, and along the jawline. Of course there’s more than one way to dust on a contour blush, but that’s just how yours truly would do it.
Wear time was pretty great—I had mine on from early afternoon and by the time I was ready to hit the hay late at night (around 11-ish) I could still see it all warming my perimeter.
Bottom line: This is a really pretty product IF you know what you want to get out of it. There’s two other lighter shades (which I haven’t seen in person but you can see what they are here) so if you have fair skin and want a softer contour, check them out. As for Gienah, if you’re NC45 or lighter, this would be a really pretty contour blush. If you’re my shade—if you’re into warming the perimeter of your face (which I promise is much more noticeable in person than in my pics…lol) then it’s worth a whirl if you really love NARS. Otherwise if you were looking for a true contour and your my shade or darker, skip (but check out this post—I need to replace the opening image one of these days).
Price and where to buy: $42 (get 5% cash back at narscosmetics.com with eBates!)
Thank you so much for this. I had a feeling that Geniah wouldn’t be as dark as I hoped after seeing pictures on various blogs. It’s a shame since Nars is stating that there’s something suitable for all shades from the the blushes. Love the blog by the way. Long time lurker from London. :)
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Hi Christina!!!
Yay—glad you came out of lurkdom to leave a comment! And thanks for being a long time reader—really appreciate it!
Yeah—it does more to “warm” the skin on me than it does to contour which isn’t bad because then I can use it as a bronzer, but would love to see a deeper shade in the lineup to use as a true contour for darker skin line mine.
Thanks for the review!! I was really hoping it would work for me as I am usually NW45 and I love NARS products. Hopefully they will make a darker contour blush soon!