Gently Now: NARS Douceur

NARS Douceur is one of those products that I've swatched time and time again at Sephora. The color is not a real stand out, and as a result I've always ended up purchasing other items instead. My recent affinity for soft, raisin colored blushes; however, has made it abundantly clear that I can't not have this blush in my collection. The instant I received my Gilt voucher in my inbox Douceur went straight into my shopping cart.

When Douceur was originally released, it was the only NARS blush to have anything embossed on its surface. As Douceur now seems to be a part of the brand's permanent line, the embossed "NARS" is no longer a standard feature.

For those of you that are curious, Douceur (pronounced: /dusœʀ/ dew-sir) means softness, or sweetness in French.

The thing about Douceur that makes it so unique is how it transforms on various skin tones. I've heard many fellow beauty bloggers state that they dislike this shade because it swatches brown on them. In some ways, Douceur is more like a perfume than a blush. You cannot know how it will perform on you unless you try it in person.

In my case, Douceur is a very soft, heathered rose that looks lovely on my pale winter skin. The shade is so subtle on me that I'm not certain it would work during the summer when (believe it or not) I do tend to get a bit of color. Instead of being a "my lips but better" lipstick, I would definitely call this a "my natural blush but better" cheek product.

I hesitated to purchase Douceur due to its similarity to two favorites that I already have in my collection: Tarte Exposed and NYX Raisin.

In the pan the shades do look quite similar, but when they are swatched they are different enough (to my makeup addict's eye, at least) that I'm happy to have all three. 

(Left to right): NARS Douceur, Tarte Exposed, and NYX Raisin

I'm lucky that I have the day after Thanksgiving off, and I am by no means brave enough to go crowd surfing on Black Friday so I had more than enough time to play with my makeup this morning. Please note that I am wearing quite a bit of Douceur and it remains subtle. On my skin tone (MAC NC20 for reference) this is a no thought blush that adds just enough color to may sometimes sallow winter complexion.

Face

Laura Mercier Secret Camouflage Palette

MAC Pro Longwear Concealer NW30

SKIN 79 Super+ BB Cream

MAC MSF Natural Medium 

NARS Douceur Blush

MAC Snow Globe Beauty Powder (as a highlight)

Eyes

Brows are au naturel

MAC Painterly Paint Pot

MAC Fly-By-Blu Liner

UNE Skin Glow Pencil on water line

MUFE Smoky Lash

Lips

NARS Dolce Vita Lipstick

I'm happy I finally listened to the dozens of beauty bloggers out there that have already raved about this blush. I may be late to the party, but it was well worth the wait. Douceur is going to be a staple in my winter makeup bag!

Have you tried NARS Douceur?