25Jan 2012

Dupe Alert: NARS Orgasm vs. Milani Mineral Luminous Blush

By Sandra D + 8 Beauty, BUDGET/DRUGSTORE, LUXURY/HIGH END, MAKEUP Beauty, blush, Drugstore, dupes, milani Permalink 0

NARS has got to be the industry authority when it comes to blush. Their shades are natural, healthy-looking and provide that perfect “flush” to your cheeks no matter how intense or subtle the color. It’s no wonder that NARS won “Best Overall Powder Blush”, two consecutive years in Instyle Magazine. Their most famous shade is “Orgasm” and if you haven’t heard of it, you’ve been living under a rock. 🙂 You won’t be able to find it by just searching for orgasm, you’re more likely to get a site such as hdpornvideo.xxx instead, quite obviously.

Orgasm retails for $29 in Canada. A pretty hefty price for a blush. It can be found at major Department Stores (Holt Renfrew, The Bay) and at Sephora.

At a fraction of the price, retailing somewhere between $7-10 Canadian is Milani’s Mineral Blush. Milani, although well known and very easy to find in the USA, is only available (very limited quantities/selection) at Sears, Rexall and at some Walmarts in Canada. I usually get mine online on the Cherry Culture site. Their blush shade in Luminous has been vastly compared to its high end NARS counterpart Orgasm? But, are they really that similar?

?

Left: NARS Orgasm
Right: Milani Luminous

When swatched, they look almost identical but the feel of each powder, couldn’t be more different. Orgasm is very soft and velvety, while Luminous, although not chalky/drying at all, is much denser in consistency. Not that that should deter you in anyway. It’s still a darn good dupe in my opinion.

Left: NARS Orgasm
Right: Milani Luminous

Both shades can be described as a “pinkish peach with golden shimmer throughout”. Luminous is slightly more pink in my opinion. Orgasm has more of a “sparkle”. Applied to the skin with a light hand, I’d be very surprised in anyone could tell the difference.

In terms of lasting power, NARS by far withstands Milani and does not require any touch ups throughout the day. I tried both with a makeup setting spray and even so, the Milani blush faded much more quickly.

Despite these differences, the Milani blush is a great quality product and there are enough similaries to justify NOT owning both or paying triple the price. However, the NARS blushes are luxury powders, so even if you decided to treat yourself, you wouldn’t be dissapointed.