Nars recently came out with 3 contouring blush palettes that includes a large contour powder and a smaller highlighting powder. I picked up the darkest of the 3 shades available, Gienah. Keep reading for my thoughts.

The contour color in Gienah is fabulous. It has a slight red undertone that looks good as a contour on darker skin. Also, it is dark enough to work for people at least 2-3 shades darker than me. Unfortunately the lighter shade in this palette doesn’t work for me as a highlighter or blush. I don’t know if it would work on any skin tone as a highlight, because it kind of has a gray undertone. I typically use these two shades mixed together for a light daytime contour. Truthfully, I could have done without the lighter shade.

The best thing about these powders are that they are so soft and easy to blend. Unlike other contour powders I’ve tried, these make contouring easier. Although the color is dark, it is somewhat sheer, but in a very good way. It can be built up if you like more dramatic contours, but that is not really my style.

If you take a look at the picture above, you can see that the side I contoured just looks slightly lifted. I’m able to get a very soft, natural looking contour with Gienah which is a definite plus for me.

Pros:

• decent shade variety
• soft & blendable
• can be sheered out for a more natural look or built up for a dramatic look
• color of contour can be lightened by using the lighter shade in the palette

Cons:

• highlight shade isn’t really a highlight
• price

Overall, I really like Gienah. I think it could have been better if the “highlight” shade was really a shade appropriate for highlighting.

Final Grade: B+

Have you tried any of the new Nars Contour Blush Palettes?