A-Blush-A-Day, Nos. 21 & 22: NARS Orgasm Blush & theBalm Hot Mama Shadow/Blush - Swatches & Reviews

The reason I combined these 2 blushes into 1 review is that theBalm Hot Mama has been compared to the legendary NARS Orgasm Blush. But from my observation, these 2 are different, in swatches and also on my cheeks. Please note that these 2 blushes I have are not in their full-sized forms - theBalm Hot Mama is a tiny travel-size which is part of the AutoBalm set, and the NARS Orgasm blush is part of the Only You palette. But whatever the size, I believe both blushes are the same as in their full-sized products.

NARS Orgasm Blush (left) and theBalm Hot Mama (right)
Even in their respective pan, they look different in colour, though I have to say they both look pink on first impression, but definitely different shades of pink!

NARS Orgasm is described as a peachy-pink with golden shimmer.
It looks slightly reddish to me in the pan and though not captured in the photo above, has a golden sheen, rather than shimmer.
Its texture is soft and smooth, not powdery and with good pigmentation.

theBalm Hot Mama miniature comes with the AutoBalm set which I have purchased aeons ago. Photos above and below: Front and back of the miniature packaging, cardboard material but feels OK to me. Mine is still in good condition even after using quite frequently.

theBalm Hot Mama is described as a pinky-peach hue - sexy shadow, striking blush, subtle highlighter.
And Hot Mama is a peach shade, a shade for blushes that I am liking a lot lately, especially after embarking on this blush project. I notice that peach shade makes my complexion brighter and complements it well.
It has a golden sheen and is 'more yellow' compared to NARS Orgasm, and also lighter in tone.
Pigmentation is good with a soft and smooth texture.


So, on the pans, I think they are both different shades, and can't be considered dupes. But they do have the similarity of having the golden sheen. But the reddish colour in NARS Orgasm and peachy shade of Hot Mama set these 2 out to be different.

Photos above and below: Swatches of NARS Orgasm (left) and theBalm Hot Mama (right) under different lighting.
Both swatches have a golden sheen to them. But the difference in shades is obvious in the photos, I think.
NARS Orgasm has more red in it, something between berry and rose combined. Hot Mama, on the other hand, is more like pale gold peach, and the golden sheen is more prominent here.

On my cheeks

NARS Orgasm Blush on my cheek

NARS Orgasm Blush

On my cheeks

theBalm Hot Mama
Applied with 1 layer

theBalm Hot Mama
Built up the shade intensity with several layers
(photos above and below)
With a light hand (top photo), Hot Mama gives a very subtle colour. But it's buildable to become a golden peach shade, which I think is comparable to, but definitely not the same as Make Up For Ever Aqua Cream #5.

For both blushes, I get a good amount of wear time from them. Both lasted more than 6-7 hours when worn on my cheeks. Even then I didn't really notice any fading.



Comparing the cheek swatches of NARS Orgasm and theBalm Hot Mama, Orgasm gives me a red flush (LOL! No pun intended), OK, more like I have been blushing :P. While Hot Mama is a lighter blush, which I feel is more wearable for daily use. Orgasm can be used for different occasions as well, and I like it. But I think I like Hot Mama more as I prefer subtler peach shade blushes now. Perhaps, that might change in future after more playing with Orgasm ;) and I shall update accordingly.

Currently NARS is not available in Malaysia, and Malaysian readers can hope that Sephora Malaysia will bring in NARS soon. The full-sized product costs USD27 (7g?? 4.8g) in the US, £20.50 in the UK. Edit: And the amount of Orgasm blush in the Only You palette is 4g and the whole palette costs only USD65 (with another 4g of Hungry Heart blush, and 4x 1g eyeshadows).

theBalm is available in Malaysia in SASA stores. The full-sized product is 7.08g and costs RM65.