Hello, my name is Aleeza and I am a lush for blush.

It was the very first makeup product I ever tried and I've loved it ever since. My favourite thing about blush is how it can transform your look. By simply adding a bit of colour to the cheeks, you can go from looking "lit from within", contoured or flushed. It really just depends on the shade of your blush.

With that said, how awesome are cheek palettes? Especially the ones that have everything you need in one palette, i.e. highlight, contour, bronzer and blush. They are perfect for travelling or if you're just in a rush.

Over the years, NARS has released some great cheek palettes. I still have/use/love the very first one they released back in 2011-ish, the NARS Danmari All About Cheeks. So, I was pretty excited when I saw the NARS x Steven Klein One Shocking Moment ($92 CAD) palette. It is a limited edition palette, but as I'm writing this, it is still available online at Sephora.

I gotta say, I love the upgraded packaging on the new palettes. The hard plastic is much more durable.

So, what's different about this palette to the one I already own? Well, on top of having your pick of blushes to play with, it also has a bronzer and a contour duo.

The matte highlight and contour (in Paloma), which both blend beautifully. The shades work pretty well with my skin tone, but I don’t know how it would fair with very fair or very deep tones. I am pleasantly surprised at how much I like the matte highlight, though. I usually gravitate towards more shimmery highlighters, but the subtle matte glow is beautiful on the skin. The contour, which is slightly warmer than my go-to, Kevyn Aucoin Sculpting Powder, works well to give the cheekbones a subtle chisel. The colour creates a natural shadow under the cheeks.

NARS Laguna is still one of my favourite bronzers. It’s a medium brown shade with hints of gold shimmer. It really does give your complexion a sunkissed sheen.

There are four blush shades in this palette: Robotic, Blasphemy, Luster, and Dolce Vita. Two of them are part of NARS’ permanent line-up while the other two are exclusive to this palette. I've always loved NARS blushes, they're silky/smooth to apply and long-wearing. Fun fact: NARS Orgasm was the first (and only) blush I ever finished up in its entirety.

Robotic and Blasphemy are exclusive to this palette. They are both on the pink side of the spectrum. Although they look different in the pan—Robotic is a cool-toned pink and Blasphemy is a medium rosy pink, they look very similar when applied to the cheeks (at least on me).

I already own Luster and Dolce Vita, but I don't mind having duplicates. They're both gorgeous blushes. Luster is a shimmery apricot—it's my go-to for a summer glow. Dolce Vita is a a gorgeous dusty rose shade—I love that it's matte because it gives your cheeks a natural looking flush.

However, if you like the style of this palette but aren't feeling the blush options, check out the NARSissist Cheek Studio Palette instead. The blushes are all new and exclusive to the palette!

Are you a NARS lover? What's your favourite product from the brand? x