NARS Coeur Battant Blush- Guy Bourdin Collection For Holiday 2013

NARS holiday collections are always stunners. Last year we had the NARS Andy Warhol line and two years ago Francois Nars designed the Hanamichi palette which is still one of my favorites (the red color works as a fabulous blush that I use a lot). This year, Francois Nars created a makeup tribute to photographer Guy Bourdin whose work deeply influenced Nars and pushed him to become a makeup artist. The controversial photographer inspired Nars's view and use of color: his second most famous blush, a matte red,  is called Exhibit A, and is repromoted  with this collection.

The blush you see here, Coeur Battant, is equally stunning. The color is somewhere between magenta and shocking pink. The red undertones are more visible on the skin than in the pan. The texture of Coeur Battant is a bit hard to the touch, which is a very good thing with such an intense pigment. The blob of color on my pink in the photo was a result of a light touch to the surface. I didn't feel like I was picking up much, but boy did I! Still, the blush is very easy to apply and blend as it touches the skin. The finish is matte but not powdery in the least. Direct and bright sunlight make the vivid pink a bit washed out, which is why I had to retake some of the photos so you can see it as true to life as possible. This is a strong blush with a bit of a retro 80s vibe, so unless you're a woman of color mindful application is encouraged.

The swatches were done with three different blush brushes to show you that it can be worn lightly. All three swatches show a single swipe of the brush on the surface of the blush, so you see that's all it takes. The sheerest application was achieved with a MAC 188. It's a smallish duo-fiber that's perfect for massively pigmented colors. A small Yachiyo delivers similar results, but in my opinion blends the color better. Chanel blush brush (new version) delivers a lot more product but blends beautifully. It's a matter of preference and skin tone-- just how much color your cheeks can take.

NARS Coeur Battant Blush- Guy Bourdin Collection For Holiday 2013 ($29) will be available from October 15th at NARS boutiques and narscosmetics.com. The product for this review was provided by the company.