What I'm Not Buying: NARS Narsissist Unfiltered II Cheek Palette

Photo: Temptalia 

NARS released two limited edition Narsissist Unfiltered Cheek Palettes. I was most drawn to the Unfiltered I palette, and my post on that can be found here. However, I felt the Unfiltered II palette also deserved a post.

I won't be buying.

Perhaps I'm wrong, but I would imagine most people would be drawn to the Unfiltered II palette. It seems a lot more "safe" and obviously wearable when compared to the Unfiltered I. And a few years ago, I probably would have nabbed this palette immediately. But I've learned enough about the undertones in my skin to know that four blushes in this palette would not show up or flatter my skin. I suppose it's good to see some growth.

Whenever I've written a post about a blush or highlight palette, I have mentioned that the vast majority of blushes, especially within the same color family, will look relatively the same once applied and sheered out onto the skin. Most blush palettes—I would think—are intended for makeup artists to have a myriad of colors to work on all skin tones. And that makes the most sense since the average makeup wearer could easily only have one blush. Somewhere along the line, however, cosmetics companies saw the opportunity to capitalize on makeup enthusiasts and started marketing these items made for makeup artists to the everyday consumer. Unfiltered I looks like a palette for a makeup artist. Unfiltered II looks like a palette for the average consumer.

The blushes in this palette are pretty. I like pink, and I like looking at the different hues in this palette. It's nice to look at. But several of these colors would look terrible on my skin. In fact, they remind me of my biggest early makeup "error," which was buying cool-toned pink blushes because most of the women I was watching on YouTube recommended them as a blush that "everyone should own."

These included MAC Well Dressed:

NARS Deep Throat:

Photo: Tempalia

And Benefit Coralista:

I would just like to take a moment to talk about the language used that these are blushes that "everyone should own." All three of these blushes looked like nothing on my light-to-medium warm olive skin. I packed the color on and nothing happened. And it honestly made me feel a little bad about myself. I didn't relate the problem to the color of the products versus the undertones in my skin, I just thought there was something wrong with me. I didn't understand how this could work for "everyone" and not work for me. 

And then I realized that these blushes primarily work for a small percentage of people who have light skin with cool undertones. In addition to me, I imagine that these blushes might not work on many people with medium, dark, or deep skin tones or people who have a warm undertone. And I think that speaks to a general problem with many people who review products. They have a tendency to recommend products that work for their skin tone (claiming it has to work for everyone) without necessarily considering how colors will actually work on the full spectrum. 

And in case you're wondering, all three of these blushes ended up with my friend with light, cool-toned skin. I believe she likes them all quite a bit.

To me, the first two blushes in the top row of the Unfiltered palette look like Well Dressed, Deep Throat, and Coralista. The third color looks like NARS Angelika:

Photo: Temptalia 

Personally, I have zero interest in trying a cool-toned bright pink blush. I already know it will be very unflattering on me. 

On the bottom row, the first shade looks like Becca Opal:

Photo: Temptalia 

The second shade looks like NARS Luster:

Photo: Temptalia 

And the third shade looks like NARS Goulue:

I already own Opal and Goulue and have previously owned Luster, so for me personally, there is really no incentive whatsoever to get this palette. 

I have to say, I think it's a little complicated that so many shades in the Unfiltered palettes look like plenty of blushes within the NARS permanent line. The colors are so similar that it makes me wonder if NARS just slightly tweaked original formulas to make them a little different and then slapped a new name onto the shades. I think this is a tactic to make customers think this is a different product and one they are sure to like because it looks so much like (or the same as) a product that they already love and use. And then they see that it is limited edition and they get panicked and start thinking, "What if I miss out?!" and then they purchase it. And they didn't really realize that they purchased something that when swatched or applied to the cheeks probably looks close to identical to something they already have and love. 

And to answer the question, "What if i miss out?!" nothing will happen. Nothing. There will be more blushes. They will look nearly identically when applied onto the skin. Life will go on. Makeup will be worn. And it will be fine and fun. 

I mentioned this in my post on the Unfiltered I palette, but I feel it deserves to be repeated sine the Unfiltered II palette, especially, will be easy for a lot of people to justify. 

I really like the bright pink and peach shades. And the other pinks are pretty. Super wearable. And I can never have too many highlighters. It'll be convenient since it's all in the same place. And I can travel with this! I know I don't travel often, maybe once or twice a year, but it will be nice to have all these options when I do!

To break these justifications down:

• If you really like the bright pink shade, buy NARS Angelika or any other bight pink blush. Don't buy an entire palette just because you want one shade. 
• You probably already have a peach blush. But if not, and if you are set on getting a peach blush from NARS, go with Luster. It's a beautiful blush that many people love. 
• The other pinks are pretty, but you probably already have plenty of pretty pink blushes. The ones in this palette are nothing unique. They make the value of this palette go down since you are getting shades you already own. 
• You very likely already have a highlighter that you use and love. When applied onto the cheeks, the one in this palette probably won't look any different than the one you already have. 
• Is it really that much of an inconvenience to have your blush and highlighter not in the same place? If so, should you just depot them and put them into a palette?
• How often do you travel? Is it enough to really warrant a "travel cheek palette?"
• When you travel, do you typically bring five different blushes?

If you are interested in this palette for one blush (because, frankly, the majority of the blushes included wouldn't be considered "unique" by most people), you should just buy one blush. Even though you might look at this palette and think it's a deal to be getting six products for the cost (but not size) of two products, if you weren't planning on buying all six of those products to begin with, it's not a deal. You would just be spending twice as much as you would have if you just got the one product you wanted. And adding six blushes to a collection with one purchase is intense. I currently own seven blushes and find it manageable, but if I added even a couple more, it would be overwhelming for me. This one product contains what is close to my entire blush collection. 

I'm curious to see how the quality of the blushes within the Unfiltered palettes compares to those in NARS's permanent line. I have a suspicion that (like most holiday, limited edition, and "packaged in a set" products) the quality will be subpar. And if so, then these palettes really aren't a deal at all because you're getting downgraded quality. I'm happy with my blush collection as is, and the colors in the Unfiltered palette simply aren't unique enough to really pique my interest. So I won't be buying. 

What I'm Not Buying: NARS Narsissist Unfiltered I Cheek Palette

For the holiday season, NARS has released two limited edition Narsissist Unfiltered Cheek Palettes. Immediately, Unfiltered I caught my attention, and I found myself seriously wanting it. 

But, I'm not going to buy it. 

The Unfiltered I and II palettes are both currently sold out on Sephora's website (where they are exclusively sold), but I wanted to get my thoughts out there since there will be a restock coming soon. 

I saw this palette when it was advertised as part of Sephora's Black Friday or Cyber Monday offerings. I recognized the bottom right shade immediately as Exhibit A, and my attention was perked. Then I looked at the other colors in this palette, and they are gorgeous. And I had a moment where I really thought I was going to pull the trigger and get this cheek palette. I thought I would probably really enjoy all the colors in it and would use the palette quite frequently. 

And that's probably true. But I don't need it, which is why I passed on it. 

Let's talk about the pros of this palette. I think the palette is curated very well and the colors are cohesive and gorgeous. I think this would flatter many skin tones, and it doesn't look as through it was made with only light skin tones in mind, which is a huge plus. What I think is unique about the Unfiltered I over other blush palettes released this season is that the colors all appear to be discernibly different. I believe that all colors would look distinct on the skin, which is rare in a blush palette. 

As I mentioned, I was initially drawn to Exhibit A. And I would just like to take a moment and talk about that blush. 

I first heard of this blush when I was just becoming interested in makeup about seven years ago. I was subscribed to this beautiful woman with dark skin on YouTube, and she mentioned Exhibit A and Taj Mahal as her all-time favorite blushes. I didn't take her skin tone or mine into consideration when I went into Selfridges in London months later looking for them. I'll never forget applying Taj Mahal onto my cheeks and being so disappointed that it didn't flatter me. I had looked at pictures of Taj Mahal applied onto dark skinned women for months and drooled over the results, never taking into account what it might look like on my skin tone. Taj Mahal was incredibly unflattering on me, to put it lightly. I remember it being very orange and thinking that there was no way I could pull it off. I still think about that blush sometimes (which is admittedly pathetic), and every time one of my friends with a darker skin tone asks for a blush recommendation, that's always my go-to.

Exhibit A, on the other hand, went home with me. If I applied it like I would apply any other blush, it would look crazy on me. But when I lightly dabbed my brush into it and lightly applied it to my cheeks, Exhibit A was the prettiest blush on me. For years this was my favorite blush, especially as I started realizing that the majority of my blushes were cool-toned and didn't flatter my skin. When I first moved to New York, I didn't wear much makeup for the better part of a year and a half, especially to work. I wore a light powder foundation, a tiny bit of concealer under my eyes, mascara, and Exhibit A. And no one ever knew that I was wearing makeup. 

When I finally left that job and started my terminal graduate program, I did a major declutter of all of my makeup since I hadn't been wearing most of it. I decluttered most of my blushes without hesitation and then stopped at Exhibit A. Despite the fact that I had Exhibit A for at least four years, and it was easily my most worn blush, it honestly looked like I had never even touched it. The faint lines across the top of the blush looked untouched and undisturbed. Added to that, I had recently purchased Hourglass Mood Exposure at the time and couldn't stop using it. I think my final reasoning was that Exhibit A was old and there was no way I was ever going to hit pan on it, let alone use it up. So I decluttered it. 

I haven't had Exhibit A for a little over two years now, and I have to admit that I miss it from time to time. But the main thing that keeps me from buying it again is the idea that it's impossible for me to make a dent in it. So seeing it in a smaller size in the Unfiltered I palette was exciting, and I realized how much I want it back in my collection. 

But then I started thinking rationally. As I've said many times, I'm really happy with my blush collection. I have seven blushes, which is a really manageable number for me. And I feel like I have the color families that most flatter me covered, so I don't have much desire to add to it. And that is the biggest deterrent for me in buying the Unfiltered I palette. I just don't need to have that many blushes. 

Let's look at the colors again:

The first shade is a golden highlight. I have Becca Moonstone:

Photo: Temptalia 

Next is a peachy shimmer shade. I have Laura Geller Cantaloupe:

Photo: Temptalia 

Next is a bronze rose shade. I have theBalm Balm Desert:

On the bottom row is a true rose shade. I have Milani Romantic Rose:

And next to that is a mauve shade. I have Hourglass Mood Exposure:

While the blushes in my collection aren't necessarily exact duplicates of the shades in the Unfiltered I palette, they are close enough that I really don't need the entire palette and to add six blushes to my collection just because I want Exhibit A. The blushes in my collection are also those that I have personally and carefully chosen because they flatter my skin. Getting a palette of similar shades is therefore silly because I already have the exact colors that I want. 

On the whole, I think Narsissist palettes are not a smart purchase. I think people easily get sucked into the idea of them: Six NARS blushes for the price of two! But I don't think people really consider if they would actually purchase those six blushes without the "value" or "sale." I think most times people might see one or two blushes that they actually want (like me) and then assume that they will find use for the other colors. And that's not a smart way to shop. But what's so funny is that we convince ourselves that it actually is an incredibly smart way to shop. So we buy it. 

When I look objectively at this palette, I don't want the highlight shade. I already have a ton of highlighters that I love and rotate, and I am just not interested in adding any more to my collection unless they are incredibly unique. I also don't want the shimmery peach or shimmery rose bronze shades. I have visible pores on my cheeks, and I have to be very careful about shimmery blushes since so many of them emphasize my pores. I like the way the bottom row of the palette looks, but as I've said, I already have staple rose and mauve blushes that I love. 

I also see Narsissist palettes frequently end up on people people's "regret" lists a year or more after they were purchased. Thing is, NARS banks on people needing/wanting to get these palettes every year. Because, really, when you have one Narsissist palette, you probably don't need another for a few years, especially if you are only using it on yourself. But the shine and value and "specialness" wear off within a few months of purchase, and then people see the Narsissist palettes for what they are: a collection of blushes they might not have necessarily picked out for themselves. I've also seen Narsissist palettes end up in declutter videos quite often, so I'm led to think either the quality is not as great as full-sized NARS blushes or people don't get much use out out them since they are palettes and it's easier to grab for blush singles. 

The Unfiltered I palette is $59, and NARS claims that it is a $150 value. To put this into perspective, each blush in the palette is 0.12 ounces and a full-sized NARS blush is 0.16 ounces. However, my NARS blush in Goulue, which is eyeshadow-sized, has 0.14 ounces of product. That means the blushes in this palette are 0.02 ounces less than a deluxe-size blush. 

I think on the whole people get drawn into the idea of a value and end up spending more money than they ever would have, which doesn't make the product a value at all. For example, the only reason I really wanted this palette was for Exhibit A. If I just purchased Exhibit A, it would cost $30. But I was willing to spend an additional $30 to get five more colors that I don't even necessarily want. It would be much more of a value to me to save the $30 and just buy the one blush that I want. 

I will likely repurchase Exhibit A in the future and will just have to be okay with the fact that it is a never-ending blush. As for the Unfiltered I palette, I'm glad that I was able to resist the reckless urge to buy it. Even if I really enjoyed all the blushes in it, I would have essentially doubled my entire blush collection with one purchase. And I have worked hard to refine my blushes to a manageable number filled with the best colors that work for my skin. The Narsissist Unfiltered I palette is pretty and disguises itself as a product with great value, but it is actually an expensive and unnecessary purchase for most people. And I won't be buying.