Save or Spend?: Sleek vs. Nars Blush

There has been a lot of hype over Sleek's Rose Gold and Guipure from their Lace palette being just like Nars' bestselling Orgasm blush, so after finally getting my hands on the Nars I road-tested this comparison. I already own Lace but decided to pick up the individual Rose Gold colour just in case there was any difference. Sleek's individual blushes cost £4.49, the Lace Blush by 3 palette costs £9.99 and Nars blushers cost £22.50.

(Images via: sleekmakeup.com and narscosmetics.co.uk)

Rose Gold: 

Orgasm:

Guipure:

Packaging

Considering the huge difference in price, I'm surprised at how similar the look and feel of the packaging is. Both are black (and tend to catch dust easily!), the Nars packaging is a little more curved and has a sort of gummy feel, whereas the Sleek is a little thinner and hard. All three also contain nicely sized mirrors (though it's not really fair to compare the size of the trio to an individual blusher). I'd say the Nars is probably less likely to break.

Winner: Nars  

Colour

Top: Rose Gold, Centre: Guipure, Bottom: Orgasm

Left: Orgasm, Centre: Guipure, Right: Rose Gold

Centre: Guipure, Bottom: Orgasm, Right: Rose Gold

This is the most obvious and important comparison in play. So first off I'll show you a comparison of Sleek's Rose Gold and Guipure Blushers:

Guipure is on top and Rose Gold on the bottom. I really don't think there is much in this comparison, other than Guipure may have a little more of the gold shimmer running through it.

Below is Rose Gold against Orgasm, with Rose Gold as the first shade and Orgasm as the second. I think Rose Gold definitely has more of the gold shimmer and Orgasm seems to have a more peachy base colour, whereas Rose Gold's is a little more pink.

In the below images the first colour is Guipure and the second is Orgasm. Again the difference is in the base shade and the amount of shimmer.

Finally here is a three-way comparison shot, Guipure is the first shade, then Rose Gold and finally Orgasm:

Overall there are definitely differences, and which one you go for really depends if you prefer more or less shimmer and whether you want a peachier base or something more pink. Saying that, there are certainly enough similarities between the Nars and the Sleek blushes for them to be seen as dupes.

Winner: Draw

Ease of Application

Both have a similar consistency, though the Nars is perhaps a little dustier. I find it more difficult to build up Orgasm to the look I want.

Winner: Sleek

Staying Power

Even with primer the Sleek blushes both definitely wore off a lot more throughout the day than the Nars. The Nars lasts pretty much all day, whereas the Sleek all but vanishes by this point. I'd say they only stay on a few hours before you have to re-apply.

Winner: Nars

Shelf Life

Orgasm weighs 4.8g, Guipure comes in a 20g trio so weighs approximately 6.7g and Rose Gold comes in at an impressive 8g. I was surprised the difference was so vast, as Nars' packaging is so bulky. There's no way I'd have thought there was almost double the amount of product in Rose Gold! Guipure is a great option if you like the other colours in Lace (check out my full review here). You have to use a lot more of Orgasm to achieve the same look, as it's more subtle. However Orgasm lasted longer than Guipure and Rose Gold, so I guess these two factors balance each other out.

Winner: Sleek

Finish

Nars Orgasm:

Sleek Rose Gold:

Sleek Guipure (Lace):

 (N. B. These are all applied quite heavily, it's not how I personally wear them but best for showing the colour.)
Both the Sleek blushers are way more pigmented, whereas with the Nars you do have to build it up more. The pinker Sleek colours don't look much different to the Nars when applied, though the shimmer is definitely more apparent. I think I'd be more inclined to wear Orgasm during the daytime and Rose Gold or Guipure at night. However because I like the pigmentation of the Sleek blushers they have a slight edge for me.

Winner: Sleek

Value for Money

With Sleek's trios coming in at less than half the price of Nars blushes and Sleek's individuals at almost a quarter, there can only really be one winner. I like Orgasm a lot and am glad to have it in my collection, but all in all I think in future I'll be re-purchasing the amazing value Sleek blushes. The colours are subtly different, so if you prefer the peachier base and less shimmer I'd still really recommend Orgasm. Orgasm was also a lot more durable, so if that's a crucial factor for you then Nars would also be the best option.
Winner: Sleek

Overall Winner:
Sleek