I’ve raved before about NARS’ Orgasm shade, which went from being a cult favorite to a staple in practically every grown woman’s beauty closet. And it is indeed the best blush essentially ever invented. But theBalm® cosmetics Hot Mama Shadow & Blush All-in-One is perhaps the second best, and can be used as a dupe for Orgasm with a little stretching. First of all, it glides on beautifully smoothly – a lot of blushes are either too thick, so you feel like you’re applying a mask to your face, or too powdery and fall everywhere. This glides on like honey and has good staying power; I generally still have a nice, light pink glow at the end of the day.

Created to function alternately as a blush, shadow, or highlighter, it’s essentially the higher-wattage version of NARS Orgasm – slightly more sparkly and brighter, but the same wonderfully natural, versatile shade. From the website –

“We’ve never been satisfied with basic blushes. Too often, they look amazing in the compact but leave behind flat streaks of color. Not so with this peachy pink powder, which has a subtle infusion of golden shimmer to give off a 3-D effect. It also works as a shadow and highlighter, letting you achieve pinup-worthy results with just one product.”

It has a little more honey tones and a little more sparkle to help it function beyond a blush if you want; for that reason, I sometimes use it at night rather than during the day, but most of the time, I use it interchangeably with Orgasm. It also won’t break your wallet – a small 7-gram compact costs $20.00, but lasts FOREVER – mine lasts me six months because a little goes such a long way.  Go forth. Buy it.