The NARSissist Eyeshadow Palette ($79 for 0.03oz x 15 shades) is a glorious palette of 15 neutrals. It comes in a large mirrored compact and includes a wide range of colors, textures and finishes. I’m late to the party with the NARSissist Eyeshadow Palette (it launched back in January). I thought long and hard for months about purchasing this one because I already owned many of the colors individually and also thought the Urban Decay Naked eye palettes might be duplicates. The Sephora VIB sale earlier this month pushed me over the edge. I put it to the test for several weeks. It was also the only powder eyeshadow palette I brought with me on my recent trip to Dallas. I’ve been really happy with this palette, the versatility is impressive. This one palette has all the colors you need for a multitude of looks: natural, smokey, bronzey, etc. It will take you from day to night.
The colors in the NARSissist Eye Palette include (from left to right, from top row to bottom)
All About Eve (1 side) – shimmery champagne
Madrague (both sides) – matte cream and matte tan
Fez – shimmery copper
Bali – matte soft brown
Coconut Grove – matte brown
Nepal – shimmery peachy pink
Ashes to Ashes – soft grey shimmer
Brousse – shimmery soft plum
Mekong – dark blackened brown with gold flecks
Bellisima – white base with gold sparkle flecks
Lhasa – shimmery light grey mauve
Bad Behavior – shimmery gunmetal
Dogon – darker blue-grey metallic
Pandora – matte sheer black
There have been mixed reviews about the palette, some have reported a different quality and texture of the palette shades compared with individuals colors. Overall I found the palette to be very good quality on par with the individual colors. There were a couple shades I found to be sheerer in texture and harder to work with (my personal experience). Colors I found to perform different in this palette included:
- the matte colors of Madrague (the regular duo applies smoothly, this palette’s version was a bit chalky)
- Ashes to Ashes (the singles I have are more pigmented and smoother in texture, but the palette applies ok, just different texture)
- Dogon (individual is creamier in texture while the palette is drier)
The palette still worked well with no issues for application from what I tested. The colors I noticed differences for still applied well, it just took a little bit more work for me. Close ups and swatches below of the NARSsissist Eye Palette:
Many have asked how this compares to the Urban Decay Naked and Naked2 Palettes. There are similarities in the concept – all have a mix of shimmer and matte neutral-ish colors. I find that my Naked Palettes (1, 2 and 3) are the ones I reach for the most frequently out of any of the eye shadows that I own. The differences between NARS and Urban Decay are mainly in packaging and texture. Both brands have distinct shadow formulas, I can’t say one is better than the other, they are just different.
I’ve swatched them below for your reference. There wasn’t enough room for labeling the swatches but the colors are in the order of the palettes. (To have enough room on my arm, I skipped one of the Madrague shades from the NARS palette because it didn’t show up on my skin in the photograph.)
Overall love. As you can see above there are similarities between the NARSissist and Urban Decay Nakeds. Your preference will depend on a number of factors, such as packaging preference, if you own a lot of the individual colors already, texture preference (Urban Decay is softer and more buttery, NARS is more like traditional shadows in texture with more complex shimmers).
I believe the NARSissist Palette is limited-edition. It may take a bit of hunting to find it in stores, but you can still find it now online at Sephora, Beauty.com and Saks.
Did you buy the NARSissist Palette? What did you think?
