NARS launched a new limited-edition palette called the Atomic Blonde Eye and Cheek Palette ($59, Sephora exclusive). It has a perfect sunkissed summer vibe with warm bronzey colors for eyes and face. It comes in a mirrored compact with six colors, two of which are repromotes:
- Icon Eyeshadow – shimmering soft warm tan gold
- Isolde II Eyeshadow – shimmery warm copper
- Kink Eyeshadow – warm sparkle copper
- Galapagos Eyeshadow – matte deep brown with gold flecks
- Last Call Highlighting Blush Powder – soft golden sandy beige shimmer
- Unleashed Bronzing Powder – matte sheer warm brown
The eyeshadows are for the most part shimmery. Icon and Isolde II have perfectly soft textures that are easy to blend powders. Kink is a very sparkly eyeshadow which I found best applied with a super dense brush or fingers in a patting motion. Galapagos is a formula that has a matte base but enough gold flecks to make it sparkly. It’s best applied with a dense brush along the lash line or on top of a creamy liner smudged/blended. For me all the eyeshadows performed well without any issue. Kink does have some fallout if you apply with a loose fluffy brush – it may take some experimenting application-wise.
The cheek colors are both soft. Last Call has a semi-sheer finish which is great if you want a soft glow vs sharp frost but it’s not really the most unique shade. It does have a soft warm golden sheen that is more flesh-like than most champagne shimmers but the effect is going to be similar to a lot of other highlighters. Unleashed Bronzing Powder is one I have mixed feelings about. It’s sheer and stiff in texture making it more of a very soft contouring powder on me. As a bronzing powder if it had more pigment or a softer texture I feel it would be too dark for my complexion. Since it is harder and sheerer it gives my skin a very soft contoured look. I don’t typically use contouring powders – I usually just use any regular bronzer to add a tiny bit of dimension.
The palette itself is really pretty and easy to wear for me. Each time I tested it I was happy with the performance and look. It’s a super easy to wear palette that I don’t have to think about when applying. It has all the colors I need, minus a cream shadow base and a little bit of color for blush, but there are a lot of days I don’t wear blush – just bronzer. I do think it would be better if the bronzer had a different texture/finish. But since it’s stiff and semi-sheer it does work well on me as a crease blending color to add depth on the eyes (even though it’s meant for the face). I’m not the biggest glitter shadow fan I would have preferred if Kink weren’t a glitter but I can make it work and I think it’s really nice for summer. Since summer won’t end here in Florida until maybe November I will get a lot of wear out of the colors.
Quick and easy look wearing Laura Mercier Flawless Fusion Foundation in Buff, Laura Mercier Flawless Fusion Concealer in 3W (swatches of all shades here), La Mer Pressed Powder in Medium, Diorshow Brow Styler Universal Brown, Eyes + Cheeks are NARS Atomic Blonde Eye and Cheek Palette, Lips are NARS Full Vinyl Lip Lacquer in Santo Domingo (review here).
Since the cheek colors are ones I feel are easy to dupe, here are a few swatch comparisons below: Natasha Denona Glow 01 Light is more pink and has more shimmer (reviewed here), Charlotte Tilbury Filmstar Bronze and Glow Light-Medium is more neutral/cool, NARS Highlighting Powders in Fort de France and Ibiza have more shimmer, Becca Sunlit Bronzers in Ipanema Sun and Maui Nights have deeper color and are easier to build pigment-wise:
One last look:
Overall easy to use, nice wearable colors. Two shades I’d love to change a little color or formula-wise but I can make the palette work as it is. It’s pretty much an effortless one that I can apply any day for any occasion. In a sense I’m glad the bronzer is stiff/sheer because the color works for my complexion, otherwise I feel like it would be too dark for me to wear.
The NARS Atomic Blonde Eye and Cheek Palette is available at Sephora. It’s listed as a Sephora exclusive, but right now you can also find it online at NARS Cosmetics. It’s limited-edition. Have you checked this one out yet? What did you think?
NARS Atomic Blonde provided courtesy of NARS for review.
