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Bronzer + Blush Eye Makeup NARS

NARS Summer 2016 Color Collection – My Picks

May 9, 2016

The NARS Summer Collection for 2016 launched a few weeks ago and it features some of the prettiest soft natural colors for a summer theme and the neutral-beauty lover in me is beyond thrilled. I received a few press samples and also purchased a couple items to review. The colors I picked out for the most part are very different from the traditional bright, bold or bronze shades we see for summer collections, but they are shades you can wear year round. The colors are easy to wear and can be mixed with bolder brighter shades. Colors featured above include:
  • Dual Intensity Blush in Sexual Content $45 (c/o) has a soft peach and light mauve pink shimmer, I feel like I’ve been searching for a blush combo like this for my whole life, it has a very natural looking shimmer and I am a bit bummed it’s limited-edition, I will be buying a backup of this one, it’s a nude pink/peach on the cheeks that shows up on my medium skin, pigment is really rich but in a natural way
  • Dual Intensity Blush in Liberation $45 (c/o) is a shimmering light pink and medium rose with warm tones, the shimmer is a bit more visible on this one compared to the lighter summer option, but it’s not overly frosted, this one pulls a bit warmer on my skin but doesn’t turn orangey, finish is smooth and doesn’t emphasize pores
  • Dual Intensity Eyeshadow in Topless $29 (c/o) is a light seashell pink with a very natural sheen, it has smooth pigment and is easy to blend, I would say pigment is medium but can be sheered out, shimmer is visible but it has a natural looking shimmer
  • Lip Cover in Get Dirty $28 is a new formula which is like a liquid lipstick, these are full coverage creamy lip colors that have a soft sheen in the finish, but have a velvety feel, Get Dirty is a medium warm rose, it almost looks peachy on me
  • Lip Cover in Overheated $28 is a full coverage dusty rose, it’s cooler-toned than Get Dirty, the color looks darker swatched on the arm compared to the way it looks once on my lips, but it’s still a medium toned neutral

A closer look at the shades plus swatch comparisons:

Comparison Set 1:

Comparison Set 2:
NARS Velvet Shadow Stick in Goddess (review here) 
NARS Dual Intensity Eyeshadows in Andromeda and Europa (review here)

Comparison Set 3:
NARS Audacious Lipstick in Barbara (lip swatch here)
By Terry Velvet Rouge #1
Buxom Wildly Whipped Liquid Lipstick in Centerfold
Urban Decay High Color Lipgloss in Kinky
MAC Lipglass in Lust
Anastasia Beverly Hills Lip Gloss in Kristen
Anastasia Beverly Hills Liquid Lipstick in Stripped

A quick look per request with the warmer shades, Becca Aqualuminous in Beige is on the skin, for color it’s NARS Topless Dual Intensity Eyeshadow, Urban Decay Naked2 Palette (mix of colors), NARS Dual Intensity Blush in Liberation both shades mixed and blended, NARS Lip Cover in Get Dirty.

All the colors are shades I want to wear everyday. I think the Dual Intensity Blush in Sexual Content is one of the prettiest neutrals for blush that I’ve ever seen. I am thrilled it’s on the nude side but still shows up on the skin. Liberation is also a very pretty combination that is wearable. It has a softer feel compared to Fervor. For those new to the Dual Intensity formula – they are really very unique, it’s like a hybrid powder and cream with a smooth texture that adheres well to the skin. They glide on like creams but aren’t really like traditional emollient creams. Most of the items for eyes and cheeks are all shimmery – but there are varying degrees of shimmer. The colors in the summer collection have a softer shimmer compared to some other shades. Lasting power is excellent for my normal/combination skin and the shades don’t emphasize pores.

For the Dual Intensity Eyeshadow in Topless, I though it would be almost identical to Andromeda or Europa, but it has enough shimmer and a different base to justify owning if you already have the other two. Tom Ford Opale by comparison is similar, but NARS Topless has a bit more pink.
For the lips I really like the new Lip Cover formula but it is extremely opaque so if your lips have any dry flakes or patches they will show up with this one, but it would be the case with any full coverage opaque lipstick. The colors are full coverage but not heavy feeling and they stayed with impressive lasting power. I would have preferred a clear packaging for the base like the Lip Gloss formulas so I can see the color inside rather than having to look at the labels but it’s not a deal breaker. I love both colors but if I had to pick just one, I would say I have a slight preference for Overheated.

I am really happy with all the items I’ve tried. I feel both blushes are back-up worthy because I haven’t found colors with the same color, quality and shimmer – to me they are both very unique and absolutely perfect.
You can find the NARS Summer Collection now at all NARS counters and stores. The entire collection is limited-edition so I do recommend ordering sooner than later. Available online at NARS, Nordstrom, Sephora, Saks Fifth Avenue, Barneys New York and all other NARS retailers.
Press samples include the Dual Intensity color items. Lip products purchased by me.
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NARS

NARS Spring 2016 Color Collection Picks: Hammamet, Impassioned, Instant Crash + Vida Loca

January 28, 2016

The spring collection this year from NARS is called Nouvelle Vogue and for neutral makeup lovers there are quite a few items to fall in love with. I have four items to share a review of today for eyes, lips and cheeks. The colors I picked out are soft and glowy that will give a really lovely fresh-faced natural look.

From top to bottom:

  • Hammamet Eyeshadow Duo ($35, limited-edition) is soft satiny warm tan combined with a shimmering copper tan rose kind of shimmer, on my medium-olive skin this is too warm/dark by itself, but when layered with other shades it makes for a really great transitional blending kind of color, I have a hard time wearing any kind of copper color because they often pull orangey on me. Hammamet doesn’t pull orangey but it does pull very warm. I like layering this with Cordura and Alhambra Duos.
  • Impassioned Powder Blush ($30) is the perfect natural light mauve pink blush, most mauves darken on my skin but this one is on the lighter side so when it warms up, it still remains a natural light pink mauve on my skin
  • Instant Crash Lip Gloss ($26, limited-edition) is a shimmering nude which is absolutely perfect, I thought I owned a lot of colors like this one, but none of the ones I looked at had the same beige undertone with shimmer mixed in, I need to back this one up because it’s limited-edition
  • Vida Loca Lip Gloss ($26, limited-edition) is a peachy pink cream, to me it has a similar effect to the Chelsea Girls Lipgloss (swatched here), this new one for spring is slightly deeper and brighter, you do need a flawless lip surface or else it will emphasize dry patches/lines

Some close ups, swatches and comparisons, up first is Hammamet Duo:

Swatch comparisons to:
MAC Honey Lust (from the 15 Warm Neutrals Palette)
Urban Decay Trick (from Naked3 Palette)
Tom Ford Disco Dust Quad (new, review soon)

Impassioned Blush close ups, I don’t have any swatch comparisons, but I deem this a must-have.

Lip Glosses in Instant Crash (top) and Vida Loca (bottom):

Swatch comparisons to:
NARS Lip Gloss in Striptease
NARS Lip Gloss Chelsea Girls (swatched)
MAC Lipglass in Lust
NARS Lipgloss in Belize

I give Instant Crash Lip Gloss and Impassioned Blush a huge thumbs up. Vida Loca is gorgeous in color but the formula can be a bit tricky to work with if your lip isn’t perfectly smooth (it’s a good layering color though). Hammamet is different from anything I’ve seen from NARS before. On my skintone it pulls too warm to pull off by itself, but when layered with other shades looks really pretty. If you own Honey Lust from MAC or the new Tom Ford Quad I think you can skip this duo.

Have you checked out anything from the NARS Spring Collection yet? It’s available now online and in stores from NARS. It will launch in February at Nordstrom, Sephora, Barneys New York, Saks Fifth Avenue and all other NARS counters.

The spring items featured were provided courtesy of NARS for review consideration.

27 Comments
Bronzer + Blush Eye Makeup NARS

NARS NARSissist L’Amour, Toujours L’Amour Eyeshadow Palette and NARSissist Cheek Studio Palette

January 20, 2016

NARS is killing it this spring. There seems to be something to love in every launch so far this year from the Hot Sand Collection, Velvet Matte Skin Tints and freshly launched Spring Color Collection (a few items to be reviewed on the blog soon but in the meantime check out swatches on my friend Café Makeup’s page). I’m particularly smitten with the Hot Sand/Laguna Cheek Duo and the Velvet Skin Tints are  There are two new palettes this spring, one for eyes and one for cheeks, both limited edition. For eyes we have the NARSissist L’Amour, Toujours L’Amour Eyeshadow Palette ($59 for 12 eyeshadows) and for the cheeks there is the NARSissist Cheek Studio Palette ($65, Sephora Exclusive). Both of these come in some seriously sturdy packaging – they are cased in hefty mirrored compacts and I think the presentation is exquisite.

The NARSissist L’Amour, Toujours L’Amour Eyeshadow Palette has twelve eyeshadows that seem to feature a new formula. Many of you have expressed dissatisfaction in the quality and texture of shadows in previous palettes (in particular the NARSissist Eyeshadow Palette from 2014ish). I haven’t tried all of the palettes NARS has launched, but never had an issue with texture. Size of pans has been significantly smaller in previous releases which I found a bit challenging to dip larger brushes into, but it seems as though NARS took all the complaints of past palettes and made changes for the better with this one.

The texture of these is feels slightly creamy, but they are all powders – pigment is smooth and easy to layer. Some of the dark matte shades will go on a bit patchy if you use a medium to large brush – so I recommend trying a small detail dense brush to layer and blend the dark mattes. Overall performance is really good. With the exception of the one coppery shimmer shade, I would say the effect of this one is cool-toned. I do think you need a slightly creamy eyeshadow base to help bring out the pigment richness of the colors, but they perform really well alone too. My favorites are the Edward Bess Illuminating Eye Base, Laura Mercier Caviar Eye Sticks in Rose Gold and NARS Velvet Shadow Sticks. Application is excellent – there will be a little bit of fall out from the powders when you apply on the eyes, but once you have them on the lids – they stay put without fading or smudging. I found they lasted all day long nicely.

Descriptions and swatches:

Row 1 features four larger pans each 0.11 oz/3.2 g, shades are named I, II, III, IV:

  • Matte creamy neutral with slight pink tones
  • Shimmering champagne with beige/ivory tones
  • Shimmering mauve taupe
  • Matte charcoal

Rows 2 and 3 have smaller pans, but are still large enough that you can easily fit an eyeshadow brush into without having to worry about mixing colors. These are 0.05 oz/1.5g each:
  • Frosted white gold
  • Shimmering warm copper orange
  • Matte mauve
  • Shimmering steel with slight olive undertone
  • Shimmering steel blue grey
  • Matte navy indigo
  • Shimmering cool grey-brown
  • Shimmering grey-black with blue tones and silver flecks

Here’s a quick eye look with the neutrals using the four shades in the top row 1 and a little bit of the last color in row 2. I love that online at the NARS website, they did eye swatches of all 12 shades on three skintones. Check it out here.

If you’re wondering how this compares to the Urban Decay Gwen Stefani Eyeshadow Palette (reviewed + swatched here), I would say both are excellent options. Picking one over the other is challenging because I think they are different in color options and texture. If you’re looking for something cooler-toned and want a palette that can take your look from neutral to smokey, go with the NARS. If you want something with warmer more neutral options, go for the UD x Gwen Stefani Palette. The textures of course are very different in each palette. The NARS has a creamy smooth buttery texture. The Urban Decay palette has a wider mix of mattes, shimmers, and sparkles – also the pink and bright blue offer a more vibrant/less neutral option.

Onto the cheeks with the NARSissist Cheek Studio Palette ($65, Sephora exclusive). Many asked how this compares to the Steven Klein One Shocking Moment Palette from Holiday. I wasn’t able to buy (it sold out quickly) so I can’t compare the two in great detail. The top three shades are the same in each palette. Based on a google search, it appears the newest one for spring offers two shades that are lighter options on the bottom left half and then darker options for the bottom right half. I do believe that the one from holiday had two existing blush colors in Luster and Dolce Vita. The new one for spring offers four new shades on the bottom. This seems to be an all-in-one kind of palette for the cheeks. It has contouring powders, a bronzer, and four blushes (two of which I think could pass for highlighters, at least on me).

The colors in this palette include:

  • Paloma Contour Duo which is available separately. It offers richly pigmented matte powders in a soft pinkish cream color and a deeper contour shade that pulls mauve on my skintone.
  • Laguna Bronzer is a classic shade (also available separately) that warms up the complexion and adds depth without looking orangey or too dark. It’s easily buildable for a natural glow or deeper bronze. In my college days there were many times where this was all I would apply on the cheeks.

The bottom row has colors that are listed as blushes:

  • I is a pale pink that glows. It’s a matte base but if you look closely at the pan you will see tiny bits of finely milled gold shimmer. I was worried this would not show up on my skin, but it offers the prettiest baby pink glow. I hope this makes an appearance in full-size eventually.
  • II is is light pink in the pan, but applies darker on my skin like a soft natural rose pink glow, I adore this shade. It has tiny flecks of silver sparkle but it’s not glittery on the skin.
  • III is a deeper warm reddish color but as you can see from the swatch below, it’s not orangey (however it will pull darker, warmer and almost orangey on fairer skin tones like The Non-Blonde)
  • Goulue is a new shade, currently a VIB Rouge Exclusive at Sephora, it’s a stunning medium-deep rose with golden shimmer

I think this palette will be a versatile one that will go with a wide range of looks for lips and eyes, but the overall color scheme seems to be on the medium to dark side which may be too much for fair skins if you find blushes tend to darken/oxidize on you. For me – I love a strong blush to add a bit of color and life to my face when I wear neutral lips. The texture of the blushes is smooth and easy to blend. I think it contains classics one can wear every day. The colors with the exception of the Paloma duo are all shimmery, but they don’t emphasize my pores or look frosted.

There are a few new launches for face palettes to choose from this spring including the Urban Decay x Gwen Stefani Blush Palette (new shades) and MAC Contour and Sculpt Palette (value set with cult classics). You may want to browse stores or research swatches online before committing to a palette. I feel like this season we are on highlighter, foundation and blush overload. I just got both of the other two, I’ll try to review and compare them as soon as I can.

I deem both of these palettes winners in terms of color selection, quality and packaging. They are travel-friendly and I love that they come with in a sturdy compact with a decent sized mirror which makes it easy to apply them on-the-go. They are both limited-edition. I think given the size and packaging the prices are very reasonable for a luxury beauty palette.

You can find the NARSissist L’Amour, Toujours L’Amour Eyeshadow Palette for $59 online at NARS, Barneys New York and Saks Fifth Avenue (for some reason right now it’s listed at a higher price at Saks). The NARSissist Cheek Studio Palette retails for $65 and is exclusive to Sephora online and in stores.

Have you checked out these NARS palettes yet? What did you think?

Both palettes were sent courtesy of the NARS team for review consideration.

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Base Makeup NARS

NARS Velvet Matte Skin Tint Review

January 15, 2016

Today NARS is launching their new Velvet Matte Skin Tint ($44 for 1.7 oz/50 ml). I am a huge fan of NARS foundations and face products and this new one is quite amazing. Long time Beauty Look Book readers know that I adore the Pure Radiant Tinted Moisturizer because it’s not like a traditional tinted moisturizer but more of a natural looking skin tint that offers medium buildable coverage with a slightly dewy sheen. Anytime someone asks me for a recommendation on a natural foundation, the NARS Pure Radiant Tinted Moisturizer is the first one on my list, but many of my friends are hesitant to try it because they think it will be too dewy for their normal/combo to oily skin (I still think it’s suitable for oily skin). Well the new Velvet Matte Skin Tint offers the same kind of beautiful medium buildable coverage and natural finish – but without any glow and with a slightly velvety matte finish. 

The Velvet Matte Skin Tint (oil-free) comes with broad spectrum SPF 30 just like the Pure Radiant Tinted Moisturizer. The texture is similar in that it’s easy blend, applies smoothly, covers redness and evens out the skin. It dries to a velvety finish without looking flat or too dry like the name matte often implies. It’s like skin but better and on me it’s lasted an impressive amount of time. All day without separating, fading or creasing. Coverage is medium – enough to even out the skintone but not too heavy. It allows your skin to breathe so to speak and feels slightly hydrating but still weightless.

In addition to evening out the skin, it has Rose Fruit Extract to minimize pores and control shine. Vitamins C and E and broad spectrum SPF to protect the skin from environmental stress.

It’s pure love.

For the Pure Radiant Tinted Moisturizer, I have alternated between
two shades in Groenland and St. Moritz. Right now I am in between shades but am a closer match to St. Moritz because I still have some of my summer tan.
St. Moritz is my summer shade and Groenland is my most-of-the-year
shade. I found that the Velvet Matte Skin Tint colors in corresponding
shades look slightly different when swatched but once you blend it out
on the skin, they are identical. So you should be able to use the same
color of Pure Radiant Tinted Moisturizer and Velvet Matte Skin Tint. For reference you can find swatches of all the colors on Karen’s blog at Makeup and Beauty Blog.

First a look at the packaging differences of some of the foundations. The Velvet Matte Skin Tint comes in a sleek squeeze tube similar to the Pure Radiant Tinted Moisturizer, but it’s slightly skinnier and longer in size.

Here are two sets of swatch comparisons to Groenland and St. Moritz:

Set one above includes:
Buxom Show Some Skin in You’re a Natural and Meet Me Latte (shown here)
____________________________

Set two above includes:

Tom Ford Traceless Perfecting Foundation in Bisque and Natural (review here + here)
NARS Radiant Creamy Concealer in Custard and Ginger

____________________________

Bottom line amazing and definitely worth checking out. It’s just as good as the Pure Radiant Tinted Moisturizer without the glow, but still natural looking. You can find the Velvet Matte Skin Tint now online at NARS and at NARS Boutiques. It will launch at Sephora, Nordstrom, Barney’s New York and all other NARS retailers starting February 1st. 

Do you have any NARS foundation favorites? (P.S. I’m behind responding to e-mails and comments, but will catch up later on Sunday this weekend, I’ve been super busy this past week and I’m also attending IMATS for the first time today!)


The Velvet Matte Skin Tints were sent courtesy of NARS for review consideration.

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Highlighters NARS Nordstrom

NARS Hot Sand Collection (Nordstrom Exclusive)

January 4, 2016
NARS Hot Sand x Nordstrom Collection

For the new year NARS x Nordstrom have launched an exclusive collection called Hot Sand which is all about glow. There are six pieces in the collection all with a champagne color focus which give the most natural incandescent luminous finish. I’ve teamed up with Nordstrom to share a review on the collection along with lots of comparison swatches to other champagne shimmers.

The six items in the Hot Sand Collection are all exclusive to Nordstrom, items include:

  • Hot Sand Lip Gloss ($26 for 0.18 oz/6 ml) is a pale sandy gold, it has a bit of shimmer in it which comes off as a shimmering frost, finish is sheer to medium but smooth and makes the lips look light and glossy
  • Hot Sand Illuminator ($30 for 1.1 oz/30 ml, repromoted) is a sheer pearlized champagne peachy glow, this is one of my favorite liquid illuminators to add the most natural sheen, it’s perfect for my medium-olive skin because the peach gives it color while most champagne highlighters look light and pearly on my skin, it gives the skin that glow from within candlelit look without looking frosted
  • Hot Sand Multiple ($39 for .5 oz/14g) is a new color, it’s almost identical to the Illuminator, it gives a more visible glow to the skin, I find it slightly lighter in color because of the pearl particles and more pigmented, two swipes on each cheek are just slightly lighter than my natural skintone and once blended the skin simply glows
  • Blush and Bronzer Duo in Hot Sand + Laguna ($42 for .35 oz/10g) is called a blush / bronzer duo, it has a powder blush which on me acts more like a soft highlighter, it’s a champagne pearl similar to the Illuminator and Multiple, the powder has a more shimmery glowy finish while the others are more natural looking, Laguna is a cult-classic bronzer, in this compact I found the color to be just slightly different from the regular full-size, the compact one is slightly cooler-toned and sheerer
  • Blush Duo in Hot Sand + Orgasm ($42 for .35 oz/10g) is a blush duo with Hot Sand Blush a peachy champagne shimmer combined with Orgasm a peachy pink shimmer
  • Hanamachi Kabuki Brush
    ($42)

NARS Hot Sand x Nordstrom Collection

Wearing above: NARS Pure Radiant Tinted Moisturizer in Groenland mixed with St. Tropez, Powder Foundation in Punjab, Blush Duo in Hot Sand + Orgasm, Bronzer in Laguna, Lip Gloss in Hot Sand, Dual Intensity Eyeshadow in Himalia, Eyeshadow Duo in All About Eve

First up is the new Kabuki Brush. This is a small domed brush that is very dense but soft. Size-wise it fits nicely in the hand – it’s small enough to be compact, but not so small I feel like I can’t grip it easily. The bristles are evenly distributed and it’s very soft and smooth around the edges. There are no hairs poking out and it blends powders seamlessly around the cheeks. I own a number of other kabuki brushes and this one is extremely good. I can see myself using it for setting powders as well. I’ve shown it below next to the #21 Contour Brush for scale.
NARS Kabuki Brush and Contour Brush

Next up are the Hot Sand + Orgasm Blush Duo and Hot Sand + Laguna Bronzer Blush Duo. Both contain Hot Sand which is listed as a powder blush. The texture of both duos is very good. It’s smooth, finely milled, easy to apply and blend. There is a luminous quality to Hot Sand which is very pretty and glowy. I like that they have a slight peachy tone to them which makes for a more natural glow rather than a pearl shimmer which contrasts with my olive skin. I can’t pick one over the other, but I do think the Hot Sand + Laguna Duo is my new favorite contouring duo. It’s super easy to use for the contouring-challenged (like me). It’s great for a no-makeup makeup look to add depth and dimension without looking over the top.
NARS Hot Sand Nordstrom Blush Bronzer Duos

There are three individual items in the collection with the name Hot Sand. Below is the Illuminator, Multiple Stick and Lip Gloss. I’m a huge fan of pale pearly glosses but since I have pigmented lips, many often end up looking like concealer on me. Hot Sand thankfully has enough color to show up with some shine. It’s pale but not too pale and the application/color goes on smoothly without streaks. It makes for a good layering gloss too.
NARS Hot Sand Illuminator Multiple Lip Gloss

Close up of the Hot Sand Multiple:
NARS Hot Sand Multiple Nordstrom

Close up of the Hot Sand Lip Gloss:  

NARS Nordstrom Hot Sand Lip Gloss

Hot Sand Lip Gloss on bare lips:

_________________________

Some comparison swatch sets in case you’re wondering how these compare to other champagne shimmered items from NARS:

Illuminator in Hot Sand
Illuminator in Orgasm
Multiple in Hot Sand
Blush in Hot Sand (part of the duos)
Eyeshadow Duo in All About Eve
Eyeshadow Duo in Alhambra
_________________________

Multiple in Hot Sand
Blush and Bronzer Duo in Hot Sand/Laguna
Bronzer in Laguna (individual one is more luminous and warmer)
Dual Intensity Blush in Jubilation
 _________________________

Lip Glosses in Supervixen, Chelsea Girls, Striptease, Greek Holiday, Sweet Revenge and Orgasm
_________________________

NARS Hot Sand Collection

Overall lots to love in this collection – especially those looking for a natural luminous glow. I am addicted to glowy highlighters so I found it necessary to buy all the Hot Sand face items even though the colors are similar among the different formulas. I’ve owned the Illuminator for a long time and I find the peachy undertone unique in a beauty world filled with pale white champagne highlighters which I love, but often want something that doesn’t look white on my skin. The peach in the Multiple, Powder Blush and Illuminator meld more with my olive skintone which makes for a more natural looking glow.

For those who are glow-conscious – I do think these are suitable for those who are ultra conservative in the glow department. Many with oily skin often are wary of anything that glows since oil + shimmer tends to = shiny by afternoon. If you have oily skin the Illuminator is the most natural of the face items. The Multiple Stick has a nice semi-matte finish compared to other multiples and I found it stayed put. The most glowy of the face items is the Powder Blush which I really like – it’s not too shimmery but shimmery enough that you can see it.

If I had to pick just one of the face products, I would say I can’t because I really like all of them, but I think the Multiple adds the most natural luminous quality in a highlighter I’ve seen that makes the face glow – your mileage may vary depending on your skintone.

Bottom line thumbs up. I’m really liking the way Hot Sand Lip Gloss looks – it’s what I wanted Striptease to look like on the lips which is too pale for me to wear alone while Hot Sand just works. Alone or layered.

Have you checked out the NARS Hot Sand Collection yet? Or do you already own the Illuminator? For this time of year what’s your go-to for a glow?

Many thanks to Nordstrom for sponsoring this post. As always, all opinions my own.

46 Comments
NARS

NARS Pro Palettes

September 28, 2015

Earlier this month, NARS finally launched their first customizable palettes with inserts for eye and cheek products. They are called the NARS Pro Palettes and the palette themselves come in two sizes, Small ($14) and Large ($18). A select number of their colors are available for purchase as inserts in blush, highlighter, bronzer, contour duos, and eyeshadows (prices range from $18 to 30). I’ve been a long-time NARS fan and I’ve depotted some of my powders to put into other palettes. The rubberized casing sometimes gets ruined and sticky over time so the only way for me to keep using them is to depot. I’ve tried a number of methods and about half of the products became ruined (cracked, dented, burned, etc.) I am so so happy that NARS finally has launched these palettes. I have the small one to share today. Prices and options are as follows:

Both palettes come in a magnetic black case (not rubberized like the full-size packaging). The small one measures a little over 7 inches wide and a bit over 5.5 inches tall, depth is about 1/2 an inch.

Each insert comes in a clear sturdy plastic case:

Products are labeled on the back in case you mix them up, you will still be able to see what colors you use if you look on the back:

The base of the pan is magnetized so the pans adhere to the bottom. I tried several variations and found that there is plenty room around the pans which makes it easy to insert or remove without touching the edges. Since everything is magnetic – once they are set in the pan, the pans stay put.

A few variations I tried to show what fits where and in what combinations. Online at on the Build Your Own Pro Palette Section of narscosmetics.com you can customize your own palette by playing with the different colors to see what fits. The small one fits the powder blushes perfectly. The other items have a lot more room around them which I don’t mind – it makes it easy to interchange the colors or move them around.

Swatches of the shades featured above: Miss Liberty, Angelika, Desire, Orgasm, Deep Throat, Torrid, Luster, Lovejoy and Laguna Bronzer

Eyeshadow duos in: All About Eve, Alhambra, Sugarland, Cordura, Kalahari

Here’s a quick size comparison of the NARS Pro Palette in Small to that of a couple MAC Pro Palettes (Blush x6 customized by me and Nordstrom’s Finest x15):

I’m overall beyond thrilled that NARS has released these palettes. Since they are designed for makeup artists, they’re currently exclusive to NARS boutiques and narscosmetics.com. The shade selection is limited but I really hope they will expand the color offerings soon. In the meantime I’m going to be ordering a few more base palettes and attempt to depot some of my current compacts as carefully as I can.

As a quick update, there was a mess-up with one of my NARS orders so I ended up with a few duplicates. Instead of returning them, I’ve decided to give them away! Entry details below in the widget (must be 18 years or older, USA or Canada residents only). I’m giving away 1 small palette with Orgasm, Torrid, Deep Throat, All About Eve, Kalahari, Alhambra and Cordura (all brand new), entries must be made via the widget below. Good luck!

a Rafflecopter giveaway


Have you looked into the NARS Pro Palettes yet? Or do you already depot your current compacts?

The NARS Pro Palette was provided courtesy of NARS for review consideration.

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Uncategorized

NARS Fall 2015 Collection – Beauty Look Book Picks

July 30, 2015

NARS is among the first to launch their fall beauty collection for 2015. The collection has a mix of bronze and smokey colors for eyes and neutral gloss for lips with a nude shimmer blush. Everything is quite stunning. For the lips NARS relaunched two lipgloss shades in Baby Doll and Chelsea Girls. They now come in wand form without the plastic scent that the potted glosses had (yay!). A couple older formulas/colors for the eyes have been relaunched in the Velvet
Shadow Stick form including Hollywoodland, Goddess and Aigle Noir. My picks include:
Here are swatches of my fall picks side by side:

Baby Doll and Chelsea Girls Lipglosses are both stunning colors. In pot form Babydoll was always a favorite although I hated the taste/scent. The wand form is taste and scent-free. I don’t have the original to compare but from what I remember the pot version was deeper in color on me. The wand form is quite shimmery. With my slight tan this is very cool-toned on me which works but I think it looks better with a neutral lipliner mixed in. Chelsea Girls is a creamy peach pink beige. On the hands it fills in the tiny crevices so I was worried it would emphasize lip lines. I was relieved to find that once on the lips it does not sink into the lip lines and goes on smoothly. It is semi-sheer so my natural lip shows through.

Swatch comparisons to:

Dual Intensity Eyeshadows in Telesto and Pasiphae are the winners in the collection. I’m a huge fan of the Dual Intensity Eyeshadows and the two new colors for fall are exceptionally pretty. They look pretty wet or dry, alone or layered together.

Swatch comparisons to:

Velvet Shadow Sticks in Hollywoodland, Goddess and Oaxaca are shimmery. They have a satiny feel that dries relatively quickly so you need to blend fast once they are on the lids. I prefer to have a slightly creamy base (like a tiny bit of foundation or eye cream) underneath these to help them blend on my eyes better. The pigment is medium to full and the colors are easy to build. They aren’t the most unique shades though so you may want to shop your stash if you want to avoid duplicates.

Swatch comparisons below to:

Tribulation Blush was a surprise for me. When I saw it, I thought it would be frosted and chalky on my cheeks as a blush. On deeper skintones I suspect it will be more like a highlighter. On super fair skin this one might not show up. On medium-tan skin this has the perfect mix of nude and gold to look like a natural glow on the cheeks. It’s an odd color for a blush in my opinion but it works. I like it alone even though it doesn’t add much color. It also works nicely layered on top of neutral blushes to soften the entire look.

Here are a few swatch comparisons next to Charlotte Tilbury Norman Parkinson Highlighter in Dreamy Glow (review soon), Becca x Jaclyn Hill Highlighter in Champagne Pop, Hourglass Ambient Lighting Powder in Luminous Light.

There’s a lot to love with the fall collection. I’m completely in love with both Dual Intensity Eyeshadows, Tribulation Blush and the Baby Doll and Chelsea Girl Lip Glosses. Based on how similar some of the Velvet Shadow Sticks are to other cream shadows I think I could have skipped them but I spotted them in store at my Sephora and couldn’t resist. They are classic neutrals that will go with everything so I know I will get frequent use out of them – they do last longer than the Laura Mercier Caviar Sticks but since the NARS does dry faster they aren’t quite as easy to work with.

The NARS Fall 2015 Collection is available now at NARS Boutiques and narscosmetics.com. It will launch at all other retailers starting August 1st at Sephora, Nordstrom, Neiman Marcus, Barney’s New York, Bloomingdale’s and Saks Fifth Avenue.
Some of the items featured were press samples including Telesto, Tribulation, Chelsea Girls and Baby Doll. Other items purchased by me include the Velvet Shadow Sticks and Pasiphae.

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